Today we’d like to introduce you to Ellarry Prentice.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I am a lifelong lover of stories. I fell in love with the written word during my formative years. As a first-grader, I told my teacher I wanted to become a writer someday. She, along with my parents and grandparents, encouraged me to never lose sight of that dream.
When I entered my senior year of high school, my plans for the future were still undecided. Emboldened by my teacher’s encouraging words, “Keep writing,” I had kept my eyes on that dream but wasn’t sure how, or if, I could make a career out of it. Then, in the spring of 2007, I received a phone call that would change the course of my life. The editor/publisher of the local newspaper, who had taken my picture for the honor roll page a couple of weeks earlier, called to ask if I wanted a summer job.
Through an internship program funded by the Pohlad family, owners of the Minnesota Twins, I spent the summer writing human-interest stories, covering town festivals, and exploring other aspects of hyper-local news reporting. In those three short months, I realized I wanted to make journalism my life’s work. I wanted to tell stories that matter. Stories that raise awareness about social issues. Stories that inspire. Stories that shine a light on the world.
I never would have thought, on that otherwise ordinary day I ran to answer the house phone at our family farm, that a summer job paying $7.50 per hour would turn into a lifelong career and passion. In the fall, when the internship ended, the Paynesville Press hired me as a full-time reporter. For the next 15 years, I had the privilege of writing thousands of stories about people from all walks of life. My byline eventually appeared in eight newspapers across central Minnesota. I had the honor of walking across the stage at state and national award ceremonies and meeting the legendary Don Shelby, one of the greatest journalists in American history.
Three years into my career, I experienced a traumatic life event, which left scars on my heart that I carry to this day. In the wake of those indelible wounds, I penned a narrative inspired by and named after country-music artist Martina McBride’s signature song. After years of revisions, suggestions from writing mentors, letters, pitches, and manuscript rounds, “Independence Day” was published in two Chicken Soup for the Soul books, Find Your Inner Strength (2014) and For Mom, With Love (2016). Holding those books in my hands were some of the happiest moments of my career.
In 2020 I was laid off from my job due to budget cuts incited by the coronavirus pandemic. Still afflicted by my dad’s death less than a year earlier, I welcomed the respite but had no idea what I was going to do with myself. Then, one night, out of the blue, a memory came to me…
On a January night in 2019, about five months before my dad passed away, he and I were sitting at the old farm table reminiscing, as we often did. I mentioned one of my favorite childhood memories: watching funny movies together. Some of those movies were from the ‘90s and starred Adam Sandler. I smiled, remembering Dad’s fits of laughter as we watched “The Wedding Singer,” “Billy Madison,” “Big Daddy,” “Happy Gilmore,” and others. And I cried a little on the inside, knowing how much I would miss those days.
Another movie we talked about was “Mr. Deeds.” At one point, I joked to Dad that I should start writing greeting cards like Sandler’s character did in the 2002 comedy. “You should! That would be neat. Absolutely neat,” Dad said with his infectious enthusiasm.
Smiling at the memory, I decided to write and design a few greeting cards. Just for fun, I thought.
To my surprise, it was fun. And healing. Making cards helped me through the valley of grief. It gave me purpose and hope. By the end of the summer, I had made dozens of different cards.
My greeting card line, Expressions by El, was created to celebrate blessings and comfort broken people. www.expressionsbyel.com
In 2022, I made one of the most difficult decisions of my life: to leave journalism full-time to focus on my dream of becoming an independent author. I’m so glad I did. That year, I released my debut children’s book, Loved by Lettie, a story inspired by a day I spent with my niece Ayla.
This May, I released my second independent book. Featuring inspiring true stories and more than 50 comfort-food recipes, Little Barn Kitchen pays homage to my humble upbringing on a 60-acre farm in Minnesota. The 1990s-themed book explores the painful, yet purposeful journey of grief, commemorates the love that can never be erased by loss, and celebrates the nostalgia of life in the rural Midwest.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The road I’ve traveled reminds me of the adage describing Minnesota’s two seasons: winter and road construction. The journey has had its share of slippery slopes, detours, traffic jams, and red lights. Along the way, I have learned that, as a writer, you will inevitably experience let-downs, but it is up to you to decide whether to let disappointment be the brake pedal to your dreams or the fuel that motivates you to keep chasing them.
I’ve made mistakes — lots of them. My work has been rejected. Bouts of severe burnout and traumatic experiences in my personal life have deprived me of creativity over the years. But I’m a stronger person today because of those struggles, disappointments, and sorry-to-inform-you rejection letters. Perseverance can’t be developed without overcoming adversity. Empathy can’t be fostered without painful experiences. And success can’t be appreciated without failure.
True to my country roots, I’ve had to lasso the inner grit reared alongside me on my childhood farm. When the horse bucks, you either push yourself off the ground or lie there and eat dirt. I had to get up. To keep showing up. To keep working. To keep going in the face of unimaginable pain and adversity.
