It was one of those moments that is hard to describe. An email arrived in my inbox in December 2018 from Felicity Landa and Colleen Kearney Rich, then fiction editors at Literary Mama, about the acceptance of my flash fiction. Oh, the joy! An acceptance does that every time to a writer. What’s more, Literary Mama has been […]
Part of the mothering story is the fathering story whether that fathering was purely biological or whether it involved consistent and complex relationship. Writers who have contributed to Literary Mama over its two decades have examined the role of fathers and what it has meant and can mean to daughters, sons, wives, families, and communities. […]
You’re invited to transform your favourite queer theory text into a poem using only single-syllable words. MONOSYLLABIC QUEER THEORY will be a book-length poetry collection that welcomes all forms of poetry (short, long, prose poems, free verse, highly formal, and beyond). Stylistically, knock yourself out. Have fun. Go for it! See the Call for Submissions for more details. Submission Guidelines: Submissions:Early-bird […]
BAT: Are there any flavors to your own feelings about parenting that are particular to being a non-binary parent? MC: It’s something I’m…I don’t know, dealing with in a new way. My gender feels less my own and more about me in relation to others, including a small person I love very much. Now, it’s […]
Marisa Crane’s debut novel, I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself (Catapult, 2022), is about a parent named Kris grieving the loss of her wife while raising her kid in a near-future surveillance state that punishes ‘harmful’ actions with the assignment of extra shadows. Crane lives in San Diego with their wife and child. You can […]
The Literary Reflections department is looking for original first-person essays about the intersection of parenthood and the creative process, and we welcome perspectives from all genders. For the September/October issue, we are interested in completed essays between 1,500-3,000 words about books our children are reading – or not reading – in school. This could include […]
It’s a cliche, but aren’t cliches recycled phrases for a reason? Prior to giving birth, I’d heard “Get ready. Motherhood changes you” from every possible source. And now, I find myself repeating the words to others and reflecting on how I discovered their depth. How motherhood meant more than a busier schedule, a changing body, […]
Writing about family is changing to be more inclusive. Yes, it still includes writing about kids but it also includes writing about all types of family structures. Learn how to pitch, what publications want, how to find sources, how to brainstorm ideas and much more. Profiles editor, Holly Rizzuto Palker will be in conversation with […]
I have the cluttered mind of a writer. Words and ideas swirl in my head like autumn leaves caught in a wind tunnel. Post-it® notes adorn every nook and cranny in my office, and my desktop looks like Swiss cheese cluttered with dozens of folders for various writing projects like “Finished blogs,” “Essays in the […]
On March 1919, shortly after publishing her first novel, The Voyage Out, famed author Virginia Woolf wrote in her Writer’s Diary, “Is the time coming when I can endure to read my writing in print without blushing—shivering and wishing to take cover?” I am no Virginia Woolf, but at 1:00 a.m. on March 15th, 2023, struggling […]
Congratulations to our Literary Mama staff members! ~~~~~ Profiles Editor Brianna Avennia-Tapper spoke with poet Maggie Smith about choices—both on the page and in your home—for The Chicago Review of Books, and with climber/conservationist/writer/mother Majka Burhardt about flexibility in motherhood and on the mountain. Brianna also reviewed the singular novel/memoir Typical of the Times/What was […]