Jerry Ellis is the first person in the modern world to walk the 900 mile route of the Cherokee Trail of Tears. His book about that journey, Walking the Trail, was entered in the Pulitzer Prize competition but was not chosen as a nominee/finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. The book was also entered in the National Book Award competition. Jerry Ellis has written for the New York Times, had four non-fiction books published by Random House and has been a speaker and consultant in Africa, Asia, Europe and throughout the US. He has had five plays produced.