Ellen O'Connell Whittet, a Santa Barbara native, is returning to join the Writing Program after teaching and writing professionally in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. She received her BA from UCSB majoring in Literature at the College of Creative Studies and did her graduate studies at Sarah Lawrence where she earned her MFA in Writing. She taught literature for four years at the College of Creative Studies at UCSB.

Ellen's interests include southern literature, creative writing, and journalism along with her expertise in writing. Her numerous publications include a piece in Harper Perennial's anthology The Moment and Post Road magazine.  She won the Virginia Walker Faulkner Award from Prairie Schooner, a journal out of the University of Nebraska, Lincoln and received nominations for the Pushcart Prize for her small publications. In addition, Ellen is working on a longer book project about the forces that control the female body. Not only is Ellen an accomplished writer and teacher, she is also a dedicated modern dancer.

As a newlywed returning to her hometown, Ellen is looking forward to the Santa Barbara winters.