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Did you know that the first poet published in English in America–male or female–was a mother writer? Anne Bradstreet (ca. 1612/13-1672) raised eight children while also writing the poetry that was published in her book The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America (1650). Bradstreet wrote on many subjects, including her life as a mother […]

Asha Dornfest reports on the most recent Mother Talk event in Portland: About 35 women filled the house, and the conversation was lively from the get go. This is Portland –- a small town in the guise of a city –- so many of the guests were connected. . . About 45 minutes later everyone […]

Today was “Meet the Author” day at Emi’s school, and the kindergarten parents were treated to hearing all the kids read from books they’d written over the past few months. The kids had to write both fiction and nonfiction, and many of the books were thinly disguised memoirs (“Once there was a princess named… Emi”). […]

My Literary Mama interview with Miriam Peskowitz is up and running. Miriam, who writes a blog called Playground Revolution, is not only smart and interesting, but she’s also a Philly mama, so I’ve been lucky enough to meet her in person for coffee, commiseration, and general hanging out. We’ll be doing a Philadelphia Mother Talk […]

here at the café. la di da… such a cliché.

This Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 8, I’ll be taking part in the New York City MAMAPALOOZA, doing a reading at the Bowery Poetry Club along with Ayun Halliday and Catherine Newman. (Info: 3 to 6 p.m., 308 Bowery, NYC 212-614-0505, $5 door). Mamapalooza was founded four years ago by Joy Rose of the band Housewives […]

I’m off to Portland and Seattle for Mother Talk events, and I’m looking forward to meeting some writers I’ve only encountered virtually or telephonically thus far, and to speaking with the groups we’ll be meeting over the next five days. In the meantime, if you haven’t already heard the news, an association of women authors […]

We’re running an interview with author Jennifer Lauck in which she talks about writing and motherhood and writing about motherhood: Before I wrote Show Me the Way, an agent asked, “Are you going to be a serious writer or are you going to disappear into the abyss of motherhood?” I said I was going to […]

I promised Andi I would be very helpful with this blog and then suddenly my work blew up and I am actually having to do something to earn my living. So I am waiting for my childcare situation to go from theoretical to practical (my little sister will be coming over and helping out) and […]

Everyone knows about the writerly obsession of checking your Amazon ranking on an hourly basis. Luckily, I don’t have to go to the trouble of doing that anymore — of actually opening up my browser and checking to see what my Amazon rank is — because a kind and enabling friend built me a Konfabulator […]

Oprah has a whole page of writers talking about balancing writing and motherhood. It’s a hobby of mine — seeing how other writing women somehow manage to product readable work between diaper changes, sandwich making, and carpooling. No majorly new insights here (was hoping someone had a magical tip guaranteed to make it all swing […]