Nancy Reddy

writing the secret trilogy

Earlier this month, writer Nancy Reddy took over our social media for a week; here are some highlights! You can see the whole story over on Instagram, and be sure to check out her substack, Write More, Be Less Careful.

“Since having my first son in 2013, a lot of my writing life has been about motherhood. I think of my most recent books--POCKET UNIVERSE, the anthology THE LONG DEVOTION: POETS WRITING MOTHERHOOD, which I co-edited with poet Emily Perez, and my new (next week!) nonfiction book, THE GOOD MOTHER MYTH as being a kind of secret trilogy--a multi-genre exploration of the relationship between writing and mothering.

”Before I became a mother, I worried that the work of caring for a tiny person would mean the end of my creative life--and the opposite has really been true, both because I've written a ton about mothering and also because my sons have shaped so much about how I see the world. I once saw the poet Aimee Nezhukumatahil at a Dodge Poetry Festival event say, "my sons teach me how to look," and that's rung incredibly true for me, too.

“I wanted to share a bit about what I do. In addition to my own writing, I also teach writing at a public regional university near Atlantic City, and I teach community writing workshops. Some writers don't like teaching composition, but I really love it--I love helping new college students develop a writing process that works for them, and we experiment with lots of real world genres. (This past fall, we wrote open letters, and students have *opinions*!)

“I also love giving readings and talking about writing. I've been recording tons of podcasts for my new book, THE GOOD MOTHER MYTH, and it's been so much fun to hear what different readers have taken from the book.”

“When I started writing prose, I found that part of the publishing landscape really overwhelming! In poetry, it's pretty clear--you work on your poems forever (and ever and ever, in my case--I'm an obsessive reviser!) and then you submit them in batches to literary magazines and wait another forever to hear anything back. But prose is pretty different--some editors want pitches, some want to see the whole thing, and there's a whole different set of places to potentially publish, as well as lots of new terms and genres to learn.

“Because I had to work so hard at figuring out my way in to this kind of writing, I've become really passionate about transparency in publishing, and I've written articles for Poets & Writers about assembling a poetry manuscript and working with an independent publicist, and I wrote an article for The Millions about reading your book contract. I also teach workshops on writing pitches, and I'm doing some exciting work this spring helping academics learn to share their research with public audiences. My newsletter, Write More, Be Less Careful, also includes lots of really practical tips about writing process.

”In my own writing practice, I really love intertwining narrative with research--taking a personal story and unpacking the history and science and culture behind it. This piece, about the mythology of the "golden hour" after birth (which has its origins in some wacky research on ducks and swans and goats!) in Slate was the first piece I published in that vein. (And if you like that piece, I think you'll *love* my new book, THE GOOD MOTHER MYTH!)”