Ellis Anderson

"Under Surge, Under Siege, the Odyssey of Bay St. Louis and Katrina"
Hardback book to be released Summer 2010, published by University Press of Mississippi

Awarded Mississippi Arts Commission Literary Fellowship (7/07)
First Runner-up in the international William Faulkner-
William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition (essay division, 2006)
Semi-finalist in same division, 2007

"The High Rises Sink but Bay St. Louis Stays Afloat"
essay for NPR

Fredericksburg, Texas Newcomers' Guide
Lead photographer and writer

"Reaching for INFINITY"
South Mississippi Living, July 2007

"Memories in the Making"
South Mississippi Living, June 2007

"Angels of Mercy"
South Mississippi Living, June 2007

"Bonita's Wish"
South Mississippi Living, May 2007

"Turning Loss Into Art"
South Mississippi Living, May 2007

"Tranquility"
South Mississippi Living, April, 2007

"The Classic Comes Home"
South Mississippi Living, April, 2007

“The Perfect Shot”
South Mississippi Living, March, 2007

"No Place Like Home"
click on “Lori Gordon article, PDF”

"A Show of Hands"
the art of Lee Robertson

EXPERIENCE

1992 - current
Bay Saint Louis, MS

Author

"Under Surge, Under Siege, the Odyssey of Bay St. Louis and Katrina"
publisher: University Press of Mississippi
release date: Summer, 2010

Project paints an in-depth portrait of a small Mississippi town, following the community struggles to survive Katrina and the first three years of aftermath.

Two complete chapters of the book were featured in the Summer 2008 edition of "Southern Cultures," a journal published for the UNC Center for the Study of the American South by UNC Press.

The book project was awarded a Mississippi Arts Commission Literary Fellowship for artistic excellence (July 2007).

"The Language of Loss" essay was awarded First Runner-up in the international Faulkner/Wisdom Creative Writing Competition, Essay Division, November, 2006. In 2007, the chapter "Five Pounds of Potatoes" was a semi-finalist in the same division.

Completed chapters (with accompanying photographs) comprise the popular blog, “Under Surge, Under Siege.” The website has an international following, with readers in at over 40 countries.

Excerpts from the book featured in the art show and accompanying book "Backyards and Beyond," a traveling interactive exhibition by artist H.C. Porter.

Work from the book featured on Mississippi Public Radio show “Beyond Katrina,” (August, 2006), as well as in several regional publications.

Excerpts and photographs from the book featured in the Impact Art Event in NYC and the Gala Gallery in Washington, D.C., both in the fall of 2006.

Performed reading from the narrative for Dr. Dana Gioia, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, August 2006.

Freelance Writer

Public Relations: Press releases, editing, web content, articles, creating and managing public awareness campaigns.

Conceptualized and wrote formal proposal for Bay St. Louis Historic Walking and Biking Tour (October, 2009). Researched (working with Charles Gray of the Hancock County Historical Society) and wrote booklet content. Also provided all photographic images for booklet on behalf of Live Oak Alliance. Graphic design by Jenny Bell of Adlib Advertising. Booklet released in September, 2009.

Lead photographer and writer for the Fredericksburg, Texas Newcomers' Guide, 2009.

The Hancock County Chamber of Commerce: Assignments include writing website content, creating and launching public awareness campaigns, providing in-house articles for newsletter/member up-dates, creating/editing promotional material and photography/creation of visual presentations. Click here to view "Sharp Shopper" campaign with photographs and profiles of 73 businesses (Nov./Dec. 2007).

Created and launched "Tree Hugging Pride" public awareness campaign for Hancock Chamber of Commerce - winner of the 2008 Best Tree Campaign Award from Mississippi Urban Forestry Council. The on-going series of articles provides information of the various benefits trees provide a community and features images of public officials and local celebrities hugging trees.

Wrote and assembled content for the Partners for Stennis Space Center website.

Contracting with the Mississippi State Department of Archives and History to document restoration of historic structures through the Hurricane Relief Grant Program for Historic Preservation.

