"After a throb of silence, we asked what was wrong. He turned to the screen and pointed to a seemingly endless list of flaws and catastrophes on you that we could neither recognize nor understand."

from Michele Amoah Powponne's essay, "Dear Edith," in our Sept/Oct issue:

@amplifywithfemi.bsky.social is calling for contributions in our latest "Mama And" writing prompt:

Share in the blog comments, on IG w the hashtag #MamaAnd, tagging us @literary_mama on FB, & Bluesky @literarymama.bsky.social. The prompt will remain active throughout the month.

"The translators’ skill is manifested by the diversity of voice, nuance, and tone they evoke in this assembly of twenty-four pieces by thirteen authors."

ACS Bird reviews Amanat: Women’s Writing from Kazakhstan, edited and translated by Zaure Batayeva and Shelley Fairweather-Vega (Sept/Oct issue):

"I think that’s what motherhood is about—this small piece of hope that we carry around with us like a pebble. Hoping for the best for our kids as we white-knuckle the liminal time...between their constant presence and mourning their absence."

@rudribhattpatel.bsky.social opens our new issue:

Submissions are open. Send us your best short fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction.

Before submitting, please review our guidelines at the link below:

buff.ly/bqo8RXA

#poetrycommunity

Ozzy Osbourne, the frontman of Black Sabbath, died today, at 76. Osbourne—along with half of the musicians in Led Zeppelin and the key members of Judas Priest—was raised in the bombed-out ruins of the British Midlands. Read more: nyer.cm/iCI3UFJ

It's here! We hope you enjoy the abundance of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, literary reflections, profiles, and reviews in our July/August issue!

We're looking for a senior editor to join our team!

literarymama.com/opportunities

🎧 New episode 🎧

Check out our conversation with Alicia Elliott, author of “And Then She Fell,” about cultural creation stories, contemporary Indigenous life, and how a psychotic episode led to deeper understanding.

Listen on Substack or wherever you get your podcasts!

“Like a quilt, in which scattered pieces of fabric are used to create a new whole, Kiefer stitches together scenes...” Read Lori Rottenberg’s review of Abbie Kiefer’s Certain Shelter here:
literarymama.com/articles/dep...

"Theirs could ignite harmonicas both in and out, making music in layers.

One breath could extinguish a candle with a wish; another could feed the campfire."

Frm "Breath" by Jessica Claire Haney. May/June @literarymama.bsky.social

literarymama.com/articles/dep...

NEW ISSUE!

Publicity manager @tinypoet.bsky.social opens our May/June issue:

"In a world of endless words, the blank expanses between paragraphs and product images become sanctuaries, like designated natural areas separating deforested developments. White space allows us to breathe."

Read on!

Exciting news!

Our latest episode of This Mama Is Lit! features TV producer & writer Sandra Chwialkowska on her first novel, The Ends of Things, screenwriting, & surviving a book launch with a newborn.

@evalangston.bsky.social @hollyrizzutopal.bsky.social @ajfields.bsky.social

Hi folks! @literarymama.bsky.social is in the search of a social media co-editor. This is a volunteer position at a org dedicated to bringing mamas and mama supporters together through literature. Spread the word: literarymama.com/opportunities

"Adoption is one of the most unregulated businesses in the country. There is no federal regulation, so people can just do whatever. They can charge whatever, they can do whatever, and it's not regulated at all."

Listen to @thesusanito.bsky.social in our latest episode of This Mama Is Lit!

The Pen Parentis Writing Fellowship for New Parents: $2000, a year of mentorship, and the opportunity to read online at a Pen Parentis Literary Salon.
Deadline: April 17th
@penparentis.bsky.social @mmdevoe.bsky.social

penparentis.org/fellowship/

NEW ISSUE!!!

Our March/April issue is here, ushered in by Managing Editor Lauren Reynolds: "The mothers I know downplay their wisdom. This issue reminds me of...how much pain and joy are present at every stage of mothering."

literarymama.com/issues/march...

"And I think, Here he is.
Today, for now, it is not my pain.
I think, If anything ever happens to you, I would . . ."

Read Nicole Desjardins Gowdy's poem, "Our Children," in our March/April issue:

The Naomi Shihab Nye Prize: Organizers invite Arab American and Arab Canadian writers to submit an English-language middle-grade manuscript directed to readers ages 8–12.

Link to learn more: www.albustanseeds.org/naomi-shihab...

In our March/April issue, Heather Brown Barrett reviews Stacey May Fowles & @jensookfonglee.bsky.social's anthology, Good Mom on Paper: Writers on Creativity & Motherhood:

Nice review of GOOD MOM ON PAPER, with a mention of the funny/heartbreaking essay by Meaghan Strimas that features me in a minor role as an NPC.

NIH is likely cutting up to 25% of its workforce this week. NIH staff have substantial expertise, typically PhDs. And they really *believe* in the work. NIH's will not be able to meet its mission w/these cuts. The scientific threat is not just direct funding cuts www.statnews.com/2025/03/14/n...