Baby F(Ph)at Essay Contest

I’ve been kicking the idea for an anthology around for a while now. Truth be told, the Baby F(Ph)at concept didn’t just materialize in my head as a One-Book-Wonder. I was just minding my own business one day when BOOM, I got a head full of everything all in one shot: my memoir…the anthology of essays collected from other moms out there who have a story to share about trying to shed the baby weight years after the last kid popped out that might not exactly fit the Chicken Soup for the Soul criteria…and much, much more.

My original plan was to write my own story and then wait for the flood of emails and letters from fans of the book to come pouring in (because this is my dream and I call the shots, ‘k?) that would basically write the follow-up anthology Just.Like.That. So I got to work on the I hate calling it a memoir, got about 15,000 words in, and then had an Aha! moment where I realized plans are made to be broken. But there’s gotta be a starting point, right?

That would be here.

I’m not pulling the plug on the memoir by any means…just changing things up a bit.

So here’s the (unofficial) announcement:

Aspiring Mama is now hosting a monthly essay contest for moms out there who wants to share their own stories regarding weight loss. I know I’m not the only mother out there who is wondering what the hell happened to her waistline after the baby came. Or the only one who’s wishing Karma didn’t take names when I was on the other side of motherhood and passing judgment on women I knew for “letting themselves go.” Forget Hollywood moms and the fairy-tale disappearing baby pooch…I want real moms to come clean with their own stories. Make me laugh. Make me cry. Make me want to call you up and meet for coffee (sugar free and skim-milked, of course!). Make me connect with you as a mother and as a person. Just make it real.

Guidelines

* Stories must be between 500 and 1,500 words and be told in first person. This is your story…not your neighbors. Make sure to include a short bio with contact information. If you have a link (such as a blog) you’d like posted with your entry should it be selected, please make sure to include that information in your submission.

*Essays should focus on the topic of weight. Suggestions include:

—Your expectations prior to becoming pregnant versus the reality

—How pregnancy changed your body

—How you lost the weight

—Acceptance of your new shape

—Balancing the needs of your children with your own

* No anonymous or author unknown submissions.

* Send only one submission per month.

* Please submit only stories or poems that have not been previously published.

* Submissions should be sent to aspiringmama@gmail.com with “Essay Contest” in the subject line, along with the month you are submitting for (Example: Essay Contest-November).

* By submitting a story, you give www.aspiringmama.com the right to re-publish and distribute your work on this website, and in any other formats (including, but not limited to, the site’s Twitter feed, RSS feed, and possible publication in a book).

* Monthly submission deadline will be the first of every month with publication of winning entries scheduled for the 15th. (Read: the first deadline is November 1 and the winning entry posted on Nov. 15.)

So what are you waiting for? It’s time to get real.

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Essay Contest Winners:

Forty Pounds by Jeanne V.  Bowerman

Skinny Girls Don’t Run Marathons by Stephanie Generao

Gettin’ Your Fitness On by Robin O’Bryant