Jonathan Ellis

Dr Jonathan Ellis is a Reader in American Literature at the University of Sheffield’s School of English. He holds a PhD from the University of Hull and a BA from Oxford University. His research focuses on 20th-century American poetry, particularly Elizabeth Bishop, alongside explorations of letter-writing, film studies, and Sylvia Plath. Ellis has authored or edited multiple books including Art and Memory in the Work of Elizabeth Bishop (2006) and co-edited Elizabeth Bishop in Context (2021). He organized major conferences on Bishop’s work and co-created an award-nominated poemfilm based on her poetry.

His research extends to interdisciplinary projects like analyzing Taylor Swift’s album evermore and co-editing collections on Annie Hall. Ellis has secured significant grants, including a £86,539 British Academy Research Development Award for his work on letter-writing. He teaches courses on American literature, film, and poetry, and supervises PhD students in modern poetry and related fields.

Ellis’s scholarly contributions span journals like Ploughshares, Bishop–Lowell Studies, and Journal of Transatlantic Studies, covering themes from Bishop’s eczema’s influence on her work to Gothic elements in contemporary cinema. His awards include recognition for film collaborations and editorial work in poetry studies.