From the Editor, March 2018

The lights in the entryway of the small museum my husband and I had entered were dim, but a small spotlight shone down on the presenter and the main exhibit, magnifying and dramatizing the statues behind him and each phrase of his ten-minute welcome. His voice alternated between booms of emphasis to nearly-whispered thoughts designed to leave us pondering. I nodded my head in understanding, furrowed my brow in wonderment, and sighed in astonishment as he described the exhibits we were about to see.

We spent nearly two hours in that museum, and I hope the dozen or so notes I made in my journal will trigger my memory with additional details when I recall this visit to friends and family. One comment, however, remains vivid: “History,” the presenter said, “is written from the perspective of the one who holds the pen. This museum is our turn to tell our history.”

YES! I thought. THAT is why I write! To explore my history, to share my perspective, and to choose the pen with which to write.

That same sentiment also informs every decision we make at Literary Mama, because we believe every mother has a story worth sharing and because we’re committed to sharing those stories. I hope the image on this page, created specifically for us by former Literary Mama editor Susan Ito, encourages you to “hold the pen”–and I hope you’ll let us read what you’ve written. We’re particularly interested in pieces for our May and June special issues. Read more details here.

Welcome to our March issue.

Karna
Editor-in-Chief

P.S. Stay connected between monthly issues by subscribing to our blog or by following us on social media. See you there!

Columns
The Sound of a Calling: The Match by Julianne Palumbo

Fiction
Carriage by Sabrina Hicks

Literary Reflections
In Search of a New Writing Nook by Maria Odessky Rosen
Essential Reading: Road Trip compiled by Nerys Copelovitz

Poetry
Birth Plan by Jaclyn Desforges
At the Parent-Teacher Meeting by Carolyn Harris Zukowski
The Sorrow of Small Laundry by Farah Marklevits
Birthday Cake by Amanda Niehaus
Full Circle by Kristen Elde

Profiles
A Conversation with Katia D. Ulysse by Christina Consolino

Reviews
A Review of Guidebook to Relative Strangers: Journeys into Race, Motherhood, and History by Jo-Ann Reid
A Review of the sun and her flowers by Liz Petrone

Images by Susan Ito and Heather Vrattos