It’s the time of year for nominations, and we’re delighted to announce Literary Mama’s nominations for the 2027 Best of the Net anthology. Creative Nonfiction NominationsKaitlyn Brown, “A Map of Conditional Love,” Nov/Dec 2025: Jules Foshee, “Spill,” Jan/Feb 2026 Fiction NominationsRachel Geman, “The Evening Trimesters: A Guide to Your Afterbirth,” Jan/Feb 2026 Ani King, “It’s […]
I am always on time to work but late to the party otherwise, which is why a blog on the highlights of the previous Literary Mama issue is a good task for me. Sometimes it is the first chance I’ve had to actually look at it. I imagine many other literary mamas feel the same. […]
Poetry editors Libby Maxey and Amanda Roth recently created an interview where they answered some questions that poetry readers and writers might find interesting and (hopefully) useful if they are considering submitting to Literary Mama. Current publications or publishers we enjoy: AR: I’m a big fan of journals like West Trestle Review, MER, Whale Road […]
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 […]
We hope you’ve checked out the March/April 2026 issue of Literary Mama, but if you haven’t, I thought I would whet your reading appetite by sharing some of the pieces that spoke to me. While I am not a quilter, I am the daughter of one so Alison Colwell’s The Patchwork Quilt: Piecing an Identity […]
Literary Mama staff have been keeping busy whittling down their TBR stacks and are sharing the details with you! Literary Reflections editor Blair Lipsitz has been reading The Correspondent by Virginia Evans when she can squeeze in a chapter or two between mom duties. It is an epistolary novel that she has found inspiring. “I […]
What motivates one writer is not the same as what motivates another, but the beauty of Literary Mama is that it’s a place where all kinds of writers with their unique motivations can co-exist. Some writers who publish with us submit just to see if their work will be accepted, and when that itch has […]
Get Posted/Get Published: Strong September 2025
The myth of you eddiesat your arrival.If it’s trueyou could never drownno matter the riptideswirl of ocean or river.No nagging fearof the lake’s silent summer edge. But it’s winterwhen you’re born.A polar vortex hoversover the state and stays.The door knobs insidefuzz over with ice. The skyclear and too coldto draw water to itself. In another […]
Greta G. and Noah B., your poignant writing and directing did this 40-something mom proud; After years of feeling slightly shamed for loving her, I confidently utter her name again aloud. BARBIE, MY QUEEN, call it fate or pure sparkly luck that we meet once more; Last I saw your flawless face, pretty hair and […]
As we enter the final stretch of our celebratory year at Literary Mama, we begin to think of the fall and its festivities, particularly the spooky ones. Costumes, candy, and chaos are part of the mothering adventure. We’ve selected some Halloween-related content from our archives to celebrate two decades of the fun and fear that […]