A Birthmother on Mother’s Day

One dozen ways to be with a birthmother on Mother’s Day Here’s the thing. It’s not easy to be a birthmother on Mother’s Day. Try this. Google birthmother. The search…
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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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How to Adopt from Ukraine

How, exactly, do you adopt a baby from Ukraine during a war? By any means necessary. What is necessary? I will tell you what I learned from a story I…
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“The Virus Babies”

Published on Medium.com today! “The Virus Babies” is speculative short fiction about the end of adoption. It’s a quick read. I enjoy dystopian stories. Especially when it feels like we’re…
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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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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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Hart Family Tragedy

Six children are dead There were six Hart children, all adopted from foster care. And now, though not all bodies have yet been found, authorities think all of them perished…
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Adoption is Everywhere

Adoptees and birthparents are everywhere But sometimes it feels like a secret society, this adoption thing. I’ve been at a writer’s residency the past month at the Vermont Studio Center….
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The Handmaid’s Baby Scoop

The Handmaid’s Tale and adoption As is often the case, I’m a little late to the party. I just finished watching the last episode of the Hulu version of Margaret…
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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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