Otherhood

‘The sheer variety of approaches, both thematic and stylistic, is the primary strength of this collection, making it one of the most thorough and varied personal approaches to this topic to date, both in Aotearoa and elsewhere … A vibrant antithesis to the assumption that only biological motherhood can fulfil a life and a testament to the various connections that shape our lives’ — Sara Bucher, Aotearoa New Zealand Review of Books

‘This is a book that will resonate with everyone who has found themselves excluded from the traditional conversations around childbearing. It not only deserves a spot on your bookshelf but also on your person, so that the next time someone asks you about children, you can simply hand them this collection.’ — Jackie Lee Morrison, Kete Books

Alie Benge (she/her) is a New Zealand writer who lives in London. She was the essay editor for takahē and has been published in The Spinoff, Turbine | Kapohau, Pantograph Punch and more. She was joint winner of the 2017 Landfall Essay Competition. Her debut essay collection, Ithaca, was published in 2023.

Kathryn van Beek (she/her) is the author of two children’s books and the short story collection Pet (2020), which is also available as a podcast. Her work has appeared in Overland, Landfall, takahē, Newsroom, The Spinoff, Sunday Star-Times and MiNDFOOD. She contributed to Misconceptions, a web series about miscarriage. Kathryn was the 2023 Robert Burns Fellow.

Lil O’Brien (she/her) is the author of Not That I’d Kiss a Girl (2020), a beloved Kiwi memoir about coming out during her years at Otago University, among other things. Lil is currently working on the screenplay of Not That I’d Kiss a Girl with South Pacific Pictures. She’s an award-winning freelance copywriter by day, and has had essays published in takahē, The Spinoff and more.