Writer Ellen Morris Prewitt Blog

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,...

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...

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!

Traversing the Island

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on September 20, 2015. Posted in General. 12 Comments on Traversing the Island

For over 40 years, my family has been going to Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. Last week, for the first time, I traversed its length. My goal, since my hip surgeries, had been to walk to the east end of the island where the beachfront road gives way from 1st Street to 2nd Street to 3rd street, the streets victims of erosion, a traditional...

Luanne Reviews WOWH: A Group Journey Out of Homelessness

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on September 16, 2015. Posted in HOMELESSNESS. 4 Comments on Luanne Reviews WOWH: A Group Journey Out of Homelessness

Luanne Castle at Writer Site is a poet and essayist working on her memoir. As she considers the best structure for her story (Scrap: Salvaging a Family—she’s the daughter of a garbage man), she’s reading memoirs by other gifted writers to see how those authors chose to organize their mini-lives between the pages. Best of all, she...

What Can I Do: Part 4 (or just one more)

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on September 6, 2015. Posted in HOMELESSNESS, Racism to Reconciliation, Writing. 10 Comments on What Can I Do: Part 4 (or just one more)

Do you call those without housing “the homeless”? Do you talk about “entitlements”? When someone commits a crime, do you respond with “thugs”? James Deke Pope, who has served on the Community Advisory Board of Memphis’s Africa in April, suggests we pay attention to the language we use and change it...

What Can I Do-Part 3 (and probably last)

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on August 31, 2015. Posted in GOD, LOVE, Racism to Reconciliation. 5 Comments on What Can I Do-Part 3 (and probably last)

I thought I’d be shot. Dean Andy Andrews announced that, following the Wednesday morning service, he would be walking the neighborhood around St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral. He invited us to join him. I attended the Wednesday service, but I believed if I walked in the neighborhood I’d be shot. You need to know: Alabama...

Rehab: Week 1

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on August 28, 2015. Posted in General. 6 Comments on Rehab: Week 1

For the first fifteen minutes, I had to hold back tears. No way I could stand in the gym where once I loved to balance on my forearms while lifting my legs to a ninety-degree angle or stretch out for an inverted sit up or smoothly move the hip abductor machine and not realize the dramatic decline in my health. Thanks to my crappy hips, for...

Day Tripping: The Old Forest

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on August 23, 2015. Posted in General. 6 Comments on Day Tripping: The Old Forest

My husband and I have brought our Day Tripping act to Memphis. We’ve walked the Green Line where an old railroad track once traversed the city. Bikers tore up and down the asphalt, calling, “To your left!” while Tom and I plodded along. We were the only walkers, though one lone rollerblader silently glided past. Today, we...

Brain Health and Otherwise

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on August 16, 2015. Posted in General. 10 Comments on Brain Health and Otherwise

A friend of mine inspired me to quit checking my phone while driving. By “driving” I mean looking at my phone at any point between turning the key in the ignition and turning off the engine. Before, I never texted while driving or checked emails or anything else. I did it at stoplights. I wasn’t driving, right? But a few...