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Literary Mama was on my radar early on. I’d been an elementary school teacher and came to realize I wanted to be a writer who teaches, rather than a teacher who writes. I attended the Kenyon Review Writers Workshop in summer 2007, where I was introduced to Literary Mama and other journals. I knew I wanted to submit at some point.

Last month, we invited readers to share their responses to a writing prompt inspired by Erin Lyn Bodin’s Even In Winter. We asked, “What passions, interests, or activities do you reserve time for amidst the varied landscape of motherhood? How do they serve your personal wellbeing?” Below is Natalie Brandt’s response. ~~~~~ The Sports Mom  “No thank you.” […]

At my house, the beginning of summer is always a bit of a whirlwind. Planning family vacations, scheduling swimming lessons, organizing play-dates, negotiating conflict between siblings who suddenly have to be around each other all the time—I relish the chaos even as it threatens to overwhelm me. My anchor amidst the upheaval of summer, in […]

For each issue of Literary Mama, Literary Reflections shares a writing prompt, inviting our readers to respond. Our editors provide feedback on the responses we receive, and we post our favorites on the blog. This month’s writing prompt is inspired by Annette Lucksinger’s Confronting Literary Theory: Ice Princesses and Don Quixote ~~~~~ Many of us […]

Last month, we invited readers to share their responses to a writing prompt inspired by Erin Lyn Bodin’s Even In Winter. We asked, “What passions, interests, or activities do you reserve time for amidst the varied landscape of motherhood? How do they serve your personal wellbeing?” Below is Emily Patterson’s response. ~~~~~ The Tending of These Days It’s […]

“Reading! Now!” I find myself barking, again, at my pandemic-weary 16 year old, waking them up from yet another nap. “Book!” reminding them about their assigned Accelerated Reader book, the due-in-three-days book, the didn’t-you-miss-the-last-deadline book. “Now!” I nag, “Reading!” as I find them once again distracted by a screen, seeking solace in digital art projects […]

In “Song of a Second April,” poet Edna St. Vincent Millay writes: After the difficult year 2020 wrought, we find ourselves enduring a second April in the throes of the pandemic. Yet hope is on the horizon. Cases of the virus are beginning to decline in many areas, and vaccinations are starting to turn the […]

For each issue of Literary Mama, Literary Reflections shares a writing prompt, inviting our readers to respond. Our editors provide feedback on the responses we receive, and we post our favorites on the blog. This month’s writing prompt is inspired by Erin Lyn Bodin’s Even In Winter. ~~~~~ In her Literary Reflections essay, “Even In Winter,” […]

When my daughter was in the fifth grade, she’d often exit the car at school drop-off with a book snuggled securely under her arm. At some point during my drive home, I would realize she’d forgotten her lunch. I’d finagle a U-turn and brave LA morning traffic—again—to leave the meal with the school secretary. Although […]

Last month, we invited readers to share their responses to a writing prompt inspired by Kendra Stanton Lee’s Are You There Judy? It’s Me, Kendra. We asked, “Did an author’s work expose you to subject matter, whether personal or societal, that increased your awareness and left an impact?” Below is the response we received from Shannon Sims. […]

I’ve always felt that reading is balsam für die Seele, meaning “balm for the soul,” a phrase I learned from a friend who’s wondrously fluent in German. Immersion in the universe of a book is a form of escapism from real world concerns, causing the heart rate to slow, the breath to deepen. It’s easy […]