About Ellena

Ellena Woolf is a teaching artist and poet who uses creative writing to engage young people aged 14 to 25.

Through performances and workshops, she makes unique stories accessible and relatable.

Woolf’s approach is intersectional, looking at links between gender, class and sexuality, and as her storytelling crosses boundaries so too does it cross forms, playing with voice, blurring binaries and transcending genres.

The artist believes that by sharing specific perspectives, in her unique style, she finds inventive ways to engage young people with challenging subjects.

Noted Works

Mercury Creatives (2021-22) Ongoing creative development scheme with The Mercury Theatre, Colchester. Mentoring and upskilling programme for upcoming creative practitioners. Currently developing a programme of creative writing workshops for LGBT+ youth in East Anglia, teaching self-care through creative writing.

https://www.mercurytheatre.co.uk/taking-part/for-artists/mercury-creatives/

Voice Notes To My Child Self (Poetry/Music/Soundscape, 2019/2020). A 15 minute audio soundscape blending poetry, song and found sound to imagine what a trans woman might say if she could leave a WhatsApp voice note to her younger self. Created in collaboration with Reuben Kyriakides, commissioned by the BBC for the Institute of Contemporary Art’s BBC New Creatives programme. Played on Radio 6 Music in 2020 and available to listen on BBC Sounds.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p08h0jf4

Transition (2018) co-creator with Phillipa York for the Equalities and Human Rights Commission. A short film to be used in schools exploring what it means to transition for two trans women of different ages and perspectives. Commissioned and produced by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, the film was first shown in 2018 in a nation-wide educational programme of LGBT+ and diversity learning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWmuiDtxv9s