Mother outsider

Abstract

“Mother Outsider” is a collection of poems that explores non-conventional motherhood while also pushing against cultural assumptions of motherhood. Questioning these societal assumptions and the speaker’s own questions of herself are central to the poems in this collection. Uncertainties surrounding whether or not step-mothers are “true” mothers is also a major aspect. Some poems in this collection will talk back to the societal voices saying that motherhood happens when a woman gives birth. “Mother Outsider” invites readers to see an alternative mother on a journey through legitimacy and validation.