Joy, Interrupted

The conception of this anthology was inspired by my own grief journey. After the death of my daughter in 2003 from SIDS, I noticed is that there wasn't a book that addressed the many different interruptions of the joy of motherhood.

So, I decided to edit Joy, Interrupted: An Anthology on Motherhood and Loss.  It includes tales of mothers whose joys had been interrupted, deferred or delayed. Women who had miscarriages; daughters who talked about the pains of being adopted; women struggling with the loss of identity while mothering; men and women who were taking care of their dying mothers.

I learned to see my experiences in a larger, more universal, context.  Some of these universal themes addressed include: coping with the death of a child; relationships between mother and child (including adoption and estrangement): caring for disabled children: and having to mother one’s own mother because of an illness. In reading about other dimensions of loss, I saw new opportunities for coping, for making meaning out of pain, and for healing.

The anthology showed how motherhood and loss exists in the space between grief and joy.  We remember and hope for the joyous aspects of mothering at the same time we mourn the loss. It is my hope that this anthology can allow others to move closer to joy. I hope this anthology can reveal how each loss reaffirms the many possibilities of motherhood, even when joy is interrupted.

I believe these voices  open up our views about the space between joy and grief, and what the act of mothering can entail. I see this anthology as a prism reflecting a multiplicity of voices. Each voice meant something to me, and I anticipate that some of the pieces will mean something for others, as well.

This book is intense and isn't meant to be read cover to cover. I believe this book is one you put on your nightstand, and in your darkest hour you turn to it for processing your grief.  I think we all need those moments to grieve openly, while still being able to function, and hopefully, feel joy once again.

The contributors demonstrate courage in baring their souls.  They teach us how creativity can exist even in tragedy. They show us how even through our tears we can find some meaning in life.  They share their stories after going through the fires of loss.  They are proof that we can rise up out of the ashes of grief.

So, this book is ultimately about motherhood, loss, and healing.  I believe it can do the same for others as it did for me, moving us closer to joy, even when it has been interrupted.

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You can contact me, Melissa Miles McCarter, at fdfarmpress@gmail.com or go to the website of my small press at http://fatdaddysfarm.org
I am on facebook at http://facebook.com/Melissa.miles.mccarter
My twitter handle is @fatdaddysfarm
 

Exploring loss in the context of mothering

Currently I am in the process of editing an anthology on motherhood and loss titled, “Joy, Interrupted.”. After I lost my own infant daughter to SIDS in 2003,  not only did I struggle with how to express my own experiences through the process of writing, I also sought comfort and understanding through learning from other experiences of loss in the context of motherhood.  However, I didn't have much success discovering books about this aspect of mothering.  There is so much out there about the positive aspects of mothering, and little out there about the risks involved in the process—whether physical or emotional.

The concept of loss in the context of the mothering experience, in my opinion, hasn't been explored enough in our culture. Normally, the mothering experience is described as one of gain, in which a woman gains happiness or sense of completion through child-rearing, without addressing how, with every act of mothering,  there is always the risk of loss.  The emotional range of mothering doesn't just involve joy—it involves interruptions, some of which can result in pain, longing, or even ambivalence.  Addressing these interruptions doesn't the potential of joy allowed in the mothering process;  understanding the risks undertaken in the varied experiences of mothering allows us to fully appreciate the magnitude of motherhood.

So, I decided to seek out the writing and artwork on my own and collect it in an anthology. I had previously published a memoir and novel through the small press my husband and I had created Fat Daddy's Farm and decided editing and publishing an anthology on this subject would be a worthy project for us to undertake.

At this point, I have collected over sixty works from authors and artists from three continents.  These works include poetry, art, essays and narratives about various aspects of loss in the context of motherhood. These explorations include experiences of loss through death, the loss of self in the process of mothering, and the loss of one's own mother through adoption.  Each work challenges and expands our notion of the mothering experience.

The goal is to have this anthology published in October 2012.  If you would like to find out more, our website feel free to email me at fdfarmpress@gmail.com, or you can be kept update on the progress of the anthology by subscribing to our newsletter.

Melissa Miles McCarter (melissa_miles@yahoo.com)
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