01: The Write Way to Mother
Rachel Yoder turns her own beastly, feral motherhood experience into a novel
Brought to you by Dear Seekers, The Write Way to Mother is a new series explores the intersection of art and motherhood. You can learn about how this series was conceived and manifested right here. If you love it, please consider sharing it with others.
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My first guest for this series is Rachel Yoder, author of Nightbitch- a novel published last year in 2021. Although it’s categorized as fiction, I would argue it’s more a cross-genre piece that is part auto-fiction and part science-fiction. The protagonist in the book is an artist and stay-at-home mom who turns into a dog (yes, you read it right). This is one of the most bizarre and imaginative books I’ve read in a long time. It’s dark, funny, weird and wild. It’s magical. It’s provocative. It’s an easy read to devour yet a difficult read to digest.
This is a very special episode- not only because it’s the first of this series, but also because I’m joined by a co-host for the first time. Her name is Elizabeth Polanco, a writer, editor based in Toronto. When Elizabeth isn’t writing or editing, she works at one of the most beloved vintage shops- Mama Loves You.
Elizabeth was the one introduced me to Nightbitch. So I thought it would be interesting to invite her to join me on this conversation as I was curious to hear about her reading experience considering she isn’t a mother herself.
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Enjoy your day!
Sasha