Ellen Akins is an American novelist from

South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 United S ...

Early life and education

After graduating from LaSalle Intermediate Academy in 1977, Akins earned a Bachelor of Arts in film production at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

. As a young adult, Akins participated in ''

Beyond Our Control ''Beyond Our Control'' was an American youth-produced television series that aired on local NBC affiliate WNDU-TV in South Bend, Indiana for 19 seasons from 1967 to 1986. Usually televised from late-January to mid-May of each year, the program w ...

'', a youth-produced community television program.

Career

Akins worked with film producer

Sydney Pollack Sydney Irwin Pollack (July 1, 1934 – May 26, 2008) was an American film director, producer and actor. Pollack directed more than 20 films and 10 television shows, acted in over 30 movies or shows and produced over 44 films. For his film ''Out ...

before losing interest in the film business. Akins then earned a

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admini ...

in the creative writing program at

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

. In April 1993, she was awarded the Academy Award of the

American Academy of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, music, and art. Its fixed number membership is elected for lifetime appointments. Its headqu ...

for her fiction writing; she has also been given grants by the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

and the

Ingram Merrill Foundation The Ingram Merrill Foundation was a private foundation established in the mid-1950s by poet James Merrill (1926-1995), using funds from his substantial family inheritance.J. D. McClatchyBraving the Elements ''The New Yorker'', 27 March 1995. Retriev ...

, and won the Whiting Award in 1989. Akins is the author of five books; the novels ''Home Movie'', published in 1988 by

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest publ ...

, ''Little Woman'', published in 1990 by Harper & Row, ''Public Life'', published in 1993 by

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News Cor ...

, and ''Hometown Brew'', published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1998, and the short story collection "World Like a Knife", published in 1991 by

Johns Hopkins University Press The Johns Hopkins University Press (also referred to as JHU Press or JHUP) is the publishing division of Johns Hopkins University. It was founded in 1878 and is the oldest continuously running university press in the United States. The press publi ...

. Akins has also taught at

Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. Bliss for the training of teachers ...

, Northland College, and

Fairleigh Dickinson University Fairleigh Dickinson University is a private university with its main campuses in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Founded in 1942, Fairleigh Dickinson University currently offers more than 100 degree programs to its students. In addition to its tw ...

Personal life

Akins lives in

Cornucopia, Wisconsin Cornucopia is an unincorporated census-designated place in the town of Bell in northern Bayfield County, Wisconsin, United States. It is situated on Lake Superior at the northern end of the Bayfield Peninsula. It is along Wisconsin Highway 13 an ...

Awards

*1989 Whiting Award *1993 Academy Award from the

Works

Books

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Stories

* * * *

References

External links

Profile at The Whiting Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Akins, Ellen Writers from South Bend, Indiana Western Michigan University faculty Northland College (Wisconsin) Fairleigh Dickinson University faculty 20th-century American novelists American women novelists Living people USC School of Cinematic Arts alumni Johns Hopkins University alumni 20th-century American women writers Novelists from New Jersey Novelists from Indiana Novelists from Michigan Year of birth missing (living people) American women academics 21st-century American women writers