This remarkable collection of twenty stories about motherhood by writers who are mothers evokes every stage of the journey, from pregnancy and birth through the childhood years, adolescence, and adulthood. Together they depict the complexity of mothering in America today as woman are actually experience it. The works gathered here constitute a step toward a new mothers literature that puts to rest the long-held myth that has separated motherhood from a woman's creativity. In these pages women from all walks of life, single, married, divorced or just out of their teens and well into their eighties, rich and poor, black and white, grapple with the realities of motherhood - sacrifice and boundless joy, self-doubt and miracles of the every day. Whether you are a new mother, a seasoned mother, or a grandmother many times over you will find yourself in this book. Contributors: Mary Grimm, Laurie Colwin, Perri Klass, Kate Braverman, Molly Giles, Mary Gordon, Ronnie Sandroff, Roxana Robinson, Barbara Kingsolver, Marian Thurm, Paula K. Gover, Marsha Lee Berkman, Melissa Pritchard, Jane Shapiro, Julia Whitty, Alice Elliott Dark, J. California Cooper, Sue Miller, Eileen Fitzgerald.

Before / Mary GrimmAnother Marvelous Thing / Laurie ColwinFor Women Everywhere / Perri KlassPagan Night / Kate BravermanBaby Pictures / Molly GilesSeparation / Mary GordonThe Trouble with Sophie / Perri KlassYou'll Be Crying in a Minute / Ronnie SandroffKing of the Sky / Roxana RobinsonQuality Time / Barbara KingsolverStarlight / Marian ThurmChances with Johnson / Paula K. GoverDeeds of Love and Rage / Marsha Lee BerkmanThe Instinct for Bliss / Melissa PritchardPoltergeists / Jane ShapiroThe Daguerreotype / Julia WhittyIn the Gloaming / Alice Elliott DarkSwimming to the Top of the Rain / J. California CooperLeaving Home / Sue MillerZoo Bus / Eileen FitzGerald