A unique collection of verse about maternity and the celebration of motherhood, MotherSongs brings together for the first time a range of classic and contemporary poems from the United States, Great Britain, and Canada by some of our most memorable writers. The editors have included traditional ballads about maternity and courtly elegies for or by mothers as well as landmark nineteenth-century tributes to mothers and early twentieth-century meditations on motherhood. Taken together, the works collected here bear witness to the powerful ways in which motherhood has been transformed into art and artistry has been shaped by maternity.
MotherSongs, a unique collection of verse about maternity and the celebration of motherhood, opens with poems about pregnancy, labor, delivery, and nursing and moves to poems about women raising children, delighting in their growth or mourning their loss. Includes works by such artists as Emily Dickinson, William Blake, Walt Whitman and others.
FormerUSA Todaycolumnist Kristin Clark Taylor has put together a love song to African American mothers. As she writes in the Introduction: "to any mother who ever kissed a scraped knee; broke up a playground fight; spent part of the rent money on a pair of badly needed Buster Browns; preserved a memory; instilled in her young one an everlasting image of racial pride; or encouraged in her child imaginative, courageous thinking...To black mothers everywhere who guided our feet and showered us with an unconditional love that has sustained our spirit, enriched our lives, opened our hearts and kept us strong. To the heroic black mothers who have withstood pain and indignity, suffering and sacrifice--all for the good of their children--this book praises your existence and your memory." In nine finely hewn chapters filled with quotes, poems, and vintage photographs, the black mother is seen in her many roles: "Giver of Life," "Spiritual Anchor," "Disciplinarian," "Wise Teacher," "Provider and Comforter," "Image of Beauty," "Loving Surrogate," and finally "Keeper of the Flame." An elegant gift book that will be treasured by all who receive it,Black Mothersis a visually and emotionally uplifting celebration of African American motherhood. preserved a memory; instilled in her young one an everlasting image of racial pride; or encouraged in her child imaginative, courageous thinking.--To black mothers everywhere who guided our feet and showered us with an unconditional love that has sustained our spirit, enriched our lives, opened our hearts, and kept us strong. To the heroic black mothers who have withstood pain and indignity, suffering and sacrifice--all for the good of their children--this book praises your existence and your memory." --Kristin Clark Taylor, from the Introduction Kristin Clark Taylor offers heartfelt reflections on black motherhood in an accessible and highly personalized style. In nine finely hewn chapters filled with quotes, poems, and vintage photographs, the black mother is seen in her many roles: "Giver of Life," "Spiritual Anchor," "Disciplinarian," "Wise Teacher," "Provider and Comforter," "Image of Beauty," "Loving Surrogate," "Climber of an Uphill Battle," and finally "Keeper of the Flame." An elegant gift book that will be treasured by all who receive it, BLACK MOTHERS is a visually and emotionally uplifting celebration of African-American motherhood. -->
