Why poetry might be what you need to survive motherhood - Katharine Perry, Founder of The Mum Poem Press
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Why poetry might be what you need to survive motherhood
When I had my second baby, I couldn’t stop writing poetry. I’d never really written anything before but suddenly it poured out of me. I tapped it into ‘notes’ on my phone while rocking my baby son to sleep. Of course it was all about my children but it was also about how I was feeling that day. It was about capturing, and therefore reflecting on, the day’s moments and emotions and I loved the intellectual challenge of turning that into a poem.
I stopped caring if the poetry was any good and that was so liberating. The process of doing it made me so happy - it made me feel I’d done something for me each day rather than just get sicked on by my baby and fail to get my toddler to eat a vegetable.
So I decided to set up The Mum Poem Press to encourage other mums to do the same and connect and support mums who already were.
The idea was to create a poetry publishing venture focused on work that explores all aspects of motherhood. We have published three collections of poetry so far – the latest being guest edited by award-winning poet Hollie McNish.
In May 2021 we are publishing a full-length anthology of over 100 poems all written by mums writing today. It is a glorious collection of voices singing the truth, beauty and intensity of being a mother. In publishing it we hope it will bring comfort, joy and reassurance to readers going through the same experiences. All profits will be donated to the PANDAS Foundation, the UK wide maternal mental health charity.
I also set up The Mum Poet Club, a writing group for mums which is all about encouraging, supporting and inspiring each other. It is the loveliest community going! We recommend poems to inspire and books to read, give writing prompts, set writing challenges and give monthly peer feedback on each other’s work by email.
We also host the most magical open mic nights. It is so moving hearing mothers read their own words – poems about squishy potato babies and tiny hands, about trying to get pregnant and losing a longed-for pregnancy, about births both beautiful and traumatic, about the overwhelm of the early days, about sleep or lack of it, about the frustration of not having any time to yourself, about the joy of watching your toddler find a snail in the garden and everything else that motherhood involves.
Creative writing is such an empowering way to explore and express how you feel. Sharing your poems with others and reading their poems can create the most potent sense of communication and connection.
And Poetry is the perfect form for mums – short and can be done one-handed on your phone while a child sleeps on you!
If you’ve been writing poems for years, secretly wrote a poem once or would like to be encouraged and inspired to try – come and join us. It might be just what you need to feel like you again.
Bio:
I'm Katharine Perry and I recently set up The Mum Poem Press, a poetry publishing venture which focuses on work that explores all aspects of motherhood. We have published 3 collections so far and will release an anthology of poems on motherhood in May 2021 with all profits being donated to the PANDAS Foundation.
I also run The Mum Poet Club, a writing group to encourage, support and inspire mums writing poetry. The Mum Poet Club is open to everyone, completely free to join, doesn't require any time commitment and you don't need any previous writing experience.
See more of Katharine over at:
Find your further dose of self care in the Positive Wellbeing Zine for Mums here
Would you like to write for us? Submit a pitch about self-care, wellbeing or motherhood. Find out more here.
