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Alexis Kenyatta Ellis, a Holmes Community College alumna and native of Goodman, recently published her second book, “Poems for Jesus.”
“My book is solely a dedication and testimony of my love for my Savior Jesus Christ,” Ellis said. “It is about my experiences with my Christian walk in life. I wanted to write to inspire people to invite Jesus into their hearts and lives honestly. It is about repentance and furthering God’s kingdom; this is why I wrote the book.
“My work as a poet is based on my experiences in the world and my perspective about life spiritually, emotionally, physically and in nature,” Ellis said. “I enjoy writing about love because, like the Holy Bible tells us, God is love. I enjoy helping people and my writing centers around my belief in Jesus that He is the Healer and Savior of Mankind.”
Ellis, who was a liberal arts major, graduated from Holmes in 2002 with an Associate of Arts degree. While at Holmes, she was a staff writer/columnist for The Growl student newspaper under Jim Williams where she wrote a column called, “From My Perspective.” Ellis was also a member of the Creative Arts Club and participated in their Coffee House event.
From 2008-2010, Ellis attended Mississippi State University where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in interdisciplinary studies. Upon graduation from MSU, she earned post-graduate degrees, including a Graduate Certificate in College Teaching and Learning from Walden University and a Master of Arts degree in education from Ashford University (now University of Arizona Global Campus) in 2015. Additionally, from 2012-2016, she was a volunteer transcriptionist for the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.
Although her education certainly helped her achieve her goals, Ellis says her writing began at an early age.
“I have been a poet since the age of 10,” Ellis said. “It was on February 15, 2008, though, when I started publishing my poetry online on Associated Content and Yahoo Contributor Network. Those sites are now obsolete, but in 2012, my poem ‘Naturally’ garnered 600,000 page views. My first self-published book, ‘Naturally: A Collection of Best Loved Poems,’ is cataloged in the Mid-Mississippi Regional Library System.”
In her free time, Ellis enjoys going to the community center in her neighborhood, reading the Holy Bible and watching movies. Her favorites are comedies, Hallmark Television, classic romance movies like “Wuthering Heights” and westerns.
Ellis currently resides in Lexington where she volunteers as a writer on “Zealousness,” a blog and eMagazine on the website www.ineducationonline.org. In January, she will also begin serving as an online volunteer tutor for another online nonprofit organization.
Ellis’ newest book, “Poems for Jesus,” is available for purchase at http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/poetess.
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