Literary Mama Rewind: Our Editors

Welcome to Literary Mama Rewind! Every few weeks we’ll round up some of our favorite essays, stories, poems, columns and reviews from the Literary Mama archives relating to a particular theme. We always feature amazing writing by talented contributors. But Literary Mama also supports our own staff members as they follow the writing path. Published this week in the May issue of Literary Mama are six pieces by current Literary Mama Editors, which we have compiled here. In addition, we pulled out a handful of pieces from the archives from other Literary Mama staff members. Thanks for continuing to read and share the work of this amazing group of mother writers.

From the May 2015 issue:

• Postcards from my Childhood by Poetry Editorial Assistant Erin Rodoni in Poetry
  I ride her hip/ through my first year

 

• A Conversation with Julie Paul by Profiles Editor Christina Consolino in Profiles
  In a conversation with Profiles editor Christina Consolino, Paul talks about how her writing reflects her life, her transformation as a writer since becoming a mother, and what being a mother means to her.

 

• For Everything There is a Season: A Review of Cassie Premo Steele’s Earth Joy Writing: Creating Harmony Through Journaling and Nature by Reviews Editor Camille-Yvette Welsch in Reviews
  In many ways, Cassie Premo Steele’s new book recognizes the twin impulses here that many mother-writers share—the need for order and help, and the need to do well and be well. For literary mamas, these needs relate not only to our families but to our creative lives when we see fit to acknowledge them.

 

• Essential Reading: Mother’s Day by Literary Reflections Editorial Assistant Justine Uhlenbrock in Literary Reflections
  At Mother’s Day, we bring our focus to literary examples of motherhood.

 

• Temporary Custody by Blog Editor Amanda Jaros in Creative Nonfiction
  “Cedar, Allanah is going to be riding the bus with you. How great to have a friend at the bus stop.” I force a smile. Cedar shrugs.

 

From the archives:

• Between by Fiction Editor Suzanne Kamata in Fiction
  It started with corn. One of their new neighbors, a bent-backed woman with a face like that of those apple dolls Lisette had made long ago when she was a Brownie in Michigan, had rolled into the driveway on a bicycle with a paper bag full of fresh-picked corn.

 

• Measuring Rain by Literary Reflections Editor Andrea Lani in Fiction
  We installed the weather station the day I found out I was pregnant. Of course I already knew I was pregnant, but on that day the little white stick took away any hope of early menopause.

 

• Down into the Mine by Founding Editor Amy Hudock in Creative Nonfiction
  Mines collapse my dreams. It’s always the same. I stand outside a mineshaft. My father is trapped inside, buried alive behind rock and dirt. I am alone, and I have a shovel. I am not a big, burly coal miner; I am a girl-child holding a shovel twice my height.

 

• Grey by Founding Editor Sybil Lockhart in Creative Nonfiction
  “Ma. What is it?” But I know; I know it by heart, because it’s the same every Friday night when she comes to stay. She wants the TV on right now, but the remote control confuses her. She needs the bed made up, but she doesn’t understand how the thing unfolds. And she expects to be in bed by nine.