Guest post: Cathy Bryant on ‘Heroines and Inspirations’

Welcome to the ‘Look At All The Women’ Carnival: Week 3 – ‘The Eclectic Others’

This post was written especially for inclusion in the three-week-long ‘Look At All The Women’ carnival, hosted by Mother’s Milk Books, to celebrate the launch of Cathy Bryant’s new book ‘Look At All The Women’. In this final week of the carnival our participants share their thoughts on the theme ‘The Eclectic Others’ (the third, and final, chapter in Cathy’s new poetry collection).

Please read to the end of the post for a full list of carnival participants.

***

When it came to the third section of my book, ‘The Eclectic Others’, my editor and I worked hard to choose the right balance. After all, there was no way we could include every possible take on a woman’s life, unless the book was to have infinite pages! So we fiddled and discussed and put things in and took them out again and scratched our heads and argued for our particular favourites, until we came up with a selection that, if not wholly representative, was at least as strong and varied as we could make it.

Poems we were both keen to keep in included those about some of my personal heroines – those inspirational women who have made a difference to the way I live my life.

One of those was shared with me by an English teacher called Mrs Lawton. Our set text for poetry was a volume called ‘English Poetry 1900-1975’, which contained the work of many wonderful poets – only two of them, however, being women. One was Stevie Smith. The other was Sylvia Plath. (As poet Ali Smith said, between those two you get most of human experience, but still!)

So imagine me at 14, being abused at home by my violent father (who was also headmaster of my school), depressed and suicidal, self-harming and lost, opening the book obediently and finding the nursery rhyme rhythms of a hellish experience not far from my own: Daddy. You can see the poem here. http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/178960

It knocked my socks off, and my shoes and mind too. For terms we had been dissecting poems to see why and how they were clever, and now a strange, dead, American woman had reached right inside me and spoken to me in the language of my sorrow and fear.

I loved her after that and read everything she wrote, including her diaries – and found her to be a complex person, often far sunnier and funnier than the myths would have us believe, full of life and charm and brilliance. On the 50th anniversary of her death I went with my O.H. to visit her grave in Heptonstall, and when I came home I sat and wrote the experience down – it was so vivid. It came out partly as prose and partly as a poem. You can see the prose result here: http://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=34328
And here is the poem:


Yellow Roses on Snow
(written after visiting Sylvia Plath’s grave on the fiftieth anniversary of her death)

It’s a plain grave, though thickly meringued with snow;
dark granite monolith open to the sky. The church
is old and friendly, proud with bells pealing
in glorious cascades. There is a sense of celebration
as well as mourning in the tan stone streets,
some cobbled, with views of hills, hills, hills
all covered in snow. But such a small grave.

There are several of us, strangers, women in black
lighting candles and laying the sunshine roses
(her favourite flower, her mother said)
on the grave, and mourning the dead woman
we didn’t know.

Sudden sobs – it’s so cold, she’ll be cold,
she hated the cold. Sympathy. Chilled hands
try to warm mine. My red skirt, the blue candle
the only spots of colour save the roses,
buttery as an American sun, yellow as
a New England leaf when Autumn falls.

As if conjured, the same sun breaks out here
over the grave and us, drawing yellow and white
into a new gold. We feel relief
at the literal lightening. We had not wanted to leave
her alone, but the sun is there to warm her now.

Departing, we see knots and threads of folk
rag-rugging their way to her, heads bowed
against the bitter weather, though now the sun
is blazing, blazing on top of this blessed
hill village in Yorkshire.

Did I really think that it would be grim and dark?
That we would be given nothing here?
We were met by strength, connection
and a culmination. For us, this was pilgrimage.

***

There are tributes and examinations of other heroines of mine too – Sophie Scholl, who was shot at the tender age of 19 by the Nazis for disseminating anti-nazi information, and Colette, that redoubtable and sensual writer with a wicked smile and a gimlet eye. There’s also a poem about my favourite statue, which just happens to be of another strong woman, and one from the myths of ancient China. They have all opened doors for me, all helping to articulate my own escape and transformations.

Here’s the poem about Sophie Scholl. I think of her whenever someone gives all the reasons why they can’t stand up for what’s right.


The White Rose

How can we expect righteousness to prevail when there is hardly anyone willing to give himself up individually to a righteous cause? Such a fine, sunny day, and I have to go, but what does my death matter, if through us thousands of people are awakened and stirred to action?

– the last words of Sophie Scholl, member of The White Rose resistance group, before the Nazis executed her.

You didn’t say, one person can’t make a difference.
You didn’t say, there’s no point in trying.
You didn’t say, well, what can you do?
You didn’t say that the Nazis were too powerful,
and that it was too risky.
Instead you printed your leaflets, distributed them,
and talked, and called to action;
and so they killed you.
But you had lit fires of resistance
that a cold bullet couldn’t quench;
planted seeds for all of us
to follow, every new rose,
and the fires still burn
and the flowers still bloom
because you didn’t do the maths
(you were just nineteen, so young)
and play the odds but instead
taught us – me – how to make a difference;
how to live and how to die,
how to light flames and grow flowers.

