C.J. Ellison is a queer writer from Michigan, who spends his time surrounded by books both professionally and leisurely. Though he graduated with a B.A. in American Sign Language Interpreting, he works as a school librarian. When not writing about anxious gays playing sports, CJ can be found quilting, playing sudoku, and hanging out with his partner and their cats Viktor, Patroclus, Milo, and Pumpkin.More fun facts about CJ in no particular order of importance or intrigue: he plays the piano and a variety of other percussion instruments—notably marimba, was briefly an exchange student in Denmark, got straight married and gay divorced all before 25, figured out he had adhd at 22 and the neuropsychologist looked at the test results and said "you really didn't know until now?", has been told he "looks like someone who would thrive in a movie musical", will make a powerpoint for anything and everything, and can also quote a majority of The Lion King 1½ from memory.---
For folks writing identity-focused round-ups: CJ is a gay transgender man, with ADHD & hearing loss, and uses he/him pronouns.
His name can be written as "CJ" or "C.J." interchangeably, unless on the front of a book cover.

Contact C.J. Ellison

You can find CJ on most socials at @bycjellison !! If you know CJ, even semi-decently, give an Instagram DM a shot. If you have a professional inquiry, use this form, it goes to his email. :)

sunset year — content warnings

MAJOR
Death (car accident, described in brief detail; unnamed medical event, not described)
Suicidal Ideation
Grief (sibling loss)
Transphobia & Parental Abandonment
Bodily Injury (on page, not graphic)MINOR
Drowning (imagined)
Alcohol Use (consensual, college setting)

Events

July 25 & 26, 2026 — Lavender Con in Washington, DC