Jan Eliot (born 1950 in San Jose, California) is an American cartoonist. She writes and illustrates the comic strip "Stone Soup." She created a previous strip known as "Patience and Sarah," which enjoyed a run of five years in 10 publications.
Her next comic strip was called "Sister City." This weekly strip appeared in the Eugene, Oregon, The Register-Guard for five years before the name was changed to "Stone Soup" in 1995, when it became nationally syndicated by Universal Press Syndicate. "Stone Soup" runs in about 200 newspapers in 6 countries. Beginning her career when she was a working mom with two young daughters, Eliot draws subject matter from her own life and the lives of those around her.
Before becoming a full-time cartoonist, Jan worked as a waitress, car salesperson, bookmobile driver, advertising copywriter, graphic designer, and greeting card writer. She chose the name Eliot after her divorce, in honor of George Eliot. She lives in Eugene.