Mamas and Papas: On the Sublime and Heartbreaking Art of Parenting

In this lively and engrossing collection, texts explore all aspects of parenthood from the first stirrings of desire for a baby to the bittersweet experience of watching your children go off into the world without you. In poetry, fiction and essays, the writers examine the primal and powerful bond between parent and child. Writers share their most intimate experiences of motherhood and fatherhood. The book celebrates the satisfaction and joy that parenthood offers. Yet it does not shy away from the dark side of parenting. Writes offer up eloquent and honest testimonies to their anger, frustrations, doubts and failures as parents. Pieces range from the laugh-out-loud funny stories of Sam Apple's foray into a Mommy and Me yoga class with his son and Neal Pollack's adventures with his son's initial attempts at texting, to Wanda Coleman's stark poetry of poverty and Ella Wilson's quietly devastating account of her brush with postpartum depression. The contributors survey everything from the emotional toll of IVF to the perils and rewards of international adoption. Welcome to the wild and wonderful world of parenting.