Writer Ellen Morris Prewitt Blog

St Jude Road Warriors

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on December 5, 2015. Posted in General, LOVE. 10 Comments on St Jude Road Warriors

For 15 years, we’ve avoided the St. Jude Marathon. With over 20,000 people running to end childhood cancer, the race clogs the Memphis streets. More than once my husband and I’ve been trapped by the blocked roads and orange cones, no way out. This morning, of all things, we joined the throngs. Having a friend whose child is battling...

A Different Kind of Christmas

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on November 30, 2015. Posted in General. 14 Comments on A Different Kind of Christmas

I am slow, behind. Your blog posts are going unread. My head reels with thoughts of sofas and chairs and what to do with the table in the kitchen? I am furnishing an entire beach house in my head (and on Pinterest). When these sortings graciously step aside for a moment, Jazzy and the Pirate rushes in, insisting on being finished. Finished—ha!...

Barataria Hauntings

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on November 18, 2015. Posted in General, Writing. 2 Comments on Barataria Hauntings

Barataria Imagine yourself on a flat-bottomed boat gliding through the Louisiana swamps of Barataria when you bump a log. Feathering the paddle against the sides of the pirogue, you slow and steer yourself towards the gap in the moss-draped oaks. A rasping causes you to pause. Wrong move. A claw shoots from the murky water, grasping the gunnel. Before...

Making paper from sea oats

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on November 17, 2015. Posted in General. 7 Comments on Making paper from sea oats

We begin with sea oats collected from the sandy beach: Sea oats from Ocean Isle Beach which we cut up and boil for a couple of hours then let stand in the pot for several days, soaking. Next we add some dryer lint Dryer lint to provide a binding agent–I made up this step because the fibers seemed coarse and might not hold together then...

I’m Back!

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on November 9, 2015. Posted in General. 5 Comments on I’m Back!

Whew. My computer has been dead for almost two weeks!!! My fault. When we made a whirlwind trip to Memphis, I left my charger there. Then I did meticulous research on the charger I needed . . . and ordered the wrong one. After a quick trip to the Apple Store, I unpacked the charger sitting in the mall version of Cafe Du Monde, not trusting that...

Black Lives Matter More Than Fear

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on October 28, 2015. Posted in Racism to Reconciliation. 6 Comments on Black Lives Matter More Than Fear

I’m thinking about #Black Lives Matter and my surprise at the backlash against it. #Black Lives Matter began in 2013 after George Zimmerman was acquitted in Florida for murdering Trayvon Martin. Coined by Alicia Garza, the phrase has grown to encompass all deaths of Black folks following encounters with police. Pure chance led me to follow...

THAT’s Creativity?

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on October 25, 2015. Posted in GOD, HOMELESSNESS, LOVE, Racism to Reconciliation, Writing. 22 Comments on THAT’s Creativity?

Creativity is the glue that holds my life together. This week in my creative life, I: re-explored Facebook’s Notes feature published a long, involved blog post put together a new outfit that I liked so much I wore it two days in a row did final edits on an essay before sliding it into the metaphorical drawer for its “out of sight/out...

A Southern Woman’s Vocational Credo

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on October 23, 2015. Posted in GOD, GRIEF, HOMELESSNESS, LOVE, Writing. 10 Comments on A Southern Woman’s Vocational Credo

I come to Deborah Koehn Loyd’s Your Vocational Credo: Practical Steps to Discover Your Unique Purpose (IVP Books, 2015) as a Southern female raised in the 1960s and 70s. The adjectives this statement evokes for me are “stricture,” “judgement,” “demanding.” Peering down the tunnel of time, I see a long line of women staring back at me, frowning....

Oh, my gosh—they’re listening

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on October 12, 2015. Posted in General, GOD. 8 Comments on Oh, my gosh—they’re listening

I’m quoted. In a book. By a “thought leader.” A woman with a Doctorate in Transformational Leadership, Dr. Deborah Koehn Loyd. The quote appears in her new book, Your Vocational Credo: Practical Steps to Discover Your Unique Purpose. Dr. Loyd was kind enough to send me a copy of the book. It arrived in the mail last week. I...

The Bone Trench for the Show

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on September 27, 2015. Posted in Writing. 11 Comments on The Bone Trench for the Show

I’m thrilled to report that The Bone Trench was a Short-List Finalist in the William Faulkner-William Wisdom Novel-in-Progress Competition 2015. The quirky manuscript was in the company of 14 other manuscripts being considered for the win. Congratulations to Emily Capdeville on her selection as the winner!