@Literary Mama
Read the most recent pieces at Literary Mama…
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COLUMNS
Pruning: Centering Your Writing Around Its Roots by Cassie Premo Steele from Birthing the Mother Writer
As a young, unknown poet, I used to live with a curious phenomenon: I felt as if I were walking down a city street, partly in fear, partly in excitement, anticipating that at any moment something good could come from around a corner and suddenly change everything for me as a writer.
Secret Powers by Avery Fischer Udagawa from Four Worlds
Our two-year-old speaks more Thai than Mommy or Daddy, and knows it. She turns it off when only we are around.
Loving Your Daughter, Loving Yourself by Marjorie Osterhout from Dear Marjo
Dear Heavy Hearted, I wish you were sitting here right next to me, right now, because I would give you the fiercest hug. You so clearly love your daughter. But you’ve never loved yourself.
Nursing Sucks by Marjorie Osterhout from Dear Marjo
Dear Marjo, Nursing sucks. That is all.
CREATIVE NONFICTION
A Word for When There are None by Beth Malone
This past year, the year my daughter struggled to find her voice, was the year that I stopped being able to find words to follow the “Dear Lord” part of prayer.
Acts of Silence by Emily Klein
All the unanswered questions nip at my heart. Why can’t she sit or stand? Why can’t she walk or be nourished without her feeding tube? What can she see? The doctors talk a lot but have no answers, and so I no longer even hear them.
Twenty-Nine by Elizabeth Marro
Why can’t I forget this? My son has long since forgiven me. We’ve had many happy days and have successfully navigated others marked by greater trauma or guilt.
FICTION
Forward by Tess Thomson
“How old is he?” the woman asks coolly, nodding toward Jacob. She has oversized sunglasses and a sharp blonde bob. Although it’s 90 degrees and humid in late morning at the park, her skin is still matte with foundation.
LITERARY REFLECTIONS
Now Reading: November 2013 by Libby Maxey
I always have difficulty writing about what I’m “now reading,” as it’s usually a.) more Robertson Davies and b.) more Patrick O’Brian.
Essential Reading: Mothers and Art by Libby Maxey
When I first became a mother, I knew that it would change my life as a classical singer, but I didn’t know quite how. I had read about sopranos who had lost their top notes as a result of pregnancy’s …
POETRY
Story by Kim McMechan
Gestures by Old Livshin
Echoes by Jill Rosenthal
Ballroom Dance Morning by Marjorie Thomsen
Sunday Night Dinner by Elaine Gilbert
PROFILES
A Conversation with Marion Winik by Lisa Lynne Lewis
Marion Winik’s most recent memoir, Highs in the Low Fifties: How I Stumbled Through the Joys of Single Living, chronicles Winik’s return to the dating world and her experiences along the way.
REVIEWS
Unanswered Questions: A Review of The Unfinished Child by George Estreich
Theresa Shea’s The Unfinished Child is a novel about women, friendship, and family, but the author has a lot more on her mind.