***

Look At All The Women is now available to buy from The Mother’s Milk Bookshop (as a paperback and PDF) – we can ship books around the world!

and as a paperback from Amazon.co.uk.

It can also be ordered via your local bookshop.

If you’d like to know more about Mother’s Milk Books — our submission guidelines, who we are and what we do — please find more details on the submissions page.

Please take the time to read and comment on the following fab posts submitted by some wonderful women:

‘Heroines and Inspirations’— Cathy Bryant, guest posting at Mother’s Milk Books, shares two powerful, inspiring poems, and how they came into being.

‘Sensitivity’ — Marija Smits shares a poem, with an accompanying image, that gives a glimpse into the inner workings of a highly sensitive person.

Georgie St Clair shares her creative female heroines in her post ‘Creative Others: Mothers Who Have It All’

‘The Eclectic Others – Or What Would I Have Been Without You?’ — Kimberly Jamison posts to her blog The Book Word a thank you to the women of literature and history who have been in her life, shaped her life, saved her life and gave her a future.

‘Barbie speaks out’ — Ana Salote at Colouring Outside the Lines shares a platform with feminist icon, Barbie.

‘Her Village’ — An older (much older than most) first time mother, Ellie Stoneley from Mush Brained Ramblings firmly believes in the old African adage that it takes a village to raise a child. To that end she has surrounded her daughter with the love, mischief and inspiration of an extremely eclectic bunch of villagers.

Survivor writes about the inspiring life of La Malinche and her place in Mexican history at Surviving Mexico: Adventures and Disasters.

Sophelia writes about the importance of her community as a family at Sophelia’s Adventures in Japan.

Guest post: Cathy Bryant on ‘Fantasy, love and oddity’

Welcome to the ‘Look At All The Women’ Carnival: Week 1 – ‘The Lovers’

This post was written especially for inclusion in the three-week-long ‘Look At All The Women’ carnival, hosted by Mother’s Milk Books, to celebrate the launch of Cathy Bryant’s new book ‘Look At All The Women’. This week our participants share their thoughts on the theme ‘The Lovers’ (the first chapter in Cathy’s poetry collection).

Please read to the end of the post for a full list of carnival participants.

***

I’m delighted to be taking part in the Mother’s Milk Books Blog Carnival that is taking place to celebrate the launch of my new book, Look at All the Women. This first week of the Carnival is dedicated to the theme ‘The Lovers’, so here are two poems from that particular section of my new book. The first is very Me, I think – elements of fantasy, love and oddity, with my ever-present love for the sea. Who would have thought that Bridlington in December could be so beautiful?

Brid, December

Bold gemini moon full on
and the waves fly up to meet it.
The sea stirs; every last creature
swims or wriggles up to drink
the light, taste the moon’s essence.

A streetlamp bravely does its best.
Oi! Look at me! Regard! I shine too!
It gets in the way, spoiling photos.
Vampires and tourists slink off in disgust.

Lovers ignore it. The moon, the sea,
each other – there’s nothing else
but warm, clean-sheeted beds.
Light is light, isn’t it?

No. You could skim the silver
from the waves with one hand,
and make your face holy with it,
immortal.

***

The second poem is addressed to the poet William Carlos Williams and is a response to his poem ‘This is Just to Say’: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/245576. I love his poetry and I can see how important it is – but I wouldn’t have wanted to live next door to him. You wouldn’t be able to put the bins out without him staring in wonder, lost in the moment due to the colour of your nail varnish or petunias. So I wrote this tongue-in-cheek reply:

Dear William

It’s not just the plums.
You are so plainly
a selfish man

living in the moment,
the personal moment
all for yourself.

The divorce papers
are in the post.
This feels so sweet
and deliciously cold.

***

Happy loving everyone, and see you next week!
Cathy x

Look At All The Women, by Cathy Bryant

Look At All The Women is now available to buy from:

The Mother’s Milk Bookshop (as a paperback and PDF) – we can ship books around the world!

and as a paperback from Amazon.co.uk.

It can also be ordered via your local bookshop.

If you’d like to know more about the ‘Look At All The Women’ carnival please find more details about it here.

Please take the time to read and comment on the following fab posts submitted by some wonderful women:

‘Fantasy, love and oddity.’ — Cathy Bryant, guest posting at Mother’s Milk Books, shares two of her favourite poems about lovers from her second collection of poetry, Look At All The Women.

‘The Walnut Hearts’Marija Smits shares some ‘nutty’ poetry about love and reflects on the role good communication has on a harmonious relationship.

