Literary Hub » mothers and daughters

My Mother the Inventor: Why “Fail Better” is Sometimes the Best Lesson a Parent Can Give

My Mother the Inventor: Why “Fail Better” is Sometimes the Best Lesson a Parent Can Give

Coco McCracken on Her Mother’s Past as an Inventor—And What It Taught Her About Being a Writer

By Coco McCracken | October 20, 2025

Mother Tongues: Reflections on Memory, Language, and Love in Germany

Mother Tongues: Reflections on Memory, Language, and Love in Germany

Tamar Shapiro: “I owe this book to my mother. It is not about her, and yet she is on every page.”

By Tamar Shapiro | October 1, 2025

Understanding My Mother Through the Movies She Made

Understanding My Mother Through the Movies She Made

Marisa Silver on Recognizing Her Mother Frame By Frame

By Marisa Silver | September 23, 2025

On Reckoning with Her Mother’s Silent Treatment

On Reckoning with Her Mother’s Silent Treatment

Jeannie Vanasco Considers the Punishment of Silence

By Jeannie Vanasco | September 8, 2025

Following the Poet’s Path: A Daughter’s Journey to Japan In Search of Closure

Following the Poet’s Path: A Daughter’s Journey to Japan In Search of Closure

Rebecca Chace on Matsuo Bashō and the Life and Death of Her Mother, the Poet Jean Valentine

By Rebecca Chace | July 14, 2025

The Church of the Screen: A Daughter’s Reflections on an Early Cinematic Education

The Church of the Screen: A Daughter’s Reflections on an Early Cinematic Education

Joanna Howard Explores the Impact of Her Mother’s Passion For Film on Her Own Storytelling

By Joanna Howard | July 10, 2025

Best Reviewed
Books of the Week

Art Imitates Life: Finding Creative Freedom in the Fusion of Fiction and Biography

By Megan Hunter | June 10, 2025

What Does It Mean to Forgive Your Mother?

By Jessica Levine | May 15, 2025

A Ritual of Remembrance: Joy Harjo on the Aftermath of Her Mother’s Death

By Joy Harjo | May 9, 2025

More Than Just a Toy: What an Old Dollhouse Taught Me About Storytelling and Family

More Than Just a Toy: What an Old Dollhouse Taught Me About Storytelling and Family

Elise Hooper: “In a world that feels increasingly troubling and out of control, the dollhouse is where my mother and I are at our best together.”

By Elise Hooper | April 3, 2025

“She Is Not Me.” What Reading to Your Children Teaches You About Yourself

“She Is Not Me.” What Reading to Your Children Teaches You About Yourself

Olivia A. Cole on Representation, Parenthood and the Power of Children’s Literature

By Olivia A. Cole | November 14, 2024

Finding My Literary Style (with a Little Help From My Mother)

Finding My Literary Style (with a Little Help From My Mother)

Kelly Sather on the Stories Clothes Can Tell

By Kelly Sather | October 28, 2024

Looking After the Books: Remembering Children’s Author Joan Aiken

Looking After the Books: Remembering Children’s Author Joan Aiken

Lizza Aiken on the Responsibility of Maintaining Her Mother's Literary Legacy

By Lizza Aiken | September 30, 2024

What We Owe Each Other: A Daughter on Her Mother’s Wish to Die With Dignity

What We Owe Each Other: A Daughter on Her Mother’s Wish to Die With Dignity

Marianne Brooker: “We are interdependent, both separate from and reliant upon others.”

By Marianne Brooker | September 25, 2024

Poetry and Painting: Visualizing Verse on the Page and the Canvas

Poetry and Painting: Visualizing Verse on the Page and the Canvas

Cynthia Zarin and Rose Seccareccia Explore Their Shared Family Pastimes of Art and Literature

By Cynthia Zarin | September 6, 2024

Beauty and Terror: On Understanding and Accepting a Schizophrenic Mother

Beauty and Terror: On Understanding and Accepting a Schizophrenic Mother

Nina St. Pierre Explores the Intersections of Spirituality and Mental Health

By Nina St. Pierre | May 28, 2024

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