It's a non-fiction book based on their monthly column on writing (found at bookpage.com) and Kathi's looking for two things from her fellow writers:
1) A personal story about having your manuscript rejected, and then selling a book.
And/or
2) Your recommendations for the best books to read (or give as gifts) to inspire other writers.
She writes, "These do not have to be long stories—in fact, shorter is better. We'll credit you by name, along with whichever title of yours you ask us to mention. We'd love to have your name in our book, and hope to hear from you. Thanks so much."
Her email is: kkg@well.com
Literary Reflections is pleased to present our featured writing prompt response from January. We asked, "Have you ever felt torn between the demands of work and domesticity and your personal need to create and write? What mountain did you have to climb to pass from a state of domestic certitude to the sometimes frightening, frequently challenging state of being a writer?"
This month the submissions were so good, we chose two! Please check back on Monday, February 2, 2009 to read the other.
Liesl Jurock wrote:
Following maternity leave last year, I started a new job full time, completed my master’s degree, and transitioned my one-year-old son into daycare. It was the biggest mountain I have ever faced. I've never been busier or spread more thinly. The pieces I wrote during that summer are few and far between, are raw and brimming with reality. They aren't well written and I wouldn't share them. But they are there, a testament to the fact that through it all, I still found time for my craft, for my art, and for me.
It seems bizarre now, when there is an abundance of time—the masters is finished, work has settled down, and my almost two-year-old son is so independent—that I produce even fewer pieces of writing. I prioritize doing the dishes, working late, and updating my Facebook status over writing. I state proudly that I always put work before play, but a part within me wonders if that isn't all an elaborate form of procrastination from writing, my true life's work.
Because I told myself, when I was done with nursing my boy and finishing school and catching up with work, I could write. I told myself, when I wrote, I could publish and share my work. I told myself, when I published, I could make money, and give up my day job. I told myself, I could create a pathway to a future where I could just write.
And know the thought of just writing terrifies me. I know now why I choose laundry over the blank page. What an enormous mountain I have set up for myself—even bigger than the one I scaled last year. In fact, I'd rather relive that overwhelming juggling act than face the mountain I've created in my head. Because facing it means that what I write next has to be something, has to get me somewhere, has to be important to someone. No wonder I feel paralyzed. I have created a summit I cannot see and instead of just having fun climbing around the edges, I am afraid to even walk around the base.
But I must. Instead of allowing my profession and domesticity to block out my inner voice, I must listen to it. It is calling me, calling me to write, calling me to reflect, and calling me to share my work. It is not calling me to create a mountain I have to climb, but just to look around and write about it. That I can do.
Liesl Jurock can be reached at: lieslrocks(at)gmail(dot)com.
UPDATE: EXTENDED DEADLINE APRIL 15, 2009
As memoir continues to expand in popularity, motherhood memoir has become an increasingly prominent and lucrative subgenre for contemporary authors. As Michelle Herman points out in The Middle of Everything: Memoirs of Motherhood, if forced to choose between her daughter and her writing, she would choose her daughter, but this would be a gut-wrenching decision. Instead, her writing life is woven into her mothering life, and she finds that she can write in conditions she would have previously thought impossible. It is clear that writers who are also mothers must write their stories. How do they do it, why are so many readers interested in what they have to say, and what can we learn from them? Women have been writing about motherhood as long as they have been writing, but the contemporary shift to tell-all memoirs has changed the rules of writing about mothering, and perhaps, of mothering itself.
We are seeking proposals for a collection that will interrogate and critique the motherhood memoir. In addition to a new collection entitled Mama Ph.D.: Women Write about Motherhood and Academic Life, there are several very recent motherhood memoirs that demand critical attention, works such as: Adrienne Martini's, Hillbilly Gothic: A Memoir of Madness and Motherhood; Susan Johnson's, A Better Woman; Ayun Halliday's, The Big Rumpus; and Anne Roiphe's, Living Contradictions: A Memoir of Modern Motherhood. What are these and other writing mothers saying about the experience of mothering today? What, if any, universals are present in motherhood memoirs? What societal critiques and suggestions provide the bedrock for potential revolutionary parenting practices? This collection will strive to bridge the distance between writing mothers who are critics and writing mothers who are authors by privileging academic work that seeks to discuss and contextualize motherhood memoirs beside authors’ own experiences of mothering, academic life, and writing. Autotheoretical works are encouraged, as are works that seek to meaningfully compare contemporary motherhood memoirs with those written in other eras, or works which thematically explore a grouping of memoirs. For example, one might discuss the role of fathers, special needs children, mothering and mental illness, etc. in several volumes, particularly if these topics inform the author’s own experiences. Other possible topics include the range of issues related to choice (the choice of whether/when/how to mother, etc.), mothering and socioeconomic class, mothering and race, mothering at different ages, mothering and prose/poetic form, mothering and sexuality, and other topical themes.
Please send one to two page proposals and a curriculum vitae to Justine Dymond, jdymond@spfldcol.edu , and Nicole Willey, nwilley@kent.edu, by April 15, 2009.
