Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Meagan Frank on March 10, 2011 at 8:21am

Wow!  I think I have been living with my head in the sand.  This is really eye-opening to me, and a clear reminder that the female voice is entirely too quiet (or shushed).  I do wonder if the number of submissions to these magazines reflects the same lopsided numbers or if women were simply filtered.  It would be interesting to know that too.  This has changed my day....I have some thinking to do about this one.  Thanks for sharing it.

MMF

Permalink Reply by Kelli Swearingen on March 10, 2011 at 4:44pm

Hmm, not the least bit surprising. Still stings though. You know I read a lot of those magazines and just the other day I was remarking on the fact that women weren't really represented and I was told "Well, at least there are women in the magazines." I had to bite my tongue on that one. Just because you throw works by 3 or 4 women in a magazine doesn't necessarily mean anything considering there may be 5 or 6 articles by men and two small articles and a book reveiw by a woman.

Permalink Reply by Jessica Powers on March 7, 2011 at 8:09pm

I think it is diminutive AND it is also, paradoxically, a movement and, thus, a marketing term. I don't think it is one or the other--I think it's all three, and it depends on who is using it for what purpose.  

Permalink Reply by Christin Geall on March 8, 2011 at 10:06am

Thanks Jessica, Meagan, for your insightful comments. Onwards!

Permalink Reply by Teresa Coates on March 8, 2011 at 3:44pm

"Momoir" means someone is trying to make even more money off "mommy bloggers."

 

Unfortunately, I fit both categories...been blogging for five years and writing about being a single mom in a third-world country.

 

_shrug_ It was bound to happen, people love new words.

Permalink Reply by Liesl Jurock on March 14, 2011 at 8:38pm

I've got to pipe in here because I really resonate with the term, Momoir. Maybe because I was introduced to it by taking The Momoir Project writing classes with Cori Howard. She's the author of Between Interruptions - a book a of personal essays that are exquisitely written about the "truth" of motherhood experiences. And that's how she teaches her classes - as a craft of writing personal, honest, real essays.(You can contact her at cori@themomoirproject.com.)

I have a "mommy blog" but I like to think that my work is more "momoir" and less "bloggy" because Momoir to me suggests more depth, attention to writing, and no hidden sales pitches.

I know it's also a marketing term - a way to categorize the lit that's coming from mothers. On one hand, it's insulting that a memoir by a mother is termed Momoir and a memoir by a father would be termed Memoir. On the other hand, it's telling that we're creating a whole genre with our need for our voices to be heard! 

Permalink Reply by Christin Geall on March 15, 2011 at 7:20am

Thanks Liesl for piping in!

I've noticed the 'momoir' class posters and visited the site. Looks like a smart business idea, and, also, fun. I read 'Between Interruptions' a few years ago and plan to get Howard's take on the word too. Good to know what 'momoir' has offered you. Can I ask: Do you think momoir is subject driven? Does momoir have to involve mothering in some form to qualify as 'momoir'? (i.e. relationship with kids/partner/parents/the self) Or is anything a mother writes momoir? 

Permalink Reply by Ruth Feiertag on March 15, 2011 at 9:35pm

I would think that it should be subject based. If an author chooses not to identify herself or her writing as maternal, we should respect that, and not limit ourselves to a single label merely because we've procreated.

Permalink Reply by Liesl Jurock on March 22, 2011 at 12:03pm

I think if the writing is informed by the writer's identity as mother, than it can be deemed momoir, even if its not exactly about motherhood. i.e. I've written much about the push and pull of working and juggling career and life, without really talking about my kid, but the push and pull is due to being a mother. 

 

I also agree with Ruth that it should be up to writer as to how they identify their work.

Permalink Reply by Adriana Ryan on March 22, 2011 at 9:01am

Wow, I'd never even heard of this term before. I think the term represents a movement. Women today are not afraid to say they are moms as well as writers. In my opinion, this is important - if we own who we are, and proudly, they'll have no choice but to change their perception of moms (and especially SAHMs). It might take time, sure, but so did the feminist movement.

Permalink Reply by Karen Wojcik Berner on March 23, 2011 at 11:23am

It is marketing, to be sure, but in an awkward way. I don't like it.

 

Karen

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