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Aug 31, 2022Liked by Sara Petersen

I will definitely add Easy Beauty to the stack.

I recently read two books of poetry that felt like looking at the act of mothering in a familiar and altogether new way. Tender Hooks, by Beth Ann Fennelly, unearthed things that I recognized physically but had never bothered to articulate to myself. Husbandry, by Matthew Dickman, made me understand that the act of mothering has nothing to do with giving a birth or even being a woman. Something I understood intellectually - people of all genders parent children that they have given birth to or adopted - but it was something more to read it from the perspective of a father who yearns for kids and writes about the intense physical experience of raising kids.

Also, Bluey? Because sometimes parenting is fun and feels good. I like the combination of fun and a lack of preciousness about childhood and parenting. It's hard and fun! So often I just talk about the hard with friends or see people exalting the magical online, but it's both at the same time. A fun, exhausting, magical, neverending death march. Bluey!

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I could not love Bluey more. The episode where Bingo is having trouble going to sleep? Pure fantastical magic.

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This sounds incredible; added to the list. Angela Garbes’ Essential Labor is the book I’ve been buying for all the mums in my life. It feels like the ‘fuck shit up’ book we’ve all been waiting for.

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100% - I loved her first book too!

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Aug 31, 2022Liked by Sara Petersen

Just got a notification from my library that it was my turn for the copy of Easy Beauty, so this was a timely read.

I have an (almost) one year old and read Nightbitch during the early months, mostly late at night while trying to stay awake breastfeeding. I love how she portrays the push pull between ferocious love for your child and a desire to still be an artist. Also it was very funny!

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Nightbitch was the book I needed in my first year of motherhood! I send it to every new mom. I love it so, so, so much.

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Aug 31, 2022Liked by Sara Petersen

Motherhood by Sheila Heti! Highly recommend for an exploration of motherhood and womanhood and personhood, and defining your own identity in a culture with a lot of loud opinions about who you ought to be.

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YES I generally love any and all books that explore NOT pursuing motherhood, you know?

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+ Anything Rebecca Taussig writes: https://time.com/5926361/pandemic-pain-joy/

The book The Electricity of Every Living Thing which is a memoir of Katherine May realizing she’s on the autism spectrum, while raising a toddler, in complete sensory overload, and trying to accomplish a big project for herself while simultaneously questioning it the entire time. The feeling of trying to perform normalcy while being in a Bad Place postpartum was very resonant.

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This is my JAM. I felt like art about motherhood/ mothering/ parenthood is the antidote to the downsides social media/ Instagram motherhood.

I really want to shout out one of my friends, who surprised herself by making her dance MFA thesis about her motherhood experience (and did her MFA while raising a toddler!) You can watch her dance here, called Games Played While Lying Down (I mean!): https://vimeo.com/512536530

She then collected dance pieces and embodied experiences by and about mothers: https://theourchive.com/

Disappointingly few, given how many dancers are women and mothers. :( But motherhood is seen as an obstacle in dance, not a “serious” artistic subject, etc. etc. etc. Watch a dance piece about mothering! It’s very healing! (I interviewed her about embodied cultural habits and her creation of the piece: https://poisedpowerfulparenting.buzzsprout.com/1566542/8447216-dancing-about-motherhood-w-sarah-mauney)

Shoutout to another friend who is doing a play that very much intersects with the matrescence experience - for similar reasons, some challenges getting funding/ getting this seen as a “serious” script, go see it if you happen to be around Chicago: https://secure.athenaeumcenter.org/314/333

Madeline Donohue’s visual art got me at a key moment in pandemic isolation at home with a toddler: http://www.madelinedonahue.com/

I know there’s more…

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More goodness to check out here: https://www.reprorightsartcollective.com/mother-load

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