GO TO INTHEMOTHERHOOD.COM & SHARE
New Network Comedy Series Will Feature Stories Inspired By Viewers’ Life Experiences
From play dates and daycare to stretch marks and potty training, ABC wants to hear about your poignant, hilarious, emotional and even your most banal mommy moments for its new comedy series, “In the Motherhood,” premiering this spring. Based on the popular web series of the same name, the show will feature stories inspired by real life experiences of viewers shared through our website at www.InTheMotherhood.com.
ABC.com’s “In the Motherhood” site offers moms a place to share their first-hand experiences, the ability to rate and comment on others’ experiences, receive text alerts with mommy tips and get info on the show. Additionally, users will soon be able to upload photos and videos of their experiences, play games, grab a widget, or even get more creative by composing their own captions for photos from the show.
InTheMotherhood.com also offers a behind-the-scenes look at the new series with Cheryl Hines, Jessica St. Clair and Megan Mullally, as well as a sneak peek of the actors at a table read for the pilot episode.
About “In the Motherhood”
Megan Mullally (“Will & Grace”) and Cheryl Hines (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”) come to ABC in the new comedy “In the Motherhood,” which takes a look at the importance of family and friends while trying to juggle motherhood, work and love lives in an overly complicated modern world.
The story focuses on Rosemary (Mullally), Jane (Hines) and Emily (St. Clair), who represent mothers we all know. Rosemary is a free-wheeling mom who plays it fast and loose when it comes to parenting her teenaged son, Luke. Married numerous times, but currently single, Rosemary lives by her own rules. Much to the amazement of the other moms, her nontraditional parenting style has yielded a son much more responsible than she. Rosemary’s best friend, Jane, is a recently divorced working mother of a pre-teen, Annie, and a baby girl, Sophie, who is just trying to keep her career and home afloat. Having just returned to work after giving birth eight months ago, Jane struggles to find a happy balance – lucky for her she has her “manny,” Horatio (Horatio Sanz, “Saturday Night Live”), to help out. Jane’s younger sister, Emily, sees herself as the model stay-at-home-super-mom for her two young children, Esther and Bill. Emily’s home is a work of art, and her kids are polite and sweet—everything has its place in her world. Married to Jason (RonReaco Lee), Emily takes parenting as seriously as any mother could.
“In the Motherhood” stars Cheryl Hines as Jane, Jessica St. Clair as Emily, Horatio Sanz as Horatio, RonReaco Lee as Jason and Megan Mullally as Rosemary.
Jennifer Konner & Alexandra Rushfield (“Undeclared”), Stuart Bloomberg and David Lang are the executive producers of “In the Motherhood,” which is from ABC Studios.
Our upcoming anthology, Motherhood and Domestic Violence (working title), will explore the complexities of mothering in a violent home through stories, essays, and poems written by survivors.
Women with children experience domestic violence on two levels ~
Besides the cruelties inflicted upon themselves, mothers suffer the
violence again as they witness the effects on their children.
They endure the torment of being unable to create a safe and loving home for their children and at the same time experience verbal and psychological abuse as their abusive partner convinces them they are a bad mother.
As many women say, "You can't do your job as a mom if you are living in domestic violence. All your energy is taken up with mothering him or just getting through the day."
Possible Topics:
The stories we receive from survivors will in large part dictate the structure of our book. We will focus on the survivor's experience being a mother while living in violence, rather than on the impact of domestic violence on children. We are interested in thoughts, feelings, and recollections of events - whatever the survivor is willing to share about her experience.
Possible topics might include:
Your reactions to your children witnessing your abuse.
Losing or giving up custody of your children.
Making decisions about the abusive relationship based on what you thought was best for your children.
What do you wish you had done differently?
What do you think you did well?
Things to consider:
Writing can be wonderfully therapeutic and a lot of distressing feelings can come up in the process. We recommend that the writers be out of their domestic violence relationship and have successfully moved through the trauma stage. They should have a strong support system.
Guidelines:
Good writing skills are helpful, but not necessary - we will work closely with contributors to polish their writings. Or, if writing your story seems too daunting, send us a tape. Mostly we are looking for the heart and wisdom of our story-tellers.
We prefer submissions to be typed and double-spaced, but if you don't type, please print clearly.
Be sure to include your name, address, phone number and email address.
Remember to notify us at once if you move, change your phone number or
email. (If you wish to remain anonymous, let us know and we won't include your name in the book.)
Send your submission by either mail or email.
Include a stamped, self-addressed envelope so we can return submissions we are unable to use. Submissions without this cannot be returned.
Each contributor chosen for the anthology will receive a copy of the book when it is published.
It may take time for you to write your story. We'd like to know you are considering making a submission, however, so send us a letter by March 1,2009 with your contact information so we can offer our assistance.
Final drafts of stories, essays or poems must be postmarked on or before November 1, 2009. The final selection process will begin then.