Georgie St Clair shares her feelings on why we should indulge our passions as lovers in her lighthearted post — ‘Creative Lovers: Not Tonight Darling’.

‘The Lovers – Or What I Don’t Know About Love’ — Kimberly Jamison posts to her blog The Book Word what she has learnt about love from story books, people watching and her own life and wonders if she actually knows anything at all.

‘Explicit v Implicit’ — Ana Salote at Colouring Outside the Lines considers literature’s role in teaching children about relationships.

Interview: Susan Last on motherhood and creativity

I am really excited about this latest guest post because Susan Last, my guest, is a publisher herself and so we share a very similar passion for books, excellent writing, breastfeeding and creativity. I can also add that Susan is a generous host who can rustle up a great lunch at a moment’s notice! Many thanks to Susan for taking part, and I hope it inspires more creative folk to get submitting their prose to the Mother’s Milk Books Writing Prize (only 18 full days left to go now!).

Tell us about yourself…

I’ve loved books all my life; as a child I was a voracious reader and as an adult I now read for both work and pleasure (luckily for me, the two often intersect). I graduated in Modern Languages and my first job was as a trainee editor for a history publisher in Gloucestershire. I then spent nearly 10 years at Breedon Books (later DB Publishing) in Derby working on history, sport and biography books, as an editor, commissioning editor, managing editor… Since my third child was born in 2010 I’ve been partly a freelance editor, working mainly for Pen and Sword Books and Pinter and Martin, and partly a director of Lonely Scribe, a tiny independent publishing company that I founded with a colleague.

1. Have you always considered yourself to be a creative person?

No. It took me a long time to realise that the creative work on a book doesn’t begin and end with the author; the editors, designers, proofreaders and everyone involved in the process of publishing all bring their own creative talents to the table. I now understand the value, and the skill, in good editing, from visualising the book in its very early stages, to having a hand in the final details of the finished product.

Away from books I like to knit, sew, crochet, cook – I don’t consider myself an expert or even particularly creative or original in any of these pursuits, but I have always enjoyed them for their own sake.

2. Has motherhood enhanced your creativity? If yes, in what way and why do you think it has enhanced your creativity?

Yes – interests I only developed once I’d had children (breastfeeding chief among them!) have led me down all sorts of interesting pathways in my publishing work. The work I do for Pinter and Martin on their wonderful birth and breastfeeding titles is some of the most satisfying I’ve done in my career to date, and of course I love being at the helm of Lonely Scribe, although as any small business owner will tell you it brings its own challenges!

3. Do you have any tips on how to find time for your creative work amongst the everyday busyness?

For me the answer has been some childcare during the week – I found it almost impossible to find enough time during the day to work when my babies were tiny, and come the evening I was too tired! Now my youngest is three and has regular playschool sessions (my older two are at school) it is so much easier, although school holidays can be tricky! I do find myself squeezing work in to weekends and evenings, and I’m lucky enough to have a husband who doesn’t work long hours so he can take over at home if I have things to finish. I do find that restricted time can be almost a blessing: I am a natural procrastinator and work better under a bit of pressure. (Case in point: I am answering these questions hurriedly before dashing off to my daughter’s playschool Christmas party…)

4. What does breastfeeding mean to you?

I breastfed my children for 11 months, 18 months and 2.5 years respectively; I never imagined before I had children what an important part of my life it would become. I’ve written about my very mixed feelings about my youngest child weaning herself on my blog! I struggled to feed my first baby and that difficult experience is what led me to become a breastfeeding peer supporter, to edit my book Breastfeeding: Stories to inspire and inform, and to develop my interest in breastfeeding generally, which has been genuinely life-changing and has led to all sorts of opportunities. So it’s been tremendously important on every level.

5. Were there any pieces in Musings on Mothering that spoke to you particularly?

I absolutely loved the entire book – when I first saw it I wished I’d published it! It’s a beautiful book and I come back to it often. I remember smiling very wryly at ‘The Cold Cup of Tea’ by Marija Smits – I lost count of how many times I sat on the sofa breastfeeding watching my cup of tea go cold on the mantelpiece, and can even remember sobbing into my husband’s shoulder, after one particularly trying day at home with small children, that I hadn’t even had a hot cup of tea all day! It’s an enduring image of parenthood for me.

6. Are you working on any particular project right now?

Yes, I’m editing a book about supporting parents in the postnatal period, written by a postnatal doula, for Pinter and Martin, and in a totally bizarre juxtaposition I’m also editing a True Crime book for Pen and Sword about John Haigh, the Acid Bath Murderer. I love the variety in my work even if some of the subjects are not my main areas of interest! For Lonely Scribe I’m waiting with bated breath for Milli Hill to deliver her Water Birth book, which will be published in 2014.

