Overview

It is rare to find a collection so grounded in the manifold meanings of motherhood—in all its anxiety, ambivalence, and joy. From the aches and fears of pregnancy, through the pain and relief of childbirth, to the perplexing questions and worries of parenting, Rebekah Denison Hewitt grapples with what it is to make a human (and to sometimes lose one), “the baby a creature / in bloom / the mother / a lotus eater.” Closing with the counsel “Do not be afraid. / Rinse your heart out. Proceed,” these poems give readers many reasons to fear—health issues, genetic deformities, postpartum depression, gun violence, and car accidents. Yet always lurking underneath are light, optimism, and a stubborn willingness to soldier on. Celebrating the stories, myths, and personal histories that shape the experience of modern motherhood, Creature in Bloom expands the conversation around what it means to be a mother.

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9780299356248

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Reviews

""These multifaceted, fierce, and tender revelations on pregnancy--a 'baby extracted / like a bad tooth, ' a 'little unicorn soul'--and on mothering in a world marked by loss and gun violence cement Hewitt's arrival as a captivating, self-aware poet. Creature in Bloom will both gut and heal you when you least expect it.""--Cynthia Marie Hoffman

Author Information

Rebekah Denison Hewitt is a poet, librarian, and educator. She holds an MFA from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she was a Martha Meier Renk Distinguished Graduate Fellow. Her work has appeared in publications such as Narrative, The Rumpus, Poetry Northwest, and Bellevue Literary Review. She lives in Wisconsin with her family.

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