Motherlike

"Katherine Leyton writes with the special fury and cutting insight of new motherhood, contending not only with her self-doubt, but interrogating a society that has long attempted to turn women against themselves and make their labours invisible. A hyper intelligent and baring read delivered with a poet’s gift for compression—every line a beating heart—Motherlike is both an indictment and a love letter. A beautiful, unflinching and necessary book."

Claudia Dey, bestselling author of Daughter, Heartbreaker and Stunt

"Motherlike is an honest, feminist, relatable exploration of the ‘deconstruction’ of pregnancy and the first ‘brilliant, devastating year.’ New (and old) urgencies, both personal and political, arise and are amplified in the flurry of nearly-here motherhood. Katherine Leyton examines with frankness and vulnerability the question of what makes a (good) mother, and how to be in this flawed and beautiful world."

Jessica Moore, author of The Whole Singing Ocean

"Motherlike is a revealing excavation of self right before and right after giving birth to oneself as a mother. A compelling and intimate read."

Tamara Faith Berger, author of Yara and Queen Solomon

"Motherlike offers a much-needed perspective, in which tantrums and diaper rashes aren’t central to the narrative. Instead, Leyton delivers a deeply personal look at vulnerability, fear, and love through the lens of her new, and often undervalued, role. Sparse and lyrical, Motherlike gifts readers spectacular sentences that linger like a reckoning.”

This Magazine

"Slim, dense, and compulsively readable, Katherine Leyton’s Motherlike defies categorization. At once a memoir, an interrogation of 'motherhood,' and a love letter to her newborn son, Jude, this lyrical narrative is a departure for Leyton, whom many know as a poet. Through comprehensive research and vivid reflections, the book evokes her experience with pregnancy and childbirth." Literary Review of Canada

"Motherlike is an intimate memoir about the endless worry and boundless joy of motherhood."

Foreword Reviews

"Katherine Leyton’s Motherlike is a smart, fierce, loving and at times funny exploration of becoming. This powerful and timely book deserves to be read widely by women wherever they are on their reproductive journey, and by anyone who thinks they know what pregnancy and mothering are all about. And yes, that does mean you, men."

Winnipeg Free Press

As a preschooler growing up in Leaside, Katherine Leyton longed to read. “Books inspired me to write,” she said. “Starting in Grade 2, I was always reading and writing. My commitment never wavered, even when reminded by adults that I’d need a back-up job to support my passion for writing.” Fortunately, Katherine has had ample opportunity to indulge her passion. Her latest book, Motherlike, was scheduled to be released in late March. The author had prestigious encouragement to pursue a writing career. In 2014, she was the inaugural poet-in-residence at the revitalized Al Purdy cottage, known locally as the Al Purdy A-Frame, a nod to a cottage design inspired by early Japanese and Polynesian housing. She has fond memories of her experience there. “I swam, I ran, I walked in the fields nearby. The allowance meant I didn’t need to work for those two months. I had the immense luxury of writing in the writer’s room at all times of the day and night, unlike trying to write in Toronto between 12-hour work shifts. For my literary contribution to the local community – a residency requirement – I videotaped cottage visitors and locals reading Al’s poetry and screened the footage at a local event.” Now living in a two-career household with three children under seven, Katherine says her work-life balance requires creativity. “At one point my husband and I rented a therapist’s office, just down the block, for two evenings every week. We each got one night in the office to work and enjoy the calm quiet. Work-life balance is still a work-in-progress.” In 2016, a book of poetry All the Gold Hurts My Mouth, was Katherine’s first published work. Asked to describe her latest, Motherlike, she replied that it’s “… creative non-fiction, a memoir of life with a first child.” The book, she added, is infused with historical research and “my thoughts and feelings compared with the very acute public discourse about pregnancy versus what I feel. The physical, psychological, and social risk that pregnancy and childcare represent, even the process of getting pregnant. My grandmother told me how she was required to quit a job that she loved because pregnant women were not permitted in the workplace. We’ve made some progress, but much still needs to change.” Katherine offered some advice for aspiring writers. “Keep writing for your chosen audience. Be prepared to work many different jobs to support yourself. Get skilled at public speaking. Writing is solitary work yet once your work is published, you’ll be doing lots of readings, book fairs, and interviews.” If shopping locally for Motherlike, the Sleuth of Baker Street bookstore on Millwood Road, a Leaside business for over four decades, will happily order it for you. Leaside Life

Featured on a recommended reading list for 49th Shelf of inspiring books for her on "Investigating Motherhood"! 

49th Shelf