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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Birthmothers and Witches

Scotland’s Witches King James VI of Scotland and subsequent rulers vilified people believed to be witches with great fervor during the 16th and 18th centuries. They tortured and executed over…
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Ireland’s Last Magdalene Laundry

A Magdalene laundry memorial According to the New York Times, a new memorial will be developed in the last remaining “Magdalene laundry” in Dublin. The compound with its convent and…
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Adoption’s Legacy of Harm

Witnessing the evidence of harm It’s been years since I’ve spent a Saturday morning in a room, passing around a box of kleenex while listening to birth parents and adoptees…
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The Birthmother Myth

Preconceived notions The birthmother myth. What myth? You already know plenty about birthmothers, right? Or you think you do. But these women and girls who have given up their children…
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The Handmaid’s Tale: Episode 2

Dystopian future/dystopian past Probably you’ve at least heard of it–“The Handmaid’s Tale.” It seems like everyone is talking about the Hulu series set in the dystopian future. Women with two…
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Senior Citizen Birthmother

Senior Citizen Birthmother might seem like a contradiction in terms, but as the linked article points out, women who lost children during the Baby Scoop Era from 1945-1975 are now…
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The Adoption Museum Project

In my morning scroll though Facebook, I stumbled across a post that had to do with The Adoption Museum.  The what? I said. The what? The Adoption Museum Project?! The initial…
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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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Adoption Begins With Loss

National Adoption Month What I would like to say to everyone who is happily celebrating National Adoption Month is this: Every adoption begins with loss. You are happy. But. Some…
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