General Archives - Ellen Morris Prewitt

Porchlight: A Journal of Southern Literature

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on December 12, 2025. Posted in Featured, General, Writing. 2 Comments on Porchlight: A Journal of Southern Literature

The birth of the new is exciting. When that birthing happens in an arena you dearly love, it’s even more exciting. Such is the case with Porchlight: A Journal of Southern Literature. I built my writing career on literary journals. That was the way you did it when I was starting out. You submitted to journals and hoped you got lucky...

Love Song to Cities

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on December 11, 2025. Posted in Featured, General, Writing. No Comments on Love Song to Cities

I was reading a book out in the world and an observer asked me what it was. The City We Became, I told her. Then she wanted to know what it was about. “Blah, blah, blah,” I said, ending with, “It’s about New York City.” I have now finished the second, and final, installment in the series by N. K. Jemisin, The World We Make. I...

Romantasy or Trying New Things

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on December 5, 2025. Posted in General, Writing. No Comments on Romantasy or Trying New Things

This is going to be a ridiculously upbeat post where I report on trying new things. Last month, I facilitated a panel for the Louisiana Book Festival. Nothing new there. I’ve loved leading writing conversations forever. What was totally new for me was the genre of book I would be moderating. I had zero experience with romantasy. I...

Crystal Wilkinson

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on December 2, 2025. Posted in General, Writing. 4 Comments on Crystal Wilkinson

I don’t remember who introduced me to Crystal Wilkinson, but several years ago, I went to a writing conference because she was teaching the fiction session. The conference was in Asheville near my family. Also, the host, Image Journal, had nominated my work for a Pushcart Prize, where it received an Honorable Mention. But I wouldn’t...

Making Choices

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on November 7, 2025. Posted in General. 2 Comments on Making Choices

If you stare at me and tell me, “This is what happened,” you may not actually be telling me what happened. You may be telling me what I’m supposed to agree happened. I’ll kick back against that every time. I have a choice whether to accept your story, and I want to be making choices that are the best I can make. Patterns...

Split the Baby

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on November 4, 2025. Posted in Featured, General, Writing. No Comments on Split the Baby

It takes great courage to return to childhood. Not just the exposure we risk or the chance we will reveal more than we intend. To write memoir well, you must fully return to that time period, immersing yourself. You must make it real again. Not just the bad parts but, sometimes more heartbreakingly, the good parts as well. Lauren Rhoades...

Peaceful Americans

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on October 19, 2025. Posted in Featured, General. 2 Comments on Peaceful Americans

After Trump was elected in 2016, I waited for him to pivot from being a candidate to being president. I didn’t like him, but he was now my president. Instead, Trump kept holding campaign rallies. And calling those who didn’t vote for him “them.” I realized he didn’t want to be the president of America. He wanted to...

MEMPHIS, y’all

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on October 3, 2025. Posted in General, LOVE, Racism to Reconciliation. 10 Comments on MEMPHIS, y’all

Hand-in-hand, we strolled down Front Street, the Memphis sky as blue as the air was crisp. At the new bakery, I ordered lox and bagel, cafe au lait, and, for Tom, a breakfast sandwich with drip coffee. The small bakery space was almost empty, quiet, until we stepped back to wait on our order, and the people poured in. At 9:30 on a Friday...

Wordle

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on September 23, 2025. Posted in General. 8 Comments on Wordle

Of all the things going on in the world right now, what I’m motivated to write to you about is Wordle. I’ve found an Unlimited Wordle site. I’m both obsessed and convinced this is really good for my brain. Why? I don’t think it’s primarily because of the challenge. If you’re as late to the game as I am...

Summer Adventures

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on August 11, 2025. Posted in Featured, General. 2 Comments on Summer Adventures

Over the last month of summer adventures, I’ve survived a fruit fly outbreak and a weevil infestation, both while caring for our five-year-old grandson for the week. I swam in a lake where duck poop covered the dock and my arms stroked into wavering water lilies. An acquaintance died from that horrid flesh-eating bacteria, and I got bit...