Writer Ellen Morris Prewitt Blog

Prayer, A Rule of Thumb

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on May 9, 2016. Posted in General, GOD, HOMELESSNESS. 2 Comments on Prayer, A Rule of Thumb

A while back, I conducted a workshop where I took my writing mentor Rebecca McClanahan‘s book Write Your Heart Out and translated the types of nonfiction writing into types of prayer. I don’t remember all the parallels (writing from joy, for example, became adoration or praise prayer.) I’ve been thinking about this as I...

“Working” with “The Homeless”

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on May 6, 2016. Posted in HOMELESSNESS, LOVE. 8 Comments on “Working” with “The Homeless”

He calls me over. Wants to know if I work out. “‘Cause you sure got a nice shape.” The breakfast St. Mary’s offers for those currently homeless is almost finished. He’s mopping up his grits. His friend on the other side of the table is interested in my answer to his question. The friend cranes his neck,...

What I Love about My Life in Memphis

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on May 3, 2016. Posted in General, LOVE. 2 Comments on What I Love about My Life in Memphis

I live in Memphis on an island with wild edges and a dog who loves them as much as I do. I have a wood-burning fireplace in my house. I go to St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral where the Dean stands up in the pulpit and preaches the most unsettling, Holy truths, in a caring, loving way. I can walk to the grocery store. I can walk to the coffee...

June: Not a Sentimental Person

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on May 2, 2016. Posted in General, GOD, HOMELESSNESS, Writing. 12 Comments on June: Not a Sentimental Person

Many years ago, when I was letting the Spirit lead me around by the nose, I went to Door of Hope and asked if I could start a writing group for men and women living on the street. Dr. June Mann Averyt, the founder and then Executive Director of Door of Hope, watched me toddle through the door in my high heels and said, “What the...

Spiritual Dyslexia and Central Command

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on April 30, 2016. Posted in GOD, Writing. 9 Comments on Spiritual Dyslexia and Central Command

I call it “spiritual dyslexia.” When I was teaching myself to write, if an offering really, really did not appeal to me, I reluctantly signed up. That’s how I discovered literary journalism—literary journalism? I gasped when I read the syllabus Randall Kenan was teaching that year. It sounded terrible, but Randall was teaching...

An Outside Plant

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on April 27, 2016. Posted in Racism to Reconciliation. 2 Comments on An Outside Plant

He had one plant, small. I had three hanging baskets and two big ferns, fat. He’d been there when I arrived, he and his wife wandering among the plants. It was mid-day Wednesday, no one else at the nursery. A young, spring day. The swarms of eager Memphians hadn’t yet descended on the unsuspecting begonias and geraniums. No one...

Who’s Threatening the Grapes?

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on April 17, 2016. Posted in General, Writing. No Comments on Who’s Threatening the Grapes?

Why do the grapes need protecting? I’m talking about it on the website. Yes, I mean literally talking. Go to the Home Page and listen to the front porch moment. Then listen to “Drunk at the Foodland Again” at STORIES. You’ll learn the answer as told to you in my voice. My Very Southern Voice. ?

Check Out This New Blog

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on April 13, 2016. Posted in Writing. No Comments on Check Out This New Blog

My writing coach and wonderful friend Connie Burnett Cruthirds has started a blog! If her initial post is any indication, you’ll want to join me in following along. Peace by Piece: “How Can I be 54 and Still Fat?”

Targeting LGBT Discrimination in the South

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on April 8, 2016. Posted in GRIEF, Racism to Reconciliation. 2 Comments on Targeting LGBT Discrimination in the South

I went to junior high and high school in Charlotte, North Carolina. Charlotte was the home I returned to in college and law school. When my daddy died, I sang over his grave: “I’m a Tar Heel born, I’m a Tar Heel bred, and when I die, I’m a Tar Heel dead.” The North Carolina legislature recently passed a new...

Trust the River

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on April 5, 2016. Posted in General, HOMELESSNESS, Writing. 2 Comments on Trust the River

I arrived at a certain point in the writing of Jazzy and the Pirate that felt like a period. An ending about to soar to a new beginning. Exciting, but also a bit daunting. I needed a break. How does a writer take a break? Revise a different novel, of course. Don’t worry. I’m not abandoning Jazzy. I’m simply letting my mind...