Brain, Child: The Magazine for Thinking Mothers

Brain, Child is the only literary magazine dedicated to motherhood. There are plenty of outlets for child-rearing tips and expert advice, but Brain, Child delivers smart writing that delves into the meatier issues of that life-altering experience: motherhood.

Brain, Child's first issue was published in March 2000. It included essays by Barbara Kingsolver and Susan Cheever, a feature on the new academic field of ethnopediatrics, a debate on the merits of family bed, fiction, and essays by mothers addressing the stuff of real-life parenting (swearing off swearing, or selective reduction, for example).  Utne Reader named Brain, Child as one of the best new magazines of the year.

Personal essays (800 to 4,500 words) are the signature pieces of the magazine, the heart and soul of our endeavor. We're looking for essays that share certain qualities – specificity and insight primary among them. These pieces should employ illustrative anecdotes, a personal voice, and a down-to-earth tone. We will avoid essays that fall back on big concept words--"magic," "joy," "wonder"--to get across the transformative nature of motherhood. Poignancy is fine; sentimentality isn't. Humor is a plus. Important points to remember: We aren't looking for how-to articles or essays that focus more on the child than on the parent.

Brain, Child also publishes feature articles, short news items, debates, fiction, reviews and parody.

“We try to respond within ten weeks. We believe writers are the lifeblood of this publication; we pay as much as we can, although our fees are still modest for now.” – Jennifer Niesslein and Stephanie Wilkinson, editors

Complete guidelines here: http://www.brainchildmag.com/guidelines.html

Note: For information about Brian Henry's writing workshops and creative writing courses, see here.