More on The Motherlode conference

The Association for Research in Mothering conference continues to blow my mind. Most of us who are thinking, researching, and writing about motherhood work largely in isolation, or connected by the internet. To have four days of face-to-face meetings, from 9 am to 10 pm every day, is quite an experience.

I think we've all felt overwhelmed at some point and snuck off for a break when our brains just couldn't hold and process any more information. We have our final day of sessions starting in a few minutes, so I'll just say that the conference merited a front page cover story yesterday's National Post, Doting or hip, mothers face tough expectations.

Andi Buchanan of Literary Mama and Mothers Talk fame will be speaking this morning on "The Escalation of Cool" and what the emergence of a "sharp edge" in motherhood literature means. I have never fallen into the hip mom or too cool to mother category and I'll be interested in what she has to say.

There are many highlights to the conference but I'll say that my favorite panel was about "Mothering, Religion, and Spritiuality" drawing on Buddhist history, Jewish-Buddhist conversion, Judiasm, and Christianity. The question of how mothering is represented and served by religion is a fascinating one.

Dinner last night was another highlight. Gathering for sprited discussion with Judy Stadtman Tucker, Faulkner Fox, Alana Ruben Free and Beth Osnes was amazing.

I am late for our next session--so I have to run but I have linked to their work!

More to come once I get home Monday.....