Poetry and Parenthood: How Amy Bornman Mines Domestic Practice for Creative Power

Postpartum Production

We’re so excited to introduce listeners today to Amy Bornman: a poet, textile artist, and parent living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as well as the author of two books of poetry, There is a Future (Paraclete Press Poetry, 2020), Broken Waters (out now!), and co-author of How to Sew Clothes (Abrams Books, 2023). Amy has literally made creative pieces out of the experiences of the births of her two children, and she's even birthed the small press Imaginary Lake, which supports her creative production.

Amy's work focuses on themes of domesticity, caregiving, confession, and spirituality. In this conversation, we deeply appreciated Amy's perspective on art making and the domestic space, and how art making can be a radical act, especially when it sits outside the capitalist context.

In today’s conversation, Kaitlin and Amy discuss:

1. The importance of sharing diverse birth stories, including those that are not safe, supported, or desired, to provide a full range of human experience
2. Art making in the domestic space, finding success with small press and zine publishing, and writing without traditional publishing barriers
3. Amy’s two birth experiences, and how the the experience of birthing her first child helped her step into power as a mother with her second

More of Amy’s work:

• amybornman.com
• amybornman.substack.com
• @amybornman / @allwellworkshop / @imaginary_lake

Referenced in the Podcast:

• Louise Erdrich’s The Blue Jay’s Dance
• Adrienne Rich's Of Woman Born
• Amelia Greenhall Anemone

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