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Yes, the July/August issue of Literary Mama is out, but it is the dog days of summer and I’ve gotten behind for very different reasons than when I run behind during the school year. I wanted to take a moment to highlight a couple pieces from the May/June issue that really spoke to me. One […]

Imagine. A mother who adores books, sitting precariously on a beanbag at the base of her teenage sons’ bunk beds and reading aloud; mainly to herself, but hopeful that the boys are listening to her, and not to music through earpods.  At first glance, this might appear a melancholic vision of a mother’s obsolescence, once […]

Maybe today, July 4, 2026, you’ll find time to write. You’ll fit it in between the hot dogs at noon and the fireworks after dark. Or perhaps, you’ve secreted a pad of paper in the pool bag. Of course, if you’re busy with cookouts and parades, it may be next week before you get a […]

As a community connected by our love of literature and motherhood experiences, we know how significant it is to feel accepted. Literature is the label we often attribute to writing that has been published or posted to a wider audience. We even say that literature needs that superior quality or to be recognized as having […]

When my children were young, summer was not a time for relaxation and reading. Rather, it was time for me to put on my cruise director hat and keep the kids occupied with swimming, library visits, museum exploration, and play dates. Now that my youngest is driving himself, summer is finally a time for me […]

Several years ago, I wrote a Literary Mama blog post about using travel to find writing inspiration, but this year, we’re not traveling. We’re being quite dull and saving money for what I consider a very uninspiring and also anxiety-producing endeavor: a kitchen remodel.  But that doesn’t mean there is nothing to write about.  I […]

If you’re a literary mama, you’ve likely been reading to your child since birth. But as our children grow, those reading relationships change. The Literary Mama blog team will be periodically presenting some short essays about what those stages of reading look like with some help from guest mama writer, Cassie Mannes Murray. Her first […]

In 1995, I heard the question over and over, like a wave crashing down every time a breath is needed: “What will you do with an English degree?” The prospect of life beyond the safety of school was scary enough without the incessant questioning.  I purchased a t-shirt for myself that summed up how I […]

While I would never describe myself as an optimist, I must be because, in addition to gardening, I write.  Back in 2024, when Labor of Love: A Literary Mama Staff Anthology was published, I wrote a blog post about having a fire lit under me as a result of writing a piece that was selected […]

Getting published on a large scale or with one of the Big Five might seem like a pipedream these days, if it wasn’t that before AI stepped up. However, that’s why literary magazines like Literary Mama are such a godsend. There are chances to submit to many departments such as Reviews, Literary Reflections, Creative Nonfiction […]

Writing and reading go hand in hand, which means that in addition to our writing or editing projects, the staff of Literary Mama also has a long list of books that we’re reading and thinking about. We’d like to share some of those with you and hear what you’re reading as well! Creative nonfiction editor […]