A New Essay in Under the Sun

I have a new essay in Under the Sun about losing my first child to adoption. A writing accident I never meant to write about any of this. For decades…
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I write about adoption

Here’s why I write about adoption, but it can be awkward, this birthmother/ first mother thing. The other night I attended a birthday party, and chatted with a couple I hadn’t…
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Secrets and Lies in Adoption

Medium.com essays Secrets and lies abound in the the world of adoption. I’m finished with secrets and lies and have been for some time. November is National Adoption Awareness Month….
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Dystopia’s Child

National Adoption Month “Dystopia’s Child” was originally published in LUMINA vol. XVIII. Yesterday I republished it on Medium.com. Because… November is National Adoption Awareness Month. Not just happy stories As…
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An Essay About Reunion

My essay about reunion has been published in “The Beacon,” the newsletter of the American Adoption Congress. Reunion, as we know, is a really big deal. Probably everyone involved in…
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National Adoption Month 2016

I have an essay here.  While there’s only one National Adoption Month each year, the topic never goes away and I always have something more to say.  As a birthmother…
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Postpartum Depression

Postpartum depression afflicts more than 3 million mothers per year. I have an essay in this anthology, “Mothering Through the Darkness.” The book in general is about the darker side…
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Birthmother Shame

An essay in a new anthology Birthmother shame and postpartum depression are closely related, I believe. My essay, “My Face in the Darkness” explores the link. This essay will be…
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Published in Ramshackle Review

I’m happy to announce I have a very short piece published in “Ramshackle Review.” I love the look of this lit mag. http://ramshacklereview.blogspot.com/2010/10/black-dirt-by-denise-emanuel-clemen-i.html  A perfect fit, I think, for this…
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“Saying Goodbye” Published

  The anthology, Saying Goodbye, was released today. An essay of mine called “Holding Him Softly is in it.” It’s about saying goodbye to my son. I handed him over…
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I Rescue a Baby

Last night, I had this dream. In it I rescued a baby from a bridge. The dream The mother I was walking in a beautiful city. Cobblestone streets, a stone…
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Holding Cory

“Holding Cory” is the name of an essay of mine that was published in the Mom Egg Review last week. And to make it even sweeter, my friend Elizabeth Aquino…
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