Poetry of Maternity

Before a thought, a creation, a piece of writing can§begin, there needs to be the conception of an idea,§the seed of a beginning. Just as a woman can become§pregnant with a child, she can also become pregnant§with words, a story, and a way to tell that story.§Speaking from the point of view of a mother poet/poet§mother, the author explores the language with which§women poets write the experiences of maternity. How§does a woman write her story or experience once she§emerges from a journey so common and seemingly§connective, yet intensely isolating and removed from§the world outside her body? Is this language unique§to women?§This book is a discussion amongst poets, theorists,§and the author leading one through the labyrinth of§language to the final revelation or discovery: there§exists a movement toward expanding our given language§expressly to give voice to the previously taboo§experiences of the female body. This book intends not§only to explore this language, but to give voice to§the maternal to celebrate it, learn from it, and§acknowledge its essential importance in our literary§canon, our collective history, and our overall human§experience.