May 29, 7:30 p.m.
Powell's Books on Hawthorne
3723 SE Hawthorne Blvd.
Portland, OR 97214
June 25, 7:00 p.m.
In Other Words
8 NE Killingsworth St
Portland, OR 97211
June 28, 5:00 p.m.
Vroman's Bookstore
695 E. Colorado Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91101
August 7, 6:00 p.m.
Book Passage: San Francisco
1 Ferry Building, #42
San Francisco, CA 94111
What happens when your child doesn’t speak your native language? Should you invite your German-American in-laws to your Diwali celebration? How can you raise a child with two cultures without fracturing his/her identity? In our increasingly global society, more and more mothers are facing questions such as these.
In order to explore these issues, I’m putting together an anthology of essays by mothers who are raising children across cultural boundaries. This would include writings by mothers from non-Western cultures in the U.S., mothers who've adopted children from abroad; Western mothers in the U.S. married to fathers from different cultures, and mothers living abroad.
Contributors will receive a copy of the book, a discount on additional copies and international exposure in exchange for non-exclusive world rights. Please send essays (1500-3000 words) pasted in the body of an email message to sue kamata (@) msn . com by July 15, 2008.
Susan Ito writes in her blog: Reading, Writing, Living about making that step that is on many of our "to-do" lists but gets pushed back behind all the other necessary parts of the day...writing a will. Susan writes,
The thing that really undid me, though, was this: naming someone to make medical decisions for ME, should my husband not be around, and if I am not capable, and my daughters not old enough. Of course HE instantly named one of his siblings for that position, ie if I were not around. But I did a quick inventory in my mind and suddenly I felt very alone. The only child of an elderly parent.
Literary Reflections is pleased to present our featured writing prompt response for May. We asked "How do you handle interruptions? How do you they affect your material? Have any interruptions become or led to inspirations?"
Sarah Yost wrote:
"This is maybe the 5th time I've started this piece, approaching it from the beginning, middle, a place of explication. I had been feeling stiff and awkward and writerly so I kept rewriting bad sentences, sentences that felt far away from where I want to be. I want to tell you about getting up early in the morning to write. Because doing it first is the only way it will get done.
Nothing makes me so neurotic as writing. Actually, it's the not writing and wanting to that makes me neurotic. Desire coupled with inaction is an impossible place to be. I am alive and awake when I write regularly. I need to visit the world from a place of noticing and gathering evidence for whatever I'm working on. Having my daughter, Lula, building her body in mine, birthing it into the early morning, learning to love and claim something so fiercely are all such holy experiences. Having her has awakened me to my life with a visceral hunger I never knew. Couple that with an intense craving for writing and literature, for connection really. The reality of combing all of that is pretty hard.
Babies are just so distracting. And I'm distracted enough on my own. Leave me alone to write and I've got to contend with the voices. They say: you're not good enough, will never make it, you'll never get down what you want. look at ____. They get it. They're probably rolling their eyes at you. Maybe I should take Yoga teacher training, maybe I should really start a Yoga practice first, sell things on Etsy, become a real estate mogul, cuddle the dogs, have breakfast, sleep. Really I should sleep because how can I expect to write if I haven't had enough sleep?
The actual getting down of an idea is nearly impossible with Lula around. When I try to work through interruptions I just get frustrated. So I sit here, in the quiet morning, typing, seated on the couch between my dogs. I was up at 4:00 this morning which gives me a few hours before Lula gets up. Getting up early is the only way I know it will get done. About 6:30 she'll awaken. We'll sit together, her little body curled into mine nursing, my nose resting in her soft baby hair. I will have had my time of creation and I can give my energy to what's at hand.
I won't finish this essay this morning but it looks like I'm close. I'll be with her and let this idea gel a little more, work it over in my mind, practice turns of phrasing through the day. She'll dip her pink plastic teapot in the dogs water bowl and I'll chase her down and change her soggy bottomed jammies. Even if she's occupied with a baby or a book, I'll have one eye on her. So while attending to her I'll practice the writing in my mind, leaving it there for the day, trusting I'll get to the actual act of the work tomorrow morning."
You can read more from Sarah at her blog,
LM columnist Libby Gruner and six other women are blogging at InsideHigherEd.com on the subject of combining family life with a career in higher education. The writers are all contributors to the anthology, Mama, PhD: Women Write about Motherhood and Academic Life, edited by LM columnists Elrena Evans and Caroline Grant. The weekly blog rotation goes like this:
Monday: The Career Coach Is In by Megan Kajitani
Tuesday: Mid-Career Mothering by Libby Gruner
Wednesday: ABCs and PhDs: Biologists at Home, by Dana Campbell, Liz Stockwell, and Susan Bassow
Thursday: Math Mom by Della Fenster
Friday: Drama Mama by Anjalee Nadkarni
Join the conversation at http://www.insidehighered.com/views/blogs/mama_phd
Writing Motherhood, at once creative writing manual and mothering memoir, inspires women to mine their everyday lives for stories to preserve and pass on. Treat yourself to a Mother's Day gift and join author Lisa Garrigues for an experience that will energize your spirit and ignite your pen. For mothers of all ages and writers at all stages.
Wednesday, May 7, noon
Brown Bag Lunch with Lisa Garrigues
ELLIOTT BAY BOOK COMPANY
Seattle, WA
Thursday, May 8, 7:00 pm
Mothers' Night Out with Lisa Garrigues
BOOKS INC IN BURLINGAME
Burlingame, CA
Saturday, May 10, 11:00 AM
Muffins and Mimosas for Mother's Day
MRS. DALLOWAY'S
Berkeley, CA
Sunday, May 11, 4:00 pm
Mother's Day Getaway
BOOK PASSAGE
Corte Madera, CA
Friday and Saturday, May 16 - 17
Guest Author and Workshop Leader
ANN ARBOR BOOK FESTIVAL
Ann Arbor, MI
Julia Cameron calls Lisa Garrigues “a trailblazer and a muse.” Brooke Shields says, “I wish Writing Motherhood had been around when I was a new mom. The book helps us overcome our fears and unlock the thoughts and feelings we all have inside.”
Traveling Mamas Anthology
TravelingMamas.com is in search of true uplifting, funny, inspirational, and touching stories with a travel theme for an upcoming anthology series. Possible themes may include family travel, romantic escapes, girlfriend getaways, and solo trips.
We’re looking for stories that inspire us, force us to laugh out loud or make us reach for the tissue box. Bring us into your story by using the five senses. Every story must have a beginning, middle, and end.
Rights:
We are requesting one-time rights. Reprints are acceptable as long as you own the rights.
If your work has been published before we ask that you please send the name of the publication the story appeared and the date it was published with your submission. We will have the right to edit your work.
Submission:
Word count: 300-1000 words.
More than one story may be submitted.
The story can be told in first or third person. You don’t have to be a mom to tell the story.
Deadline is midnight September 1, 2008.
In the body of your email please include your name, address, phone number, and preferred email address. At the bottom of your story please include a brief author bio (no more than 100 words) to be included in the back of the book. If your story is chosen you will be able to revise your bio before publication.
Please send your submissions in the body of an email to anthology@travelingmamas.com (no attachments will be opened).
Compensation:
$50 (Payment upon publication)
A Traveling Mamas travel pack that includes one copy of the book your story appears in.
Please be patient. This is a long process. We will let you know as soon we know if your story has been selected. If you don’t hear from us, we may be holding your story for upcoming books.
Thank you for joining our journey. We look forward to reading your stories.
The Traveling Mamas