Mar 13, 2007

Meet Jennifer

Eight years ago, John and I moved to an old house in a small provincial city in the Shenandoah Valley. A neighbor of mine told me that a young woman named Jennifer, just up the street, was starting a magazine with a friend, sort of a "New Yorker for mothers." Yeah, right, I thought to myself, knowing the low rate at which new magazines succeed. I soon got to know Jennifer, as she and I both wrote for a local monthly alternative newspaper. I would often see her catching a smoke on her back porch, and we would occasionally walk our babies in strollers together.

Fast forward to today, and Brain, Child has won Utne Reader's Best New Magazine award and has a great circulation AND a great reputation. Dads have been known to devour it cover to cover. It's an eclectic collection of original writing about all kinds of underreported aspects of motherhood. It can be funny, poignant, startling, achingly sad. You just never know.

Now Jennifer has written a book that will be published in May. Please go over to and say hi on her new blog and read about it. She will do a book signing near here on June 21, so mark that on your calendars! (Don't worry, I will remind you later.) She is also on my blogroll.

And, please, I don't want to be the only person commenting on her blog.

4 comments:

Phantom Scribbler said...

Is she doing a blog book tour?

Jennifer said...

Oh my, Lauren, this was the nicest surprise ever, to be reading what I think of a "my blogs," and find this! I blush!

I don't miss that town, but I miss living nearby you and the fam. One of the last times I saw you, we had to drag Caleb away from Jack--they would have become fast friends, too, I bet.

Phantom Scribbler, what's a blog book tour?

BOSSY said...

Lauren, you are very generous. Bossy can usually only speak about the successes of her friends through very clenched teeth. Which come to think of it doesn't really translate to the written word. Ahhhhh. Bossy needs to write about the successes of her fabulously talented friends. Words without teeth.

Not that this has anything to do with you. You're too nice. And not the clenched sort.

Sugarmama said...

Comment, check. And thanks for the link. I've always enjoyed reading Brain, Child when I can find a copy.