Editor Interview: Mom Egg Review

Diverse motherhoods

Way too many to name, and we're finding new ones all the time. Some I love are SWWIM Everyday, Whale Road Review, Perugia Press, Naugatuck River Review, Two Sylvias Press, Four Way Books, Pirene's Fountain, Tinderbox Review, New England Review, Post Road, Fence, Belladonna*, So to Speak, Smokelong Quarterly, and many more.

It’s hard to name favorites when there are so many, and our other editors and readers each have their own ever-expanding lists. That being said, IMO anything Lore Segal writes is perfect. I’m also a big fan of the work of our other MER editors and contributors.

We have great respect for other publications that feature work on mothering and women’s lives. Each editorial team has its own taste and slant on things. I’m extremely proud of the work that we publish—it’s skillful, vivid, emotionally and intellectually vibrant, often idiosyncratic or surprising, and reflects a wide range of experiences and perspectives on motherhood. A very small portion of the work we publish is solicited; the vast majority of our selections come from submissions.

Please take a look at a print issue (PDF copies are also available) and at the work we feature online, to get an idea of our range. It's very important that prospective contributors read our call for submissions. We generally alternate between “un-themed” issues, in which any work on motherhood is sought, and themed issues, in which we’re looking for work that engages with a theme in addition to being about motherhood.

So, for example, our current theme is “Mother Figures” and here we’re seeking work that explores icons and archetypes of motherhood from history, religion, pop culture, movies and TV. We’re interested in work that investigates the virtues and values those icons embody, and compares those depictions to actual experiences of motherhood.

The ideal submission is responsive to our theme and to our subject matter of motherhood, has deft writing, original ideas, and a personal voice. It has been honed and edited. It might be a piece you wouldn't send anywhere else.

Some think we publish only work by mothers. Actually, one does not have to be a mother to submit if the subject matter of the writing is motherhood (and any theme).

We read the submissions first and the work is paramount. However, we’re happy to learn a bit about the submitter, including some prior awards and publications (we don’t need all of them!). We appreciate brief cover letters and bios.

Every piece is read all the way through, often by more than one editor.

Because we have a specific range of subject matter, we often get several excellent submissions on the same topic (say, breastfeeding, or caring for an aging parent). In the interest of balance and variety in the finished journal, we can only accept a limited number of pieces on any one topic. We also aim to include diverse voices and views on motherhood.

Because we receive a very large number of submissions and have a very small staff, each editor reads daily, so as to keep up with the flow. The editors and readers have ongoing conversations about work we’re enthusiastic about.

Because we have a small staff, we’re not set up to do extensive edits; we expect that submitted pieces be as close to ready as they can be. Occasionally, an editor will suggest changes to an author, and we do correct the odd error of punctuation, spelling, and the like. The contributor does see and approve the final edits.

Yes! It’s an important way to support our contributors’ work. We nominate for Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, Best Microfiction, and others. Our nominee Mary McLaughlin Slechta’s work was selected for this year’s Best Small Fictions.