7. Is there any one piece of work that you are particularly proud of?

It was immensely personally satisfying to publish my own book. But over the years I’ve been lucky enough to work on many projects that I’ve been proud of for different reasons. Lonely Scribe now publishes The Heart is Highland, by Maisie Steven, which was the first book I edited at Breedon Publishing back in 2000. I’m very proud that it is still in print, and that I am still involved with it, as it’s a real gem.

8. Is there any one person (or persons) that you consider to be a true inspiration to you?

Ina May Gaskin and Gabrielle Palmer spring to mind. Their work has had a big influence on me in recent years.

9. Is there any one piece of art or music, or writing that has influenced you, or inspired you to continue creating?

I met the artist Mary Fedden when I was a student through her association with Trevelyan College in Durham; my favourite painting of hers, of a cat on a rocking chair on a Pennsylvania porch, hangs there. I have a postcard of it, and I often look at it and think of her, her paintings and her studio… she was very inspiring and so productive, even in old age, that thinking of her often galvanises me into action!

10. What would you say to someone who doesn’t consider themselves a creative person, but would like to try their hand at something new?

Just give it a go! You might surprise yourself. Some of the best books I’ve worked on have been written by people who never thought they’d be authors, but who found that when the right subject came along, the words just came pouring out.

***

Susan’s book Breastfeeding: Stories to inspire and inform is also available to buy from The Mother’s Milk Bookshop – and when purchased through the online store it gains the buyer one entry to the Mother’s Milk Books Writing Prize, in which Susan Last is the judge of the prose category. What better way to find out what kind of prose she likes!

Interview: Alex Florschutz on motherhood and creativity

The next of our ‘motherhood and creativity’ guest posts comes from Alex Florschutz, an artist and mother whose inspiring art is making its way into more and more women’s lives… I was honoured to be able to publish some of Alex’s images in Musings on Mothering and am very interested to hear that she is now an author. Thank you very much Alex for taking part.

Tell us about yourself…

My name is Alex and I am a mother, artist, author and art therapist. All my work celebrates the liberation of the Feminine whether through my paintings which act as symbols of empowerment, to my new book The Art of Birth: Empower Yourself for Conception, Pregnancy and Birth (published by Engage Press), that is revolutionising the world of birth and finally my work with clients where I support them to discover Pleasure in their lives through their creativity and other juicy techniques.

Photo courtesy Alex Florschutz

1. Have you always considered yourself to be a creative person?

YESSS! Ever since the age of two and a half I would come home from nursery and would not be able to rest until I’d drawn at least 10 pictures (according to my mother)! For me, being creative is as important as breathing!

2. Has motherhood enhanced your creativity? If yes, in what way and why do you think it has enhanced your creativity?

Since my son was born in 2000 I have painted (and most of my life. I know creativity can take many forms but mine is primarily painting but I do all sorts!). I became a single mother when he was nine months old and I marked that painful transition with a large exhibition thanks to two amazing women who ran a very successful café gallery… they gave me the whole place! Painting has kept me sane, grounded, balanced, self-soothed, happy and pleasured as it’s a non intellectual process and has charted my own personal development. I could not live without it and feel bereft if I don’t paint.

Motherhood has enhanced my creativity because I used art to heal my fears and create a natural, pain free home birth. My birth was my ultimate creative experience and since then doing my art has become a necessity not a whim. I love unleashing my creative juices on a canvas and I believe it makes me a better mother!

3. Do you have any tips on how to find time for your creative work amongst the everyday busyness?

Love yourself enough to know that YOU MATTER! Women find it hard often to make time for themselves and the ‘busy’ story is often a useful defense or excuse. I know it’s hard, especially if you have several children and work BUT there is always a way, e.g. make time once a week/month where your partner, a friend (perhaps a babysitter?) looks after your children while you have ‘mummy time’ where you can experiment with art/craft. My book has lots of interesting exercises in it. You may want to try a craft that you could do in the evenings. One great way of being creative with your children is to either do art with them OR have a nature table. A nature table is basically a designated place in your house (I have mine in the kitchen on top of a chest of drawers). I put a coloured cloth on it and decorate it with things I find in nature which you can collect with your child(ren), like coloured leaves, nuts, conkers, feathers, flowers, shells etc. I do, however, also buy little things from a local craft shop like little candles, crystals, gnomes, fairies or relevant seasonal objects. It is lovely to collect objects from the natural world which also shows your child about the changing seasons, helps them feel included, is fun and interactive and nourishes their soul at the same time. Even my teenager secretly likes it!

4. What does breastfeeding mean to you?

Breastfeeding gives life to your child and sets them up for a healthier life! There are numerous benefits. I think women need all the support and encouragement necessary to breastfeed; dangerous adverts on TV about formula don’t help. If you cannot breastfeed for whatever reason, then do not feel bad… I was lucky to breastfeed for two years and I did it anywhere and it was tough if people didn’t like it! My baby got fed as he requested it. Try and reduce stress and anxiety as much as possible as this can help.

