Sharing in the Excitement

What motivates one writer is not the same as what motivates another, but the beauty of Literary Mama is that it’s a place where all kinds of writers with their unique motivations can co-exist.

Some writers who publish with us submit just to see if their work will be accepted, and when that itch has been scratched they continue their private writing lives. Others submit their work to many print and digital publications, including Literary Mama, and their published work creates a nice sampling over time. Still others submit to Literary Mama with the dream of one day publishing a novel, memoir, or nonfiction text, or maybe they hope to one day win a competition for their writing.

It is pretty exciting when Literary Mama staff see that one of the writers we’ve published has gone on to win accolades for her writing and have a book published. We’re delighted to share that Annie Marhefka, whose creative nonfiction piece “The Woodpecker” was published in our July/Aug 2022 issue, has a new chapbook titled Strangers We Know By Heart. Released by Garden Party Collective, Marhefka’s book is winner of their 2025 Chapbook Contest. She says the book is a collection of love letters to strangers and focuses on empathy in motherhood.