General Archives - Ellen Morris Prewitt

A Bomb Going Off

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on January 19, 2026. Posted in Featured, General. 6 Comments on A Bomb Going Off

For many years, I thought I remembered a bomb going off. I was a child, no more than ten years old. My mother, my two sisters, and I were living in our redbrick duplex in the Belhaven neighborhood of Jackson. My cousins lived in the same neighborhood. All my friends lived in the neighborhood, and we spent forever wandering its streets,...

Catching Souls

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on January 17, 2026. Posted in Featured, General, Writing. 2 Comments on Catching Souls

I have fallen in love with… Can we get the most important thing out of the way first? Catching Souls for Beelzebub is the only book I’ve ever read written by a male author that actually nails women’s attire. Most male authors, they’re like, she was stunning in her navy skirt and white shirt. Not here. Sure, the perfect attire in...

The Joy of What If

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on January 11, 2026. Posted in Featured, General, When We Were Murderous Time-Traveling Women, Writing. 2 Comments on The Joy of What If

I had two inspiration points for When WE Were Murderous Time-Traveling Women. (Of course, I did–it always has to be complicated with me.) One involved What If. This concept is when we set our imagination on “Go” and take off. At least it is for me. The joy of What If has inspired tons of novels, often in the “alternate...

Reconstruction Is Not Easy

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on January 9, 2026. Posted in General. No Comments on Reconstruction Is Not Easy

This was my reading pile for my literary hibernation between Christmas and New Years. So far, I’ve read two of the books in this stack. One of the books is among the most difficult books I’ve ever read. Reconstruction is not easy, y’all. My post-Christmas reading; reading about Reconstruction is not easy. You know about...

OBONO Our Family Stories

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on January 1, 2026. Posted in Featured, General, Writing. 4 Comments on OBONO Our Family Stories

Every year, One Book One New Orleans selects a book for the entire city to read. I’ve told y’all about this before, how other cities have “one book” programs. And how Executive Director Megan Holt has taken the concept to a new level. She does more with her position than any other program I’m familiar with. A...

The American Daughters

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on December 26, 2025. Posted in Featured, General, Writing. 2 Comments on The American Daughters

I have fallen in love with…. I love stories that re-tell American history in a way that, had we not always written the past with a White male pen, we’d know was the way it might have happened. The American Daughters by Marcus Carlos Ruffin which retells how the years leading up to the Civil War unfolded in New Orleans is the latest novel I...

Porchlight: A Journal of Southern Literature

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on December 12, 2025. Posted in Featured, General, Writing. 4 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...