5. Were there any pieces in Musings on Mothering that spoke to you particularly?

In particular, the poem ‘Farewell to my baby’ by Jessica Starr really moved me and made me sob every time I read it. I feel the grief of all the mothers who have lost their baby too soon, the souls that only came to visit the earthly realm for a short while. My heart fills with compassion and love. The whole book is beautiful and inspiring though!

6. Are you working on any particular project right now? I recently launched my book The Art of Birth which is already getting good feedback, and I am currently creating an online program based on the book which will be launched in time for Christmas. I worked on two art shows in London recently (just now finished)! Oh… and being a stay-at-home mummy!

7. Is there any one piece of work that you are particularly proud of?

The Art of Birth book is probably my next biggest project after giving birth! I am very proud of this book and my deep intention is that it serves the world and creates positive change where birth is concerned.

8. Is there any one person (or persons) that you consider to be a true inspiration to you?

Louise L. Hay, Binnie A. Dansby, Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Pat Bennaceur, Karel Ironside amongst others.

9. Is there any one piece of art or music, or writing that has influenced you, or inspired you to continue creating?

Artist Susan Seddon Boulet and ambient music Bali Midori spring to mind.

10. What would you to say to someone who doesn’t consider themselves a creative person, but would like to try their hand at something new?

Most people will be scared of beginning because they will think they are ‘not good enough’ at art/being creative. I believe EVERYONE is creative. Most people gave up art (which includes being ‘creative’) at school thinking they were ‘not good at art’. This shut down their natural abilities. Really young children NEVER have any trouble drawing/painting/being creative. We can recapture this if we refrain from self-judgement. It can help to do a warm-up exercise, such as what I call the Daily Doodle, or buy an easy to use art-for-fun book and follow the exercises (or get my book…teehee). If you view it as ‘experimenting for fun’ then this can take the pressure off the ‘performance’ side of doing art or the anxiety and preoccupation with a worthwhile ‘finished product/object’. Buying a journal and doing freeform writing is a great way to express one’s feelings and this can lead onto poetry or even a book! In the journal you can always start doodling with a pen or pencil and start small and work up to more arty messy stuff. This method can be easily accessible in a busy day if you carry it around with you or keep it handy in the house. Alternatively you can buy some poster paints, cheap paint brushes and a roll of cheap paper from IKEA or even plain wallpaper paper. Then, send everyone out of the house for a couple of hours and if you desire, put on your favourite music, light some incense, light a candle, get naked or whatever makes you feel good! Then, once you have a large piece of paper fixed down to a table with tape, or if you have a wooden floor, squirt different coloured paints onto the paper liberally and paint shapes, blobs, images, feelings, whatever comes out is RIGHT! You can even paint with your hands… you’re never too old or sensible to do that! GO FOR IT and HAVE FUN!!!

An Interview with Angela Topping

I am delighted to be able to publish this interview with Angela Topping here. It has been an honour to work with Angela on Letting Go. I’ve learnt a lot in the publishing process and made a new friend as well, which has surely got to be the best way to publish a book! The first readers of Letting Go have told me how moved they have been by the poems within, and also how it is inspiring them to write. High praise indeed! So thank you to everyone who has bought a book and taken the time to comment, and thank you again to Angela for taking part in the interview.

***

Tell us about yourself…

I’m Angela Topping. My first poetry collection was published in 1988 by Stride, and my most recent one was published with Mother’s Milk Books. I am a mother of two adult daughters. I studied at Liverpool University and hold three degrees. I left my first job, in the Civil Service, to be a mum, before going into freelance writing, poets in schools and teaching in FE. This work led to a teaching career, but in 2009, I returned to the freelance life, which has proved a good decision. I’ve collaborated with an artist to create an exhibition of art and poetry, The Lightfoot Letters, which has now appeared in three different places. I recently took up a residency at Gladstone’s Library in Hawarden, which was another new challenge.

Photograph courtesy Angela Topping

1. Have you always considered yourself to be a creative person?

Yes, making rhymes up was something I did from being very small. I remember telling people that when I grew up I wanted to be ‘one of those people who said things’ because I’d heard people saying ‘Plato said’ or Shakespeare said’. I didn’t realize it was written down, so I suppose I wanted to be a writer even before I knew what one was. I always loved stories and poems, and colouring in, and I used to spend hours building cities and farms on the living room carpet, with blocks and ornaments, and making up stories. I also knitted and sewed from an early age. It’s an urge to create, and I feel miserable when I am not making stuff.

