Literary Mama

= Description =

Literary Mama (LiteraryMama.com) is an online literary magazine focused on publishing writing about motherhood in a variety of genre. The writing found at Literary Mama challenges all types of media to rethink its narrow focus of what mothers think and do. Updated weekly, the departments include columns, creative nonfiction, fiction, Literary Reflections, poetry, Profiles and Reviews, OpEd and Blog. Literary Mama reaches 40,000 readers monthly.

History

Inspired by the variety of mothers and mothering, founder Amy Hudock sought out and gathered women in Berkeley, California interested in reading and writing about motherhood. This group challenged the conventional two way street of motherhood commonly found in mainstream media: either "sickly sweet" or utterly negative. "We weren't able to get our work published because the glossy parenting magazines only wanted articles that showed only a small part of motherhood and we wanted a place where we could publish our work and find work we wanted to read" says Ms. Hudock. "Literary Mama: A Literary Magazine for the Maternally Inclined" was born. [1]

The Online Magazine Today

The mission statement communicates intent clearly: "We are a home for beautiful poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction that may be too long, too complex, too ambiguous, too deep, too raw, too irreverent, too ironic, and too body conscious for other publications." [2] A weekly ezine is sent highlighting new writing specific to department, column and the blog. True to the mission of Literary Mama, the magazine encourages Mama and non-Mama writers alike to submit work for review and for possible publication. The Literary Reflections department posts a monthly writing prompt. And classes are offered to help writers reach their goals.

Named by "Writer's Digest" as one of the "101 Best Websites for Writers" and by "Forbes" for "Best of the Web". [3]

An anthology of selected pieces from 2003 to 2005 was published in December of 2005 by Seal Press, ISBN-10: 1580051588. [4]

Editors

Amy Hudock, PhD 2003-

Notable Contributors

Below is a listing of contributors to the Literary Mama body of work at LiteraryMama.com who have published books:

Gail Konop Baker, author of "Cancer is a Bitch", Da Capo Press, 2008.

Andrea Buchanan, co-author of "The Daring Book for Girls", Collins, 2007.

Elrena Evans, co-editor of "Mama PhD:Women Write about Motherhood and Academic Life", Rutgers University Press, 2008

Vicki Forman, contributor, "Love You to Pieces: Creative Writers on Raising a Child with Special Needs", Beacon Press, 2008

Caroline Grant, co-editor of "Mama PhD:Women Write about Motherhood and Academic Life", Rutgers University Press, 2008

Ona Gritz, author of "Tangerines and Tea: My Grandparents and Me", Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2005

Jessica Berger Gross, editor of "About What Was Lost: Twenty Writers on Miscarriage, Healing, and Hope", Plume, 2006

Sonya Huber, author of "Opa Nobody", University of Nebraska Press, 2008

Amy Hudock, co-editor of "Literary Mama: Reading for the Maternally Inclined", Seal Press, 2005

Stephanie Hunt, author of "Peeking Under My Skirt", BookSurge Publishing, 2002

Susan Ito, co-editor of "A Ghost at Heart's Edge: Stories and Poems of Adoption", North Atlantic Books, 1999

Suzanne Kamata, editor of "Love You to Pieces: Creative Writers on Raising a Child with Special Needs", Beacon Press, 2008

Sharon Kraus, author of "Strange Land", University Press of Florida, 2002

Erika Lutz, author of "On the Go with Baby", Sourcebooks, Inc., 2002

Jennifer Margulis, author of "Why Babies Do That: Baffling Baby Behavior Explained", Willow Creek Press, 2005

Heidi Raykeil, author of "Naughty Mommy: How I Found My Lost Libido", Seal Press, 2005

Rachel Sarah, author of "Single Mom Seeking: Playdates, Blind Dates, and Other Dispatches from the Dating World", Seal Press, 2007

Shari MacDonald Strong, editor of "The Maternal Is Political: Women Writers at the Intersection of Motherhood and Social Change", Seal Press, 2008

Other

1. Original graphic for Literary Mama was designed by Andi Buchanan.

2. Graphic for front cover of anthology was designed by Justin Marler and Gerilyn Attebery for Seal Press.

References

1. http://www.sc.edu/usctimes/articles/2004-12/literary_mama.html

2. http://www.literarymama.com/about/

3. http://www.forbes.com/bow/b2c/review.jhtml?id=7720

4. http://www.sealpress.com/book.php?isbn=9781580051583

External Links

* [http://www.literarymama.com/ Website]