Writer Ellen Morris Prewitt Blog

My Peony Life

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on April 11, 2013. Posted in General. 2 Comments on My Peony Life

Last night, I remembered the peonies in my dream. Startled, I wondered: had I missed their blooming? Many years ago, I dug a hole to China and planted the peony bulb in my yard – 18 inches isn’t deep until you start digging. I’d fallen in love with the flower’s ostentatiousness, its irrational exuberance, its beauty. But...

The Deal

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on April 7, 2013. Posted in General. No Comments on The Deal

Nine of the fourteen stories in Cain’t Do Nothing With Love have been published in literary journals. Thus, to the extent I would be paid for their publication, I’ve already been paid. So the stories will be free. And. Each story will be paired with a charity inspired by the theme of the story. After you’ve read the story, if...

Things I Noticed Today

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on April 6, 2013. Posted in General. 4 Comments on Things I Noticed Today

a robin chirping the wind chimes tinkling the pressure washing going on next door a plane piloted by my neighbor buzzing his house, twice a barge coming down the Wolf River Harbor my husband coughing as he took a nap the dog scratching at the closet door the weed-eater the chainsaw the tree limb scratching against the side of the house the heavy...

It’s Different

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on March 30, 2013. Posted in General. 4 Comments on It’s Different

“Begin with yourself,” said several of the panelists at today’s Memphis United People’s Conference on Race and Equality. They were talking about racism. “Begin with yourself and ripple out from there: to your household, your family, your neighborhood, your community.” This ls a paraphrase, but the concept was repeated many times. This is where...

Open to All

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on March 25, 2013. Posted in General. 6 Comments on Open to All

There is a religion in New Orleans that I don’t know. In this religion the windows open outward. The joy vibrates and you are asked, “Are you Italian?” No?” Then you are told about the blessed bean. In this religion, hands wave, the food is spread and waiting. Sometimes the religion is about the saints. Sometimes it’s about the floats you worked...

Don’t Talk—Edit

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on March 22, 2013. Posted in General. 2 Comments on Don’t Talk—Edit

Oh my goodness—I just typed “THE END” on the Door of Hope writing group’s book! It’s not the end. But the hard part is over. The assembling of five years of handwritten pieces; the typing of those pieces by volunteer typists. The merging of all that work into a single document that can be called a manuscript. And last,...

Squids, quicksand, and the baby chicks apeeping

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on March 20, 2013. Posted in General. 4 Comments on Squids, quicksand, and the baby chicks apeeping

I am refilling a manuscript with a contest I entered last year at this time. To do so, I must justify the refilling, describing how the manuscript has changed. Thus, I’ve had occasion to review what last year I thought was a nearly complete version of The Bone Trench, this novel I can’t seem to give up on. This earlier version of the manuscript...

This is the House of the Lord

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on March 15, 2013. Posted in General. 4 Comments on This is the House of the Lord

In my mother and father’s house, a neighbor brings the morning newspaper to the back door. Six-thirty and the paper leans in the dark against the steps. Another neighbor, every trash day, rolls the garbage can to the curb. Yet another carts the mail down the long driveway. If this neighbor finds herself busy with life, she has a backup,...

Watching the Oyster Shells

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on February 28, 2013. Posted in General. 5 Comments on Watching the Oyster Shells

I live in Memphis, Tennessee. In the mornings I walk to the yoga studio. In class we address the channel of the Wolf River Harbor, the initial source of water for us Memphians. When we relax on our mats, we are trusting the land beneath us that is a sandbar, accreted from a wreck until it was firm enough to build our houses and the yoga studio....

The Next Big Thing Blog Roll

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on February 27, 2013. Posted in General. 5 Comments on The Next Big Thing Blog Roll

Thank you to Susan Cushman for including me in this The Next Big Thing Blog Roll project. Susan has been an inspiration to my writing career in many ways, the primary one being her graciousness in inviting me into the writing community. To me—who is so focused on community—her immediate welcome has meant a lot. Like so many participating in this...