Writer Ellen Morris Prewitt Blog

Dressing Up My Vote

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on October 21, 2016. Posted in General, LAWYER. 6 Comments on Dressing Up My Vote

Usually, when I vote, I dress to scare the other voters standing in line. I want them to look at me and think, “Dear God—she’s got the right to vote?” But this morning when I thought about casting my vote to elect our next president, I went back to 1982 when I arrived at Wise Carter law firm in Jackson, Mississippi as a new associate. I’d...

Toppled from My High Perch of Holiness

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on October 21, 2016. Posted in GOD, HOMELESSNESS. 4 Comments on Toppled from My High Perch of Holiness

The alarm went off, and I drifted, reliving my dreams. Startling awake, I checked the time. I still had an hour to make it to church. Until I looked closely. The secondhand was stuck on the 4, click, click, clicking. After I hurriedly dressed, I ran downstairs where real clocks exist. I had 8 minutes to make it to St. Mary’s. I was...

Courtesy of the Dog

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on October 16, 2016. Posted in General, LOVE. 4 Comments on Courtesy of the Dog

Because we all need a little break:

Put Him Back in His Place

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on October 10, 2016. Posted in General. 21 Comments on Put Him Back in His Place

Why am I so mad about the presidential race? Because I’ve lived through this shit. I’ve been stalked while riding my bike, cutting and swerving through the neighborhood, trying to get away from the pickup truck, pedaling as fast as I could, realizing I couldn’t outrun him, couldn’t keep up my flight much longer....

The Morris Girls

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on October 3, 2016. Posted in General, LOVE. 10 Comments on The Morris Girls

Her face is alive with joy. And beauty, such beauty. In her fitted navy dress that hugs every curve, with Bigmama’s diamond bar pin sparkling in the vee of her neckline, she walks down the aisle with perfect poise. And confidence. She has such confidence. My heart swells with love for, and pride in, my sister. My big sister. The mother of...

We Can Fix Police Shootings

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on September 24, 2016. Posted in Racism to Reconciliation. 12 Comments on We Can Fix Police Shootings

Those cities in the US experiencing dramatic declines in police shootings, how did they do it? Did they round up the citizenry and instruct them on the proper way to react during a police encounter (“Nope, nope, nope—hands on the wheel”)? Or did they go into African-American neighborhoods and distribute fliers (“When...

Sic ‘Em, Brain

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on September 11, 2016. Posted in General. 15 Comments on Sic ‘Em, Brain

The young woman squirmed in her seat, responding to the hypnotist’s questions. She and I were students at North Carolina’s Governor’s School in the 1970s. In the lecture halls of Governor’s School, I first learned of quantum mechanics and the theory of general relativity. I also first experienced hypnotism. Put...

Yikes!

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on September 3, 2016. Posted in HOMELESSNESS, Writing. 14 Comments on Yikes!

What was I thinking? Sending out such a request? Yes, my agent is shopping my novel to big name publishing houses. Yes, editors at those houses—complete strangers—are judging my work. Plus, I’ve been in writing groups for years where judging nascent work is the name of the game. But this is different. I put out a request on Facebook...

Hard Truths I’ve (Recently) Learned

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on August 29, 2016. Posted in General, GRIEF. 8 Comments on Hard Truths I’ve (Recently) Learned

1: You don’t get Fitbit steps by wearing walking shoes. 2: The heat index is real. 3: Toilet paper doesn’t buy itself. 4: The dog likes me best when I’m giving her a treat. 5: When I say “I don’t want to do anything today,” I mean, “I only want to do what I want to do today.” 6: I spend most days not doing what I want. 7: Doing what I want...

The Unvarnished Truth

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on August 19, 2016. Posted in GRIEF, LOVE. 14 Comments on The Unvarnished Truth

I was in the eighth grade. We had recently moved to North Carolina where we met our new Van Hecke family. One branch of the family lived in Charlotte, the same city we did. That was Daddy’s younger brother Merwin, his wife Faye, and the kids, Kelley, Michael, and Charlie. My sister and I had played in their yard; they’d visited...