Fiction

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 […]

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 […]

Mother’s Day 2023 has come and gone. For some, Mother’s Day is filled with activity and fun, while for others, it is a day of quiet, reflection, and remembrance. Emotions can run the gamut when it comes to this holiday—sadness, anger, shame, resentment, fulfillment, humor, love. Literary Mama has given mama writers a chance to […]

Typically, we post these every two months, but we’ve heard about several writing opportunities and want to give mama writers as much advance notice as possible. MER- Mom Egg Review has two open calls for submission:The print journal is open for submissions until 7/15 on the theme of Ages/Stages; more info and guidelines at http://merliterary.com/submit Our […]

Luck, or its lack, seems to be something we refer to often in motherhood. Maybe you feel blessed that you became pregnant quickly and easily, finally conceived after a period of infertility, or became a mother through adoption after years of waiting. Perhaps you thank your lucky stars you dodged pregnancy. Did you consider yourself […]

Literary Mama is excited to share the Women’s National Book Association-San Francisco (WNBA-SF) Chapter’s Twentieth Anniversary Pitch-O-Rama! It will take place via Zoom on Saturday April 29, 8 am – 1 pm. At Pitch-o-Rama, up to 100 writers get to pitch to agents, book professionals and publishers. Ever since 2020, Pitch-o-Rama has been held online […]

Congratulations to these Literary Mama staff members! ~~~~~ Senior Editor Rudri Bhatt Patel published the piece, “Pros and Cons of Anchor Clients,” for The Freelance Creative. She also published the piece, ““Why Pickleball Is a Great Sport for Seniors,” for FAR.com. For Apartment Therapy, she published, “How I Used the Two-Minute Rule to Stop Feeling […]

At this time of year, we are awash in all things ghostly and ghastly. Halloween reminds us to have fun, play pretend, grasp someone’s hand when we’re feeling scared, but November 1 is All Souls Day, a time of remembrance and sadness for many. The fall, with its darkening skies and cooling temperature, is when […]

Congratulations to these Literary Mama Staff members! ~~~~~ Reviews Editor Rudri Bhatt Patel published the print piece, “No Place to Go: Exploring the Landscape of Maternity Health Care Deserts,” for Rural Health Quarterly. She also published the piece, “How to Talk to Loved Ones about Late-Stage Ovarian Cancer,” for WebMD and “Educational Resources for Seniors,” […]

TW: suicide/mental health Since 2003, September 10 has been recognized around the world as World Suicide Prevention Day. We mourn with all those who have lost loved ones to suicide and mental health struggles. Over the years, mama writers have been brave in sharing their stories about mental health with Literary Mama readers. We went […]