Professor Emeritus, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Areas of Expertise
Western American Literature, Native American literature; exploration literature; literary modernism; diversity studies, creative writing—poetry, fiction, and memoir; and professional writing.
Dr. Ellis’s academic career spans more than 35 years and has included teaching literature and writing courses–particularly creative writing and journalism—as well as courses in interdisciplinary studies and innovative field-based course focusing on the relationship between literature and place. He joined the Woodbury faculty in 2010 as a member of the Writing Department and became Chair of the Department in 2013. He was named Interim Dean of the College of Liberal Arts in 2018. The College offers five degree programs in history, interdisciplinary studies, political science, public safety administration, and writing, as well as minors in art history, philosophy, urban studies, and writing. The College also provides general education course work in biology, economics, first-year composition, mathematics, personal and professional development, and physics. Two tutoring centers, the Math, Science and Subject Tutoring Center and the Writing Center, are housed in the College. Dr. Ellis is a practicing scholar and creative writer. His books include Vertical Margins: Mountaineering and the Landscapes of Neo-Imperialism; Stories and Stone: Writing the Ancestral Pueblo Homeland; Beyond Borders: The Selected Essays of Mary Austin, a book of poems, Formula, as well as many published essays on literature and writing and works of fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction. Dr. Ellis enjoys spending time in the wild and open spaces of the American southwest. When he is not working with students and colleagues in the College, he can be found–or not found–somewhere past the last road. An interview with Dr. Ellis, done for WU Radio, can be found at: https://soundcloud.com/woodburyu/interview-with-reuben-ellis.
Ph.D. English. University of Colorado at Boulder
M.A. English. University of Idaho
B.A. English. Western State Colorado University