Ellen W. Williams
author, editor, educator
Recent Projects
Imagining Heaven:
Depictions of the Afterlife in World Art
Across the Millennia
Released January 2024
McFarland & Company
330 pages; 172 color illustrations
Available where books are sold. This link is for Amazon.com but visit your bookstore!
Over the centuries, humans have conjured images—the stuff of fantasy, convictions, and ardent desire—to describe the afterlife we hope for. The vision of heaven can appear as simple as a place among the stars or as complex as a universe filled with a multitude of busy souls.
Positioned at the intersection of art, religion and culture, this book sheds new light on human creativity. Beginning with prehistoric burial objects that help with one’s heavenly needs, we travel through history to probe ancient texts, examine enigmatic carvings, dissect the meaning of paintings, and discuss contemporary perspectives in film and media. We finally come to understand that humans around the world have always had the capacity to confront the “final frontier” in spirited, hopeful, and beautiful ways.
raven and crow:
The mythology, art and science of our favorite black birds
Upcoming release 2025
McFarland & Company
The raven and the crow beguile those who pay attention. Unadorned but bold, these mysterious birds weave their way through our daily lives and into our inner consciousness. They enter our dreams and ignite our imaginations.
Raven and Crow highlights the myths and stories surrounding enigmatic avian creatures who have circled the world over the course of history. Powerful pieces of literature are accompanied by Indigenous imagery, contemporary works of art, and the words and research of scientists.
We Are Stamford:
Immigrants in The City That Works
Released summer 2024
Photography by John Moore; Edited by Ellen W. Williams
Published by Building One Community, Stamford, CT
50 pages; 50 black & white photographs
Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer John Moore profiles twenty-one immigrants who make Stamford their home.
The stories of their lives reveal the hopes and accomplishments of newcomers from fifteen very different countries.
Talk What You KnoW:
a dictionary of harlem street slang
1981
by Gregory Grove
Edited by Ellen W. Williams
Jazz bandleader Cab Calloway's love of Harlem music slang led him to create a "Hepster's Dictionary" around 1938. Zora Neale Hurston felt compelled to include a glossary of "Harlem Slanguage" in her 1942 "The Story of Harlem Slang." Very few contributions to our understanding of the rich street language of Harlem have followed. In 1981, a 15-year-old Harlem resident set down on paper the words he and his friends regularly used in the "hood." The chapbook sold for $.25. A reproduction of this slim historical document, with an expanded introduction, is now available.
About the Author:
Ellen W. Williams is a retired museum professional with a deep interest in art and culture. Her career started at the American Museum of Natural History, in the Special Projects Department, where she organized events that eventually included the first Margaret Mead Film Festival, now a renowned showcase for international films on culture. She worked as Director of Education at the New England Science Center in Worcester, MA to develop exhibitions, school programs, adult lectures, public events, and small craft flights over Massachusetts' spectacular fall foliage. At the Fairfield Historical Society, as Director of Education, she created a narrated trolley tour which brought Fairfield's fascinating history to life as did regular costumed reenactments on the town green. Ellen Williams can sometimes be found at the Katonah Museum of Art, working on interpretive materials and docent training for cutting-edge contemporary art shows as well as inspiring cultural exhibitions that explore the intersection of art and society.
Get in Touch
Do you know about a beautiful afterlife location? Have you encountered a raven or crow story? Are you aware of any Harlem street words, used yesterday or today? I would love to hear about it.