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Labor Pains and Birth Stories: Essays on Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Becoming a Parent

edited by Jessica Powers 

Contributors

The majority of men and women have, at one time or another, given birth or supported their partners through that beautiful, terrible, and, yes, hilarious experience. Giving birth is one of the most natural acts any human being ever participates in. At its core, it is a completely biological act. Yet at the same time, it is an act that allows participants to consider the connection between life and death, the spiritual world with the natural world. Giving birth is a time when one’s best dreams and ideas—and worst fears and nightmares—coalesce into a single moment of anticipation. Out of such moments come stories that reach into the deepest place of what it means to be human, what it means to be a spiritual being, what it means to love and be loved.  Essays by Frederica Mathewes-Green, Ariel Gore, Noemi Martinez, Carmen Gimenez Smith, Elisabeth Aron M.D., Diana M. Raab, William Pierce, and many more. Introduction by Tina Cassidy, author of Birth: The Surprising History of How We Are Born. Published by Catalyst Book Press. For a full list of contributors, click here.

Creating a Life: The memoir of a writer and mom in the making

by Corbin Lewars

Creating a Lifeshares the bumpy road that led Corbin to motherhood and her career as a writer. Deformed sperm, a miscarriage, and quitting her job to become an editor only to have that publication become bankrupt were a few hurdles that she crossed along the way. But Corbin not only survives, she thrives, and is able to deliver her eight pound baby at home.

“You don’t have to be a mother or an artist to appreciate the journey Corbin Lewars took to become both. You don’t have to have been raped or endured a miscarriage or struggled to find a voice in the wilderness of the academic world. You just have to value the courage it takes to build your life around a dream. If you’ve created life, if you dream of creating life, if you love someone who is creating life—this is the book for you.”

—Ariel Gore, Founder of Hip Mama and author of Atlas of the Human Heart

“By bravely—and humorously—sharing her deepest secrets and confronting her
biggest fears, Corbin Lewars makes one of the strongest arguments out there
that pregnancy and childbirth aren’t simply about biology doing its thing.
Becoming a parent is also about figuring out where you’ve been and where you
want to be. For anyone who has ever rolled their eyes and asked, “Why would
anyone give birth at home?” this memoir will not only give you an answer but
have you cheering on the author as she triumphantly brings her baby into the
world in a powerful, joyous way.”

—Marisa Cohen, author of Deliver This, and Senior editor at Glamour