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.