Writing Motherhood

Class Description

Motherhood changes us, and all of us in different ways: it can affect our roles in society and our families, our sense of time and priorities, our bodies, and even our writing. Becoming a parent and beginning to care for a child is a creative practice, yet we may find it difficult to find the time, or the motivation, to put pen to paper during the labor that is mothering. This workshop is for writers who have become mothers (self-defined), or mothers who need to write. In this six-week class, we will read and discuss texts on the topic of motherhood from a diversity of perspectives, and explore and interrogate our own relationship with motherhood through our writing.

Each week we will explore a topic such as pregnancy/expectancy, what we learned (or didn’t learn) from our own mothers, the labor of motherhood, and more. We will read texts pertaining to the topic across literary disciplines and from many different perspectives, from authors such as Toni Morrison, Sylvia Plath, bell hooks and Maxine Hong Kingston. You will also be given 2-3 prompts each week to spur your own writing. You will receive feedback from the instructor and the rest of the class on at least one piece of writing, as well as conversations about your work and informal feedback throughout.

If you are interested in reading some of Aimee's poetry and articles published on motherhood, see below:

"My Queerness Helped me Understand Being a Better Mom" via PopSugar

"The Pandemic has Made Single Motherhood Even More Single" via PopSugar

"Night Waking" via Raising Mothers

"Fragments on motherhood in 9 parts" via Raising Mothers

You will come away from the class with at least one draft, and the feedback and insight to continue developing it.