Toi Derricotte
Writing Natural Birth by Toi Derricotte I wrote Natural Birth when my son was sixteen years old. He was away on an Outward Bound expedition in the mountains of Washington State. It was the first time we had been separated for such an extended time, not even in phone reach, and it brought up some ...
Unwelcome in my country, Unwelcome in my church
WHY CAMILLE DUNGY CAN’T GET OVER THIS ELECTION First published by LitHub January 2017 During the prayers of the people on the Sunday after America’s recent presidential election, the pastor read the prayer card of a congregant who sought comfort and support for those who have been imperiled as a result of this new ...
Beth Alvarado
The Motherhood Poems: On the birth of my first grandchild by Beth Alvarado The baby was born early. Eight weeks early to be exact. They now count gestation in weeks not months. I stood in the hall and heard his first cry. Like a kitten, small and mewing. He was small. Four pounds, three ...
Khadijah Queen
Mothering Solo by Khadijah Queen Mothering is the ultimate convergence of public and private. From the moment your belly swells, the fact that you are/have been sexually active becomes publicly displayed. The implicit questions: Who has impregnated you? Does he have cultural/institutional permission? Do you, expectant mother, have permission? Where is the piece of ...
Pooja Makhijani, Sharline Chiang, Tyrese L. Coleman, MK, & A’Driane Nieves
Saving One Another’s Lives: A Conversation with Women Writers of Color About Postpartum Mood Disorders by Pooja Makhijani, Sharline Chiang, Tyrese L. Coleman, MK, & A’Driane Nieves Postpartum mood disorders are far from rare. Statistics show that up to 1 in 7 women may experience postpartum depression, anxiety, or obsessive compulsive disorder. These disorders make it hard ...
Christine Simokaitis
It Happens Like This by Christine Simokaitis I think I’m having a miscarriage. Yesterday morning I took the pregnancy test and told Tim the happy news, but then at the park, after dinner, the cramps began. We were watching Caleb on the curly slide, and I had to sit down all of a sudden from ...
Adria Bernardi
motherhood is requiring that much listening / over time by Adria Bernardi “Between 10 and 18 months a baby’s emotions are developed. Emotions are clearly connected with long-term memory.” “The brain is shaped most during the first 10 years of life. . . Teaching music, language, and other lifelong skills will be easier during these ...
Monica J. Casper
Invisible Labors: Toward a Theory and Praxis of Sustainable Feminism by Monica J. Casper In memory of Dennis J. Struck sust•ain•a•ble adjective 1. able to be used without being completely used up or destroyed 2. involving methods that do not completely use up or destroy natural resources 3. able to last or continue for a long time ...
Shefali Milczarek-Desai
Living In-Between by Shefali Milczarek-Desai I was on the phone with my parents pronouncing my sons’ Indian names with a Gujarati accent when my five-year old son loudly corrected me, “Mommy! It’s not ‘Saagr’ it’s ‘Saww|ger’!” His harsh American drawl accentuated and apparent in his corrections to my softly flowing Gujarati. I tried explaining that ...