Literary Mama

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 […]

Welcome to our Calls for Submissions page. Here, we’ll feature new publication opportunities for all our Mama readers. Look for updated posts each month. If there is a ❤️ next to a call, that means the magazine or press is specifically looking for mother writers. We ❤️ all our Mamas! Literary Mama is always open […]

“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 […]

Welcome to our newest blog series: Where Are They Now? In this series, our editors interview past Literary Mama contributors to see what they’ve accomplished since publishing in LM and talk about their writing journeys. Marianne Lonsdale started writing for Literary Mama in 2012 and has interviewed 11 authors for the Profiles section to date. This month, […]

Welcome to Craft Talks. In this bi-monthly post, we’ll have a mini-interview with our own editors about craft, what they look for in submissions, and all things writing. Today, I talked with Libby Maxey, Senior Editor and Literary Reflections Editor. She told me about her nine years at LM, Barbara Pym, and her love of […]

Welcome to Craft Talks. In this bi-monthly post, we’ll have a mini-interview with our own editors about craft, what they look for in submissions, and all things writing. Today, I talked with Amanda Jaros, Editor-in-Chief. She told me about her journey from Blog Editor to Editor-in-Chief, her love for Camille Dungy, and the importance of […]

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 […]

Welcome to our newest blog series: Where Are They Now? In this series, our editors interview past Literary Mama contributors to see what they’ve accomplished since publishing in LM, and talk about their writing journeys. This month, Reviews Editor Autumn Purdy corresponded over email with Kyle Potvin about her debut poetry collection, how writing poems helps her […]