Ellen Papazian has been working with young people to cultivate their love of writing for 
more than a decade. Her teaching is based on the philosophy that creative writing is 
accessible to all people, and that we each have the tools for powerful writing already at 
hand: our daily experiences, memories, feelings, and what the late poet and teacher
Kenneth Koch called “the music of ordinary speech.” She currently leads writing
workshops for youths ages 5 to 18 and senior citizens.

Ellen has been writing since she was old enough to hold a pencil and staple pages 
together to create books. She has been publishing her fiction and nonfiction since she was 
a teenager in Norwalk, Connecticut. Her personal essays and short fiction can currently 
be found in the anthologies About Face: Women Write about What They See When They 
Look in the Mirror, and The Long Meanwhile: Stories of Arrival and Departure. She also 
publishes essays, book reviews, and author interviews in several national print and online 
publications. 

She received her BA in Creative Studies from New College at Hofstra University and her 
MA in English from Rutgers University. She is the recipient of the English Department
Award for Highest Distinction in Literary Studies from Rutgers University and the 
Young Alumnus Award from Hofstra University.  

"I believe that creative writing can help us express the magic of our daily lives and share
with one another what is most deeply felt. I believe in facilitating writing workshops that 
help young people and seniors cultivate their own, unique voice and tell their vital 
stories". —EP