literary mamas.

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It's Wednesday, which means a post about words in various forms. This week: literary mamas. Or, more specifically, Literary Mama -- the online "mama-centric" literary magazine about "the complexities and many faces of motherhood."

I stumbled onto Literary Mama because my friend Megan had some poetry published there a few years back -- and I was delighted to find an online community of mother-writers. Literary Mama publishes poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction as well as interviews with prominent writers and essays on motherhood. I'm loving this recent poem on the fleeting moments of childhood, and it was fascinating to read this conversation with Arianna Huffington back before Huffington Post became the megalith of online journalism/gossip it is today.

I love the idea of writing something to submit here -- though I'm much better at criticizing other people's work than generating anything of my own. But I'm really digging their book reviews -- I've been trying to find reliable sources for titles other than what you might find on the Bestselling Hardcovers shelf at B&N, and I'm already excited about several of the books I've read about on their site. Susan Barr-Toman's review of Tolstoy and the Purple Chair seems right up my alley: a mother of four who challenges herself to read a book a day -- and write a review of it -- for a whole year? I can't even keep up with my goal of reading a book a week! And just in case I do get inspired to try my hand at a villanelle, sestina, or even just a limerick, here's a great list of the best books on the writer's craft for those who "cherish both nursing and copyediting -- at the same time" (Katherine Barrett).

If any of you submit something to Literary Mama, let me know! I look forward to reading your creative efforts!

And speaking of literary mamas, I'm so excited to announce the results of last week's giveaway. The copy of BabyLit's Pride and Prejudice, thanks to random.org, goes to...

commenter 18, Laura!

Send me an email at larkingshop at gmail with your contact info and I'll get your book in the mail. Can't wait to see your little one's review! And if any of the rest of you end up with your own copy, L and I would love to see pictures of you reading it, too.

I am definitely going to do more of these baby book club giveaways -- I love the idea of sharing books L and I love with other moms + kiddos, so stay tuned for more soon! (and if you have a title to suggest or a book to offer for a giveaway, drop me a line to let me know!)