I have two choices every morning when I rise from my bed: bitterness or brightness. Even on days when it’s hard not to wallow in my sorrows, I choose to be a light for others walking through dark seasons.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As a journalist, I specialize in human-interest, feature, and social-issues stories. As an author, my focus is on inspirational works.
My new story cookbook, Little Barn Kitchen: Grit & Grace in Broken Places, was released in May 2025.
Here is the book synopsis:
What if pain had a purpose? What if broken and bereaved people could transfigure the lemons of this life into lanterns for others walking through dark seasons? And what if the kitchen is where the memories connect us and the healing begins?
The kitchen by the barns.
That is where a young woman from the Midwest found herself in 2019 after losing the first of six people closest to her. Alone on her childhood farm, where her dad’s chair at the kitchen table now sat empty, she would begin to reflect on a lifetime of love, the lemons and lessons that made her who she is, and the lanterns that guided her through dark seasons.
A heartwarming collection of comfort-food recipes, inspiring true stories, and evocative country music song lyrics, Little Barn Kitchen takes readers on a journey through unimaginable grief, unwavering grace in broken times, and Ellarry’s unbridled passion for honoring her rural roots — one supper at a time.
My children’s book, Loved by Lettie, was released in April 2022.
Here is the book synopsis:
Lettie’s heart is full of love for animals that neigh, baa, quack, cluck, meow, bark, moo, and say cock-a-doodle-doo.
Her favorite animals live on her grandma’s farm. Wearing bibs just like Grandma, she can’t wait to spend a whole day by the big white barn.
Adventures with a sneaky cat named Annie, an old tire swing, and a slice of pumpkin pie show Lettie that the best things in life are simple and homemade.
My greeting card line, Expressions by El, offers cards for most special occasions, including birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, and more. Additionally, it features cards for cancer survivors, individuals struggling with depression and heartbreak, and women who have experienced miscarriage and pregnancy loss. The cards can be viewed and ordered on my website, www.expressionsbyel.com.
I’m most proud of where I came from: a humble little farm that instilled in me a big love…a love that is remembered every day. I have experienced unfathomable grief over the past decade, but it has shown me that the loss of a loved one, no matter how painful, can’t take the love in your heart. It is yours to keep—today, tomorrow, forever.
I would have to say that what has set me apart is the mantra I’ve always worked by: Report the truth but emphasize the good. During every interview, I strive to meet people where they are emotionally and to be a patient, empathetic listener. Every time I power on my computer, I make it my goal to write stories with heart and in the spirit of humanitarianism.
Through all the storms I have endured in this life, being the reason someone smiles is what has motivated me to keep going and to keep holding the umbrella for others in their rainy seasons.
One of the most powerful feelings to come over me was when, in some small way, I realized that God had been able to use my brokenness for His glory. That’s fulfillment.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Journalism is an ever-evolving profession. It looks vastly different from what it was when I started as a cub reporter 18 years ago. With online retailers superseding traditional brick-and-mortar stores that once lined Main Street, the advertising revenue newspapers have relied on for more than a century has declined significantly. For this reason, many small-town newspapers are now defunct or operating with a bare-bones editorial staff. Some reporters and editors have struggled to find full-time work, especially in the years since the coronavirus pandemic.
Newspapers and the journalists who pen them are pillars in their communities, so it has been incredibly disheartening to witness this industry shift. Conversely, it has been enlightening to know that some of my former colleagues, who believe so strongly in the value of print journalism in their communities, never put down their DSLR or reporter’s notebook. They continued to craft impactful stories as the industry evolved and shifted to digital-first newsrooms. I applaud them for it.
I don’t know the future of print, but I believe it’s essential that hyper-local news be a mainstay in small towns like mine. We need those stories that the rest of the world may not care about but are meaningful to the people who live and work there.
My sights are continually set on new freelance journalism ventures. The changes that have presented themselves throughout my career have ultimately forced me to grow and pursue new storytelling mediums.
My new story cookbook is a fundraiser for a special cause. Net profits from each sale will support the development of my upcoming podcast, Beautified Broken. My close friend and fellow journalist, Tiffany, and I were in the planning stages of the podcast in 2020 when Tiffany passed away unexpectedly at age 27.
Thus far, my dissemination of human-interest stories has been limited to article format. In the coming year, I am excited to honor Tiffany’s legacy by sharing inspiring stories in a fresh, new way. I can’t wait to interview people who are making a difference in the world by transforming their pain into purpose.
Pricing:
- Print Cookbooks: $25
- Digital Cookbooks: $15
- Print Children’s Book: $10
- Greeting Cards: $3
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.expressionsbyel.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/expressionsbyel/
- Other: https://ellarryprentice.wordpress.com