Served as volunteer writer, editor and coordinator for the Mississippi Urban Forestry Council for various Coast projects in 2006 and 2007.

Fox Web Company - project manager, contributing photographer and content writer for the city of Bay St. Louis website.

Photo-Journalism

The Sun Herald - reporting and photography.

South Mississippi Living Magazine: general interest articles and photography.

Invited by NPR to submit essay on “The Gulf Coast Fifty Years in the Future.” Essay accepted and published on NPR website, August, 2006.

Numerous articles and photos in various regional publications including the Stennis News, South Mississippi Business Journal and The Sea Coast Echo.

Grants

On a volunteer basis wrote grants for the cities of Waveland and Bay St. Louis for reforestation. Cities awarded $110,000 from the Mississippi Forestry Commission, February 2007. The grant resulted in the planting of over 450 trees along the commercial corridors of Bay St. Louis and Waveland (2008).

Community Activism

November 2009, received the Heritage Award from the Bay St. Louis Historic Preservation Commission for "outstanding contribution to the preservation and promotion of historic Bay St. Louis."

August 2008, chosen as an Outstanding Citizen in Hancock County, MS

April 2008, named Mississippi Public Citizen of the Year by the National Association of Social Workers, Mississippi Chapter.

Served as Bay St. Louis Mayor’s appointee to the Citizen’s Advisory Committee for the city’s new comprehensive plan (2006 - 2008). Also representing BSL on the Hancock County Advisory Committee for that comprehensive plan.

Member of the Governor’s Commission Land Use Committee.

Worked with Bay St. Louis City Council and Mississippi Department of Archives on a volunteer basis with the goal of establishing a city historic district. Enabling ordinance for district passed unanimously by Council in Febuary 2007, official historic district formed in December 2007.

Named a "Gulf Coast Preservation Hero" by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Mississippi Heritage Trust, May 2006

Non-Profit

Co-founder and president of local internet activist group, Coastal Community Watch – a non-profit with over 800 members. The group’s focus is to facilitate citizen participation in local government decisions. Profiled on MSNBC's "Rising From Ruin" website.

On a volunteer basis, write and manage a blog for CCW. The blog serves as a tool that informs and encourages community interaction by citizens, especially those temporarily displaced by Katrina.

Set up non-partisan internet forums for local candidates to educate voters and encourage absentee voting by displaced residents.

Spearheaded campaign to support legislation offering property tax protections to coast residents.

On behalf of Coastal Community Watch, coordinate efforts with national environmental groups, facilitating public input to various local wetlands issues.

1986-2005
New Orleans French Quarter/Bay St. Louis, MS

Owner and Director of Quarter Moon Gallery
Jewelry Designer

Bay St. Louis gallery location designated as one of Southern Living favorite shops in South for two consecutive years (2004 and 2005).

Revived and co-directed (with local artist Vicki Niolet) the popular 2nd Saturday Art Walk in Bay St. Louis, MS. (1996-1998), establishing the current format of the event.

Served on board of the French Quarter Business Association (1994-1996).

Awarded several honors for jewelry designs, including an Alpha Design Award.

Designed and produced jewelry lines for various museums and organizations, including the Walter Anderson Museum (2005) and the Historic New Orleans Collection (2002).

1982–1984
Stolt-Nielsen
Oslo, Norway

Chief Cook
Commercial Saturation Diving Vessel
"Seaway Eagle"

Duties included ordering and managing food service 24/7 for 60+ crewmembers.

Crewed international expeditions for oil field repair and sunken ship salvage, including National Geographic staffed “treasure hunts” in Colombia, S.A., as well as in other Atlantic/Caribbean/Gulf locations.

1978 - current
New Orleans, LA/Boston, MA/Mississippi Gulf Coast

Musician

Currently performing as vocalist and guitarist with "Full Cyrcle," a four-piece band performing blues, traditional folk and old-fashioned rock and roll, "with the focus on harmony - in voice and in spirit."