Mothers as Keepers and Tellers of Origin Stories

This collection presents diverse critical perspectives and discussion about the keeping or telling of children’s originstories as a part of contemporary mothering labor. The first two sections outline perspectives from mother authors about how they strategically craft complex origin stories for their child(ren), as well as how the telling and retelling of origin stories may be passed on as generational knowledge. The third section discusses mothering and origin stories from multiple perspectives: that of a father by adoption, of single mothers positioning stories of absent fathers, and a multi-perspective chapter that includes a mother by adoption, her adult child, and her child’s birthmother. Based within feminist scholarship with chapters written from the first person positionality of the authors, this anthology encourages dialogue about a mothering issue that is often unaddressed, in part due to remaining patriarchal expectations about what makes a family and/or a mother. This interdisciplinary work also embraces the complex and multi-actor worlds in which mothering takes place and includes both creative and scholarly works as well as illustrations that are included as a part of the mothers communicating origin stories. Kerri Kearney, M.B.A., Ed.D., is an Associate Professor of Higher Education and Student Affairs at Oklahoma State University with a research focus on invisible college students, including former foster youth. Through this book and other work, she explores diverse life experiences that influence the college experience and student success. Lee Murray, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor at the College of Nursing, University of Saskatchewan and a Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) in adolescent mental health. Lee also uses auto ethnography as methodology to explore the normative discourse of mothering in the context of her own experiences as a mom and grandma.