I only remember two things about my early childhood in Germany – that the doors had handles instead of knobs (an image called to mind because my father was fond of the composer, Handel), and a tri-fold mirror that stood upon my mother’s dresser, where I would stand and gaze at the endless procession of myself in blue pajamas with feet. Spending most of my childhood in North Carolina, I was an active child, given to fits of jumping up and down excitedly, in between which I wrote stories.
I no longer have fits of jumping up and down (ok, not very often anyway), but I still have fits of writing. You can find links to a few of my published works below. Much of what I know about writing I learned at the Odyssey Writing Workshop, which I attended in 2006, and subsequent visits to “The Never-Ending Odyssey” (TNEO) workshop for alumni. I have served both as overall workshop moderator and as critique group moderator at TNEO.
Publications, Written Works Performed, and Other News
October 2019
Midsummer Night’s Music, an original Shakespeare adaptation using music of Henry Purcell, performed by Texas A&M University Opera Workshop. Performance rights available; contact ellen@ellendenham.com.
October 2018
Pinstripe Harry’s Tea Room Cabaret, an original jazz-age musical using the music of Gershwin, Porter, and others, performed by Texas A&M University Opera Workshop. Judges from the National Opera Association Opera Production Competition say,
“Great choice of music throughout, and the overall arc of the production makes perfect sense and the sequence of music is entertaining and satisfying dramatically. I thought the libretto/dialogue was also very well written and entertaining.”
Performance rights available; contact ellen@ellendenham.com.
December 2018
Star-Crossed Memory (short story; fantasy) published in NewMyths.com “best of” anthology, Passages.
A woman with dementia has an unusual friendship with an embodiment of the constellation Orion.
Editor Susan Winston says,
Ellen’s story has the well-deserved honor of being placed as our final selection in the anthology — it is that memorable.
December 2017
Star-Crossed Memory (short story; fantasy) published in NewMyths.com.
A woman with dementia has an unusual friendship with an embodiment of the constellation Orion. Read here!
May 2016
Improvisation as a Generative Tool for New Operatic Material: An Exploration of Methods and Parameters (doctoral scholarly essay) published online via University of Illinois IDEALS. Available here.
June 2014
The Mouths (short story; science fiction) published in Lightspeed Magazine special issue Women Destroy Science Fiction.
January 2014
Schubert and Goethe: A Transcendence of Competing Aesthetics (scholarly essay) published in the conference proceedings of the Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities and available in the conference proceedings here.
September 2013
Old Singers, New Tricks: Can I Go Back to School at My Age? (nonfiction article) published in Classical Singer Magazine.
June 2013
The Golden Larynx (short story; fantasy) published in the anthology Gears and Levers 3 by Sky Warrior Books.
A famous opera singer dies, but her voice lives on, with some creepy consequences.
November 2012
Homo Homarus (flash fiction; fantasy) published in Daily Science Fiction.
In this twisted fairy tale, a woman falls in love with a man who is only half a man. Read here!
June 2012
In Which Marper Visits a Witch (short story; fantasy) published in NewMyths.com.
A self-centered petty thief visits a witch to cure his foot rot, but gets more than he bargained for. Read here!
May 2011
When There Are No Wrong Notes: Freeing the Voice Through Improvisation (nonfiction article) published in Classical Singer Magazine.
March 2011
Homo Homarus (short opera; absurd) performed at the Indy Convergence.
October 2010
Good Kitty (short story; literary) published in Hawthorn Road.
March 2010
The Golden Larynx (short story; fantasy) receives an Honorable Mention in the first quarter 2010 Writers of the Future contest.
March 2010
The Singing Dog (play; absurd) performed at the Indy Convergence.