Address your submissions to: Mary Zelinka, PO Box 3047, Albany, Oregon
97321-0700; or email to
Questions or concerns?
Contact Mary Zelinka at PO Box 3047, Albany, OR 97321-0700 or
Fiction coeditor Suzanne Kamata's new book is now available for preorder! Call Me Okaasan: Adventures in Multicultural Mothering, is an anthology of twenty essays by emerging and established writers on raising children across two or more cultures. It includes fabulous original essays by Literary Mama's very own Violet Garcia-Mendoza, and also former columnist Kate MacVean and fiction contributor Susannah Pabot.
Title of Event: The Maternal is Political
When: Saturday, January 17, 2009 7:00 PM
Location: BookWoman: 5501 N. Lamar Blvd. #A-105, Austin, TX
Celebrate the inauguration with a night for unruly mothers (and the people who love them) at Texas's only feminist bookstore! Featuring Shari MacDonald Strong (editor of The Maternal Is Political and a senior editor at Literary Mama magazine) and Marrit Ingman (Inconsolable) reading selections from The Maternal Is Political; and from the Dick Monologues, Kristine Kovach, Liz Belile, and Sonya Feher.
Come rejoice with us over the ending of the old presidential administration, the beginning of a promising new one, and the dawn of a new political era in which women and mothers will be more involved, and more influential, than ever before!
And get it into print with the help of published personal essayist and Literary Mama columnist Amy Mercer. You’ve seen her by-line in Skirt! Learn how to write your story and how to sell it!
Mondays at: 7:00 till 8:30 PM
for 6 weeks starting January 26, and March 23
Tuition $60.
www.Creative Spark.org
Becoming a mom changes everything; whether your children are toddlers or teens, they provide daily stories and deepen the emotional well from which we write. This ten-week workshop aimed specifically at moms explores how to incorporate our own lives into fiction and memoir we can sell, while moving beyond journaling. Examining everything from short-shorts to novel excerpts, we will mold our life material to write meaningful fiction. We will also discuss where to market your fiction. The workshop begins Jan. 27th and includes lectures, exercises, freewrites and critiques of your work. Sign up before Jan. 13th and pay $400. After that, sliding scale of $450-$550 for the ten weeks. Class size limited. Email masha@mashahamilton.com
Poetry,Prose, and Visual Art Contest for new Mamapalooza Magazine
Call for submissions, on the topic "Moms Gone Mad," of poetry, prose (creative nonfiction or fiction) and visual art (photographs, drawings, paintings). Winners will receive publication in the premiere issue of Mamapalooza Magazine, official arts publication of the Mamapalooza Festival, to be published May 2009. Additionally, one Outstanding Prose piece, Outstanding Poem, and Outstanding Visual Art piece will each win a prize package of Mamapalooza merchandise and goodies. Editors Marjorie Tesser and Alana Ruben Free. Deadline 1/31. $10 entry fee. Full guidelines at www.mommygirlgogo.com.
The next session of "The Mindful Writer: Cultivating Your Fearless Writing Voice" begins Thursday, January 15, 2009. Classes meet in North Berkeley from 7:00 — 9:30 p.m. and run for ten weeks; the cost is $275 for the entire session. Below is a description of the class as well as comments from former students. If you are interested in this or future sessions, please contact cwmalcomb@hotmail.com or 510-559-9076.
About the class:
Mindfulness is full attention on the present moment. In this workshop, we’ll explore how to use this practice, both formally and informally, to discover and write our deep stories. We’ll write from personal experience, using exercises to generate and hone topics, address “writing blocks,” respond to others’ work, and craft finished products. Students will “publish” and share at least one finished piece, and receive individualized feedback from both peers and the teacher. Suitable for experienced and beginning writers alike, this workshop provides a safe, inspiring place to coax forth your inner writer.
What former Mindful Writer students say:
“Chris created a very comfortable, supportive process of inquiry into writing. He shared his passion for mindfulness and writing in a way that inspires my own.”
“I truly feel the freedom and safety to write from my heart without fear in longer glimpses after taking this class. I look forward to ‘coming back’ to my practices, again and again, without shame or guilt.”
“Chris allows each writer to develop courage to put word to paper and share it with the world. I enjoyed his encouraging and generous spirit…I have also felt healed by the transformative power of writing about some of the intense experiences in my life. I feel really grateful to have taken this class.”
“I feel like I’ve been given a mini ‘Master-class’ in writing! [Chris’s] knowledge, experience, and sharing gave me many tools to approach my own words in a more informed, and ‘writerly’ way.”
About the teacher:
Chris Malcomb has practiced mindfulness meditation for six years. He has taught private writing classes and facilitated workshops for the California Association of Independent Schools, the Bay Area Teacher Training Institute, and the Prison University Project at San Quentin. His essays have appeared in San Francisco Chronicle Magazine, Common Ground, Teachers & Writers, and KQED Perspectives. He is currently pursuing his MFA in Creative Writing at the University of San Francisco.