Mama Sez: Literary Reflections

Literary Reflections

By Caroline Grant

You're a reader. You're a mother. And then gradually you realize that at naptime you race to your computer the way you used to race to the TV, anxious to unload the complicated emotions in your heart. You find yourself composing essays in your head, trying to make sense of that strange moment on the playground. You read Bird by Bird and start tucking index cards into your back pocket, carefully folded, as Anne Lamott advises, to keep you from looking too bulky.

You're becoming a writer.

Or maybe it didn't happen quite like that. Maybe you've always been a writer, it's something you've been doing so long you take it for granted as part of your identity. Your journals date back to grade school, and you've been writing poetry since you dotted your i's with little circles. Or maybe you discovered writing later, and found a way to make it your living, whether publishing stories, churning out manuals for software companies, or producing carefully-researched pieces for the local newspaper. But becoming a mother changed your writing life. You have a new subject. You have a new point of view.

However you got here, now that you're reading this, consider writing for us, the Literary Reflections section of Literary Mama. Take a moment to think about how the disparate parts of your writer-reader-mother life coexist and how they influence each other. Don't be afraid to be funny; don't be afraid to be angry. You're writing about a complicated relationship: give it its due.

Literary Reflections also looks for essays that explore the outlets for mother writers, from the private (journals, diaries) to the public (books and magazines) and those that attempt to bridge the gap (weblogs). Write about your writing group, and how you manage to workshop your stories and poems without the kids coloring too much on your drafts. Write about developing your career as a mother-writer, from your experience breaking in to publishing, to working with an editor, to doing a book tour with (or without) your children in tow.

How has your reading changed since you became a mother? What inspires and motivates your writing process? How has familiar childhood literature changed for you now as you read to your child? If your children are readers, how does their reading differ—or not—from yours, and what do you think about that? All of these are good questions to fuel an essay.

We'd also like to hear from mothers whose careers involve books. Are you a teacher? A librarian? A bookseller? How does your mothering influence your work, and vice versa?

Take a look at our archives -- this is the best way both to get a feel for what we like, and to identify what kinds of essays we haven't yet published. Make sure to read our submissions guidelines to understand the distinction between Literary Reflections and other sections of Literary Mama (we publish creative, non-fiction essays, but not Creative Nonfiction; we publish essays about books, not book reviews, and essays about writers you love, but not author profiles). Know that we have read many essays comparing writing to childbirth, and we're interested in new metaphors. And understand that if you've got a compelling take on the life of the mother-writer-reader, you'll find an audience here.

To submit to Literary Reflections, write us at litcrit@literarymama.com. Include your essay in the text of your email and/or attached Word document, together with a brief cover letter. Please make sure to put "submission" in your subject line so that your message doesn't get caught in our spam filter. We respond in 3 to 4 weeks.

Caroline Grant, Literary Reflections Co-Editor, writes the column Mama at the Movies for Literary Mama. She holds a PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of California at Berkeley, where she taught classes on film, women's studies, American literature, and writing; she has also taught at Stanford University and the San Francisco Art Institute. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and two sons, a life she writes about on her blog, food for thought.

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Read the Introduction Recent Columns Stepmother: What's In a Name? How to Publish a Book New Year's Resolutions Happy Birthday to Literary Mama The Well-Turned Column Questions and Answers The Falling-in-Love Factor The Art of Imperfection Literary Reflections Why Start a Pregnancy Journal? Archives "Mama Sez" Archives E-zine Don't have time to check for updates? Let us come to you! Click here to subscribe or unsubscribe to the Literary Mama E-zine. Literary Mama About Us Submissions Contact Privacy Policy Literary Mama Bookshop Literary Mama Gear Powered by Movable Type 3.16	Mama Sez « Why Start a Pregnancy Journal? \| Back to "Mama Sez" main page \| The Art of Imperfection » Literary Reflections By Caroline Grant You're a reader. You're a mother. And then gradually you realize that at naptime you race to your computer the way you used to race to the TV, anxious to unload the complicated emotions in your heart. You find yourself composing essays in your head, trying to make sense of that strange moment on the playground. You read Bird by Bird and start tucking index cards into your back pocket, carefully folded, as Anne Lamott advises, to keep you from looking too bulky. You're becoming a writer. Or maybe it didn't happen quite like that. Maybe you've always been a writer, it's something you've been doing so long you take it for granted as part of your identity. Your journals date back to grade school, and you've been writing poetry since you dotted your i's with little circles. Or maybe you discovered writing later, and found a way to make it your living, whether publishing stories, churning out manuals for software companies, or producing carefully-researched pieces for the local newspaper. But becoming a mother changed your writing life. You have a new subject. You have a new point of view. However you got here, now that you're reading this, consider writing for us, the Literary Reflections section of Literary Mama. Take a moment to think about how the disparate parts of your writer-reader-mother life coexist and how they influence each other. Don't be afraid to be funny; don't be afraid to be angry. You're writing about a complicated relationship: give it its due. Literary Reflections also looks for essays that explore the outlets for mother writers, from the private (journals, diaries) to the public (books and magazines) and those that attempt to bridge the gap (weblogs). Write about your writing group, and how you manage to workshop your stories and poems without the kids coloring too much on your drafts. Write about developing your career as a mother-writer, from your experience breaking in to publishing, to working with an editor, to doing a book tour with (or without) your children in tow. How has your reading changed since you became a mother? What inspires and motivates your writing process? How has familiar childhood literature changed for you now as you read to your child? If your children are readers, how does their reading differ—or not—from yours, and what do you think about that? All of these are good questions to fuel an essay. We'd also like to hear from mothers whose careers involve books. Are you a teacher? A librarian? A bookseller? How does your mothering influence your work, and vice versa? Take a look at our archives -- this is the best way both to get a feel for what we like, and to identify what kinds of essays we haven't yet published. Make sure to read our submissions guidelines to understand the distinction between Literary Reflections and other sections of Literary Mama (we publish creative, non-fiction essays, but not Creative Nonfiction; we publish essays about books, not book reviews, and essays about writers you love, but not author profiles). Know that we have read many essays comparing writing to childbirth, and we're interested in new metaphors. And understand that if you've got a compelling take on the life of the mother-writer-reader, you'll find an audience here. To submit to Literary Reflections, write us at litcrit@literarymama.com. Include your essay in the text of your email and/or attached Word document, together with a brief cover letter. Please make sure to put "submission" in your subject line so that your message doesn't get caught in our spam filter. We respond in 3 to 4 weeks. Caroline Grant, Literary Reflections Co-Editor, writes the column Mama at the Movies for Literary Mama. She holds a PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of California at Berkeley, where she taught classes on film, women's studies, American literature, and writing; she has also taught at Stanford University and the San Francisco Art Institute. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and two sons, a life she writes about on her blog, food for thought. Comments (3)