2. Has motherhood enhanced your creativity? If yes, in what way and why do you think it has enhanced your creativity?

Motherhood definitely enhanced it. I was a stay-at-home mum, and that gave me time to write, even though sometimes I’d be cooking the tea, with a baby in the sling and a notebook in which I had to keep writing poems down, all at the same time. It also gave me the chance to return strongly to my own childhood, reliving it by doing things with my daughters that my parents had done with me. It was like having the chance to go back and really savour it. I loved doing craft and cooking with my girls, and their childhoods got me writing children’s poems as well. To be creative is to play, and I spent many hours playing with my kids. Being a parent also boosted my confidence immensely.

3. Do you have any tips on how to find time for your creative work amongst the everyday busyness?

When I was teaching full time, it was very hard. Often the only writing I did was in the holidays, or in the Writers’ Club sessions I ran, where I’d be interrupted to read someone else’s poem partway through writing mine. It does help that when I teach a poetry workshop session, I often do the exercises myself, though of course one cannot fully concentrate as one eye has to be kept on whether participants need me. Now I am freelance things are easier. I don’t really have a routine as such, but I tend to spend the day in my study and do all my chores when I need a break from writing or reading or thinking. I also make art and handmade books. These other creative outlets can feed into my writing.

So my tips would be:

  • Make use of even 10 spare minutes, and always carry a notebook
  • Use the time when you are doing physical chores or out for a walk, to think. All writers need to think.
  • Have like-minded friends, other writers, to whom you can talk about your work
  • Go to classes and workshops, or if you lead them, do the exercises yourself.
  • Treat yourself to a writer’s retreat or a short course or even a day workshop every now and again.
  • Writing last thing at night or getting up early works for some people.

4. What does breastfeeding mean to you?

I loved it. It gave me closeness to my babies and there was no need for any of the work that goes with bottle feeding. My girls wouldn’t entertain any kind of teat, and they have grown up very secure. With my first baby, it gave me the chance to rest and sit reading with my feet up while she fed, and with my second, a chance to involve the older one with cuddles and a story while the little one fed. It’s a very pleasurable feeling and I sometimes still miss it. I am proud of my body for its capacity to nurture my babies – it’s all so miraculous. It saddens me when people don’t even consider it, when it is free and saves a lot of fuss and work. I was quite determined to feed my babies when I was out and about, and never had any problems unless at the baby clinic or the hospital, amazingly enough.

5. Were there any pieces in Musings on Mothering that spoke to you particularly?

I love all the art work. For poems I prefer the ones which take a sideways way in, like ‘Blackberries’ by Alison Parkes, and ‘Skin’ by Alwyn Marriage. I’ve been lucky enough to never lose a child but that section in the book showed me eloquently how difficult that must be.

6. Are you working on any particular project right now?

I have just published a selection of my poems spanning 25 years for Mother’s Milk Books (Letting Go). I am very excited about this because some of these poems have been out of print for ages. It is my tenth solo poetry publication.

Other than that, I am trying to write new poems towards my next collection. No particular theme has emerged yet so I will wait and see.

I am also trying to finish writing a book about the poet John Clare, which ought to have been out a while ago but the publisher wanted me to augment it further. I always seem to be doing something!

Oh, I am also editing a box set of poems inspired by Shakespeare, Austen and The Brontes for Like This Press.

7. Is there any one piece of work that you are particularly proud of?

I had a very important poetry friend and mentor, Matt Simpson, for many years. In 2009, he died unexpectedly. He was only 73. The elegiac poems I wrote for him came out of my deep sorrow at his loss, and I am proud of them because they are the first poems I’d written without showing him the drafts. I think all 17 of them would stand up to his scrutiny. Six were included in my Salt Modern Voices chapbook and ten in my Rack Press pamphlet. I put them all together to make a sequence with a new coda, and included it in my 2012 Lapwing collection, Paper Patterns. My favourite one is the sonnet ‘Keeping Faith’ .

8. Is there any one person (or persons) that you consider to be a true inspiration to you?

My friend Matt Simpson, mentioned in the last question, was a huge inspiration to me, and I learned a lot from reading other poets, particularly Emily Dickinson, Thomas Hardy and Robert Frost. Closer to home, my parents were massively inspirational and so are my daughters.

9. Is there any one piece of art or music, or writing that has influenced you, or inspired you to continue creating?

I truly love music and art, and dabble a little in both. One of my favourite pieces of music is The Trout Quintet by Schubert. When I was a child, it taught me how to tell a story without words. I love Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending, which was also Matt’s favourite piece. I used it as a motif in the elegiac poems.

10. What would you to say to someone who doesn’t consider themselves a creative person, but would like to try their hand at something new?

I believe everyone is creative. The best advice I can give is to go for it. Be prepared to fail, failure is good. It paves the road to success. Since I took up painting I’ve learned that what one sees in an exhibition are just the pieces that worked. Many more didn’t but the creation of them was a stage on the way. Learn from what works and what doesn’t and always always stay true to oneself.

