A Question of Balance: Artists and Writers on Motherhood (Paperback)

~ Judith Pierce Rosenberg (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Art grows organically out of its society at its best... And if your connections happen to be family ones... then that's your world." So speaks Ursula K. LeGuin, on the myth of the isolated artist, in just one of the remarkable interviews in Judith Pierce Rosenberg's "A Question of Balance," where working artist/author moms, ranging from Dorothy Allison to Rita Dove, and many more, wax eloquently, movingly -- and practically -- on how one embraces the gifts of family and children, yet stays true to one's muse. An indispensable book for art-producing moms -- and dads -- everywhere.

From Publishers Weekly

"When I had my daughter, I learned what the sound of one hand clapping is?it's a woman holding an infant in one arm and a pen in the other," says poet and novelist Kate Braverman, who, along with 24 others, describes the often arduous path a woman must travel to combine motherhood with a career as a writer or artist. Certainly she must have the drive and self-discipline to do her work despite the demands of home and family; being organized helps, too, as does having a partner who is emotionally and?just as important, as interviewees stress?financially supportive. Linda Vallejo, who movingly describes how she is fulfilled artistically, spiritually and emotionally as an artist and mother, is also resolutely pragmatic, with a hired housekeeper and a strict work schedule. On the other hand, writer Perri Klass shares caring for the children with her writer husband and describes the couple's laissez-faire system of housework as "both of us do as little as possible.... Which means that we live in a fairly chaotic and messy house." Rosenberg's interviewees, who include such notables as Rita Dove, Ursula LeGuin, Mary Morris, Rosellen Brown and Trina Schart Hyman, offer a wealth of insights into the creative life and motherhood, as well as no-nonsense advice to women seeking to combine the two.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 276 pages
• Publisher: Papier-Mache Press; 1st edition (September 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 091894953X
• ISBN-13: 978-0918949530
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #930,668 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST READ FOR ALL WOMEN!, November 26, 1997

By	Angela Lam "Avid Reader" (California) - See all my reviews

Whether or not you are an artist or another career-woman, this book offers insight and advice and encouragement to anyone who is struggling with combining ambition and motherhood while keeping sane. I recommend this book to my women's group and any mother I meet.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely Worth Reading, January 2, 2008

By	JacksonsMom "knarlee1" (New England) - See all my reviews

As an artist and mother of a toddler with another on the way, I found this book invaluable in helping me see that I am not alone in my frustrations & struggles of balancing my two passions.

There are 11 artists and 14 writers interviewed. While I couldn't relate to every woman featured, I took bits of advice and perspective from most of them. It was the first book I've ever read on this topic and it made me hungry for more.

I've listed the artists & writers interviewed below:

Artists:
Linda Vallejo, Alisa Saar, Sarah Charlesworth, Roxanne Swentzell, Bea Nettles, Karen Horn, Elizabeth Murray, May Stevens, Trina Schart Hyman, Betye Saar & Faith Ringgold

Writers:
Mary Morris, Cristina Garcia, Perri Klass, Dorothy Allison, Mary Gordon, Rita Dove, Kate Braverman, Joyce Maynard, Patricia Smith, Alicia Suskin Ostriker, Jane Yolen, Linda Hogan, Rosellen Brown, Ursula K. Le Guin