Call for Submissions

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.

I am seeking submissions from moms out there who wants to share their own stories regarding weight loss motherhood and body image. 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. It doesn’t matter if you gained five pounds or fifty. Your experiences are universal. Saggy boobs, poochy bellies, and stretch marks? Also universal. 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.

So what’s the deal? I wrote Baby F(Ph)at: Adventures in Motherhood, Weight Loss, and Trying to Stay Sane…and that is my journey. I want to read about yours. How motherhood changed your perspectives about body image, weight loss, and getting into or staying in shape. I want honesty. I want to laugh. I want to relate. And I want it to read like a conversation between best friends over a few bottles of wine (after the kids are asleep, of course, which means you are totally allowed to swear.)

So far, I have a few awesome pieces which will be considered for the final project, and am in search of more.

Here are the 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.

*Essays should focus on the topics of weight and body image as they relate to motherhood. 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

*Birth moms, adoptive moms, foster moms, grandmothers with custody…if you carried a child or carry the responsibility of raising one, your story counts, too. Motherhood changes all of us and how we see ourselves.* No anonymous or author unknown submissions.

* Please submit only stories or poems that have not been previously published. An exception to this rule is, of course, those previously published works to which you own the reprint rights.

* Submissions should be sent to aspiringmama@gmail.com with “Anthology” in the subject line.

* If accepted for publication, 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).

Deadline for submissions is April 6, 2011. Feel free to email with any questions. I look forward to reading your stories.

And that’s the deal, peeples. So who wants to share?

UPDATE: I am extending my deadline to June 6, 2011. Those who have already submitted for the first deadline will be contacted shortly about the status of their work. Thank you for your interest!