Mateo is 16!
Our beautiful son, Mateo, is 16. He has brought so much joy into our lives, and for me, in addition, so much insight and inspiration. He’s a deep thinker, this one, and I’m grateful every minute to be his mother. Happy birthday, Mateo!
Essay about open international adoption
One more (final) meditation for Adoption Awareness Month, celebrated annually in November. This one’s about open international adoption–why we decided to look for and reconnect with our kids’ birth mothers and where we are now, 10 years into our reunions. Thank you to Lori Holden for her long-time advocacy of open adoption and for including my voice in the conversation. Read the essay here.
#30 Portraits in 30 Days
November is National Adoption Awareness Month and I’m honored to have my essay included in Chicago Now’s 10th annual “30 Adoption Portraits in 30 Days.” The title says it all– “Adoption is the Most Complicated Relationship I’ve Ever Been Involved In”–and I’ve been in a few complicated relationships. Thank you to Carrie Goldman for publishing this essay (and another in 2016) and for her 10 years of raising awareness of adoption with a series that includes all voices of the triad: person who is adopted, birth parent, and adoptive parent. PS: The post includes a short excerpt from my novel, Mother Mother, that you’ll find at the end. Thanks for reading! Read the essay here.
Book Talk Friday October 30 at 2 pm Pacific time
This Friday, October 30, I’ll be zoom-chatting about my novel, Mother Mother, with Larkspur Library librarian Franklin Escobedo. Time is 2 to 3 pm Pacific Time. Registration is required via the Eventbrite link here; admission is free. A nice distraction in these distraction-filled days. Hope you can join us! Eventbrite link
Review of Mother Mother on “Adoptees With Guatemalan Roots”
I’m proud to share this review of Mother Mother posted on “Adoptees With Guatemalan Roots.” As someone in my family said, after listening to me read it aloud, “This review makes me want to read the book more than a review in The New York Times.” (Although, okay, I’d take that, too.) Benjamin Fossen writes: “The way the book touches on issues of race and identity is so realistic and it tells the story that so many people who were adopted from Guatemala experienced growing up…I finished the book in one sitting…There were many moments […] that felt so real and relatable. I highly recommend Mother Mother to anyone who is interested in learning more about adoption, and especially adoption from Guatemala.” Thank you Ben and Adoptees With Guatemalan Roots! @guateroots