Update on the Legacy Wall and Retreating Dangers
Hi, y’all. I’ve been writing, and that has taken my eyes off posting. Time for an update.
Legacy Wall Unveiling
Yesterday, we attended the Legacy Wall unveiling ceremony at Jackson State University. Because of our support of the English Department’s creative writing program, Tom and I got our names on the wall. I am so grateful to the Department Chair, Dr. Ebony Lumumba, and Professors McInnis and Dr. RaShell Smith-Spears for being so welcoming of our support.
The ceremony had speeches, of course. But the words really resonated with me. I’ve been thinking of this journey so conceptually—I want to help get voices into the future that countervail those of my ancestors. To have the Morris name on a legacy wall to that effort… But I’ve been focusing on the wrong legacy. This is about the students, beginning the journey of their lives. And we have been allowed to be part of that legacy.
Memphis Update
What else? We are settling into the new condo in Memphis. We are back downtown in our old stomping grounds where we can walk to coffeeshops, restaurants, bars, and, most amazing, re-done Tom Lee Park. It has an otter slide. We have a four-year-old grandson. It’s in our front yard. Need I say more?
Salt Wedge Update
Meanwhile, back in New Orleans, it appears the salt wedge danger is receding. (What–you didn’t know about the advancing salt wedge? It’s a truth of life: we never know the right things to worry about.) What the linked article does NOT talk about is the man-made cause of the danger: the extreme dredging of the river to allow bigger and bigger ships to use the port of New Orleans always ushers in the salt. The Army Corps of Engineers has known for decades the dredging threatens the NOLA water supply. But our US Senator, Bill Cassidy, basically shrugged. Such is the price of progress, he said.
Writing Update
I have just about decided that IN THE NAME OF MISSISSIPPI is my Portrait of Dorian Gray. I work on it, weaving my latest learnings into it, but I never finish it. Not a product, more of a life companion. Even so, this latest focus of revisions is the first time I’ve felt the story come together in a definite shape. When you get to the end, it feels inevitable, like a smooth shaped ball of tangles. I will resume querying..wish me luck.
Jackson State University creative writing, JSU Legacy Wall, New Orleans Salt Wedge, Salt Wedge, Tom Lee Park
Donna
Great view! And good luck with your queries 😘
Ellen Morris Prewitt
Thank you!
Joanne Corey
Thanks for the updates, Ellen! Glad to hear about the revelation regarding legacy. You are correct; legacies are a forward projection of the past, so the students of today and the future will be able to carry the message and share it. It’s wonderful that you and Tom are part of that effort.
Glad that your new digs in Memphis are working out so well. As for New Orleans, salt water encroachment is, unfortunately, another of those present profits being put over the long-term well-being of people and planet. We are fighting back and making some progress but there is still so much to do.
Best wishes as you continue to work on and query In the Name of Mississippi. It’s great that you feel that things have come together for the manuscript. I know you have gotten positive attention for the book in the past, so I’m sure more of that will be coming your way in the latest round!
Ellen Morris Prewitt
One of the hardest things for me is to remove myself from center stage. I felt this when the speakers were talking about legacy. It truly isn’t about me, an understanding I have to come to over and over and over…
TY for the best wishes–I do trust the process to work out as it should.
Julie Whitehead
Good wishes for the querying process! Are you targeting agents or small/indie/university presses?
Ellen Morris Prewitt
What happened to this comment? So sorry to be MIA in responding. I have been targeting agents, but I’m about to pivot, I think, to small presses. I would love for University of MS Press to publish it, but they don’t do fiction. ):