Return to Top of Page
Menu
  • Close
  • About Us
  • Past Issues
  • Contributors
  • Donate
  • Opportunities
  • Staff
  • Submissions
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Search Website
Literary Mama
  • Current Issue
  • Archives
  • Departments
  • Blog

Mother City Mama

Retired Columns

From “Life in the Sandwich” to “Special Needs Mama” to “Zen and the Art of Child Maintenance”—they’re all here for you to explore.

Moving

Things have changed. A transcontinental move with school-aged children, now first and second graders, means new territory and new worry. We’ve scouted potential neighborhoods with schools in mind, bus routes,…

Mother City Mama | May 2012 | By Katherine J. Barrett


Mamas on the Loose

I had things to do, so many things. I had to write this column, finish a book proposal, edit two reviews and write another. The Easter Bunny required provisions and…

Mother City Mama | April 2012 | By Katherine J. Barrett


Recycle, Rethink, Respect

With varying levels of dedication, I’ve been an “enviro” my entire adult life. Before we moved to South Africa, before the twins had even turned two, I bought a thick…

Mother City Mama | March 2012 | By Katherine J. Barrett


The UBuntu of Mother City Mama

Compassion, generosity, gratitude–these are basic principles of uBuntu and, one might argue, of the holiday season. Scan the headlines of any newspaper, read of violence, corruption and greed (South Africa…

Mother City Mama | December 2011 | By Katherine J. Barrett


When Mothers Talk

I’ve heard many South Africans say that they’re tired of news on HIV/AIDS, tired of hearing their beautiful, diverse country equated with disease and tragedy. I agree. On the other…

Mother City Mama | November 2011 | By Katherine J. Barrett


In Good Faith: Halloween in a Foreign Land

Last year, our third October in South Africa, a relative bounty of Halloween bric-a-brac filled the stores, and I decided to involve our own cul-de-sac. I envisioned charming the neighbors…

Mother City Mama | October 2011 | By Katherine J. Barrett


You Have Struck A Rock: Women’s Day in South Africa

Like many mothers, I like to think I’d give anything to ensure a safe and fair world for my children, and for my children’s children. But I, thankfully, have never…

Mother City Mama | August 2011 | By Katherine J. Barrett


My Lucky Stars

To hell with it. I’m tired, he’s tired. We’re into the second leg of our trip now, a 12-hour day-flight from Amsterdam to Cape Town. Thomas slept maybe three or…

Mother City Mama | June 2011 | By Katherine J. Barrett


I’m Beige; You’re Brown

I met Wendy the morning we arrived in South Africa. She breezed through the door of our empty home with local grapes, mini-pizzas, and a bouquet of flowers. At the…

Mother City Mama | May 2011 | By Katherine J. Barrett


Everyone’s Baby

South Africa’s record on crime is appalling, its reputation infamous. South Africa suffers a murder rate roughly ten times that of the US, and the incidence of rape, including child…

Mother City Mama | March 2011 | By Katherine J. Barrett


Mother City Mama

To assimilate: to become similar. In a place as diverse and complex as South Africa, assimilation has little to do with blending in, and nothing to do with complacency. It…

Mother City Mama | February 2011 | By Katherine J. Barrett


Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Don't miss out on Literary Mama news and updates

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • RSS

© 2022 Literary Mama | Search Site | About Us | Staff | Submissions | Privacy Policy