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To find out more about Angela please visit her website: www.angelatopping.com.

If you’d like to purchase Letting Go please do stop by The Mother’s Milk Bookshop. Any purchase made pays for one entry to The Mother’s Milk Books Writing Prize. Angela, herself, is the sole adjudicator of the poetry categories.

An Interview with Alison Moore

Back in May 2013 I spent a lovely evening at Waterstones in Nottingham listening to Alison Moore read from her new book The Pre-War House and Other Stories. I was enchanted by the way Alison spoke – quietly, but passionately – about where the ideas for her stories originate and the actual process of writing and editing. It was also inspiring to discover that she wrote her Man Booker Prize shortlisted novel The Lighthouse whilst caring for her baby son. This was yet another wonderful example of creativity and motherhood in action! So I was delighted when Alison agreed to the following interview. With many thanks again to Alison for taking the time to answer my questions.

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In case you didn’t already know – I’m the short one. 🙂

Alison Moore is the author of The Lighthouse, shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2012 and winner of the McKitterick Prize 2013, and The Pre-War House and Other Stories, nominated for the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award 2013. Born in Manchester in 1971, Alison Moore lives in a village near Nottingham with her husband Dan and son Arthur.

She is a member of Nottingham Writers’ Studio and an honorary lecturer in the School of English at Nottingham University.


1. You began to write at a young age. Were you also passionate about other creative outlets?

I did some drama and youth theatre in my teens, which was fun and taught me a lot, but writing’s always been the main creative area for me.

2. Have you nearly always had some sort of writing project on the go, or have there been some periods in your life which weren’t as productive?

It was very sporadic when I was younger, although I’ve always tended to jot things down. Even when I was in my thirties, before having my son, I’d be working full-time and doing voluntary work and evening classes and not necessarily writing until a story came along and needed writing.

3. You must inevitably have had to deal with rejections of your work at various times. In an earlier interview on this blog, Cathy Bryant said to ‘Expect rejections, and throw a party when you’ve had a 100.’ Did you ever come close to throwing a party?!

I’ve had a whole bunch of stories creeping back home with their tails between their legs. I’m not sure they’d be in the mood for a welcome-home party but you do just have to get on with it. If you’re getting rejections it means you’re writing and sending work out so that’s a good starting place. Hopefully enough will find a home to keep you going, and the ones that come back you have to look at with a critical eye.

4. As I understand your Booker shortlisted novel The Lighthouse was written when your son was very little. How did you manage to fit in writing whilst caring for a baby?

I started writing The Lighthouse when my son was about six months old, but it only worked because I didn’t really do both things at once. I only wrote when he was asleep – sometimes typing one handed on my laptop while he was napping on me after a feed – or when he was out with his dad or his grandma. So it was a bit ad hoc but it got done and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

5. Can you think of some really positive things about fitting in writing with everyday motherly work (or household chores!)?

Having got into the routine of writing every day, the story was always in my head. I wasn’t consciously thinking about it while I was playing with my son or talking to him while I emptied the dishwasher, but in downtimes it was all there ready to go – I’d get a bit of story or the solution to a problem when I was in the shower or sitting in the dark feeding him at night.

6. Would you say that motherhood has enhanced your creativity or simply changed it in some way?

What it did is put a stop to the routine I was in where I did a whole lot of things in my free time but none of them was writing every day, and I started again, so even though I had a lot less free time after having a baby, what I did have I used for writing.

7. In some of your writing the absent mother is one of the most haunting characters. Can you tell us more about that?

The majority of my stories – and all those in my collection – have been written since losing my mother, so that’s presumably where this recurrently absent figure comes from but it’s quite a shock for me to see the stories collected and to realise just how often the mother, for all sorts of reasons, just isn’t there.

8. What are you working on right now and when’s your next author event?

I’ve been working on my second novel, which is about ready to be delivered up for inspection. My editor Nicholas Royle and my husband Dan will be the first to read it.

On Saturday 28 September I’m doing an event at Marlborough Literature Festival in relation to receiving this year’s McKitterick Prize for The Lighthouse, and on Sunday 29 September I’ll be at the short story festival Small Wonder with Brian Kimberling. www.alison-moore.com/events

9. Do you consider yourself a ‘full-time writer’ now that your son is at school?

I do. His school is a few minutes’ walk away so after taking him there I have six hours before going to pick him up, so if I get a bit done in the evening too I’m writing or doing writing-related work full time now.

10. Is there any one person (or persons) that you consider to be a true inspiration to you?

When I think of being inspired to write, wanting to write, I picture being a child, sitting on the edge of my bed with a book in my hands and more on my shelves, my typewriter on my dressing table. I tend to think every story I’ve ever read must inspire or influence me to some degree.

11. What would you say to someone who doesn’t particularly see themselves as a creative person but who would like to try to make a go of writing?

