John Ellis

My name is John Ellis. I am an English literature lecturer originally from Durban, South Africa. I am also a writer, musician and public speaker.

I have over ten years’ worth of experience lecturing a wide variety of communication-based subjects at a tertiary education level. Although I specialise in English literature, I have taught Business Communication, Academic Literacy, Political Communication and Human Development, amongst others, at mostly private tertiary institutions such as Varsity College.

At the start of 2022 I graduated with a Master’s degree in Creative Writing (Cum Laude) from the University of the Western Cape, having previously been educated at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. I am a published poet, my work having been chosen for the prestigious literary magazine New Contrast, among others.

I am also an experienced and award-winning performing musician, having fronted the internationally-renowned Tree63 for over a decade. In this regard, I spent many years as a public speaker all over the world. I have won numerous awards for songwriting and music production during my career in music.

My success in the classroom can be attributed to my many years on stages and in front of disparate groups of people around the world. I also regard my diploma in teaching English as a second language as a highly valuable classroom tool, especially in the context of teaching in South Africa. I have conversational abilities in Afrikaans and isiZulu which also contribute to my ability to build rapport with students from a wide variety of backgrounds.

I have over ten years’ worth of experience lecturing a wide variety of communication-based subjects at a tertiary education level. Although I specialise in English literature, I have taught Business Communication, Academic Literacy, Political Communication and Human Development, amongst others, at mostly private tertiary institutions such as Varsity College.

At the start of 2022 I graduated with a Master’s degree in Creative Writing (Cum Laude) from the University of the Western Cape, having previously been educated at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. I am a published poet, my work having been chosen for the prestigious literary magazine New Contrast, among others.

I am also an experienced and award-winning performing musician, having fronted the internationally-renowned Tree63 for over a decade. In this regard, I spent many years as a public speaker all over the world. I have won numerous awards for songwriting and music production during my career in music.

My success in the classroom can be attributed to my many years on stages and in front of disparate groups of people around the world. I also regard my diploma in teaching English as a second language as a highly valuable classroom tool, especially in the context of teaching in South Africa. I have conversational abilities in Afrikaans and isiZulu which also contribute to my ability to build rapport with students from a wide variety of backgrounds.

BA (Hons) (Cum Laude) English Literature

MA (Cum Laude) Creative Writing.