It might depend on how you think about creativity. Writing doesn’t always feel so creative to me; sometimes it feels like just organising what’s hanging around in my head, but it creates something.

Interview: Zion Lights on motherhood and creativity

I am delighted to be able to welcome Zion Lights, one of the fantastic contributors of Musings on Mothering, to the Mother’s Milk Books blog. Zion has kindly taken part in my interview about motherhood and creativity, and I think her answers are deeply inspiring and thought-provoking. Many thanks again for taking part Zion!

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Zion Lights is a journalist with a passion for life. She has had articles published in The Ecologist, Permaculture Magazine, JUNO Magazine, The Green Parent and more, and is a regular contributor at One Green Planet and The Huffington Post. You can read her articles at zionlights.co.uk or via @ziontree.

1. Have you always considered yourself to be a creative person?

Yes. I grew up in inner-city, heavily industrial Birmingham and creativity was not something that was highly valued by the people I grew up with. Only work ethic was, and any creative occupation was not seen as a viable way to make money. So I knew from an early age that I enjoyed doing things that other people thought were strange, particularly wanting to write about things.

2. Has motherhood enhanced your creativity? If yes, in what way and why do you think it has enhanced your creativity?

Yes and no. I have always been a deeply creative person. But, somewhere along the way, I lost my creative spark. I worked long hours in offices, a school, a variety of places. None of them fostered creativity for me. When I had my daughter and realized I didn’t want to go back to working in an office or a school, I began to draw on my creativity in order to provide for her, and to show her that it is a viable outlet and one worth pursuing, even if there isn’t a lot of money in it. So, it was there all along, but the platform for it didn’t exist until my daughter came into the world, so I came to appreciate its value then.

3. Do you have any tips on how to find time for your creative work amongst the everyday busyness?

My advice echoes the way I tend to do anything – throw yourself head-first into it. I cherish every moment with my daughter and we spend a LOT of time together, but I’m always thinking, planning, dreaming about things to write about. Small practicalities help – I keep a notepad on my bedside table and a mini-torch so that in those hours of unwinding from the day of toddler-play I can jot down ideas I want to pursue or paragraphs I plan to use in articles. I also have a pretty long to-do list at all times, which certainly helps to keep me on track!

4. What does breastfeeding mean to you?

Everything. It means that I can nourish my daughter at any time. That I can comfort her when she needs it. That she never has to want for food or drink like so many children in the world do. That I can provide for her with my body, in a way that no other person can. That I have taken power away from the horrid formula milk industry with my choice.

5. Were there any pieces in Musings on Mothering that spoke to you particularly?

Nadia Raafat’s ‘Diary of a Wimpy Toddler-Feeding Mum’ strongly resonated with me. I love the way it tells her story of breastfeeding a child over the period of a year, people’s reactions to this, and the humour and sensitivity in the poem.

6. Are you working on any particular project right now?

I’m always working on a number of projects! Currently I have a list of articles I need to work on for various editors and books I’ve been sent to review for them. I often wonder what my life would be like if I hadn’t found an outlet for my writing… It’s like breathing, to me.

7. Is there any one piece of work that you are particularly proud of?

I wrote an article on home education late last year and I was overwhelmed by the positive comments people left on it, and the fan mail I received from parents who resonated with the piece. I always enjoy interaction with readers of my work but those responses in particular have stuck with me and warmed me to the HE community like nothing else could have.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/zion-lights/home-education_b_1937272.html

8. Is there any one person (or persons) that you consider to be a true inspiration to you?

Actually there are a few. Maya Angelou, who taught me from a young age that you can be whoever you want to be, no matter where you come from or what you’ve been through, through her book collection beginning with ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’. Jay Griffiths, who showed me not to underestimate how a woman can use her words to protect the Earth. Julia Butterfly Hill, who climbed up a tree to protest a forest being chopped down, and stayed up there for 2 years, because she had to follow her truth.  Anyone who pursues his or her passion against the odds, who chooses truth and love above all other things.

9. Is there any one piece of art or music, or writing that has influenced you, or inspired you to continue creating?

All three of the inspirational people I have listed have written books that rocked my world. The Beatles have helped me not to take anything too seriously over the years, and to act from the heart.

10. What would you to say to someone who doesn’t consider themselves a creative person, but would like to try their hand at something new?

Don’t think too much about it. Don’t go on a course to learn it. Don’t buy a plethora of materials to assist you. Just make the mental space you need to do it, and clear the physical space to do it, and dive in. It doesn’t matter how – draw doodles, write openings to novels, sketch, strum your chosen instrument, throw paint around. Creativity is embedded in all of us, we just unlearn it from our childhood days. You can get it back. Trust your instincts, don’t be overly critical of your work, and keep at it. Learn to trust yourself. Over time, it will all come back.