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Our Mothers' Gifts in Quarantine

In honor of Mother's Day this year, I invited the contributors to my anthology, What My Mother Gave Me: 31 Women on the Gifts That Mattered Most, which came out in 2013, to think about any gifts from their mothers that are helping them get through the COVID-19 pandemic. It's a time when, for the most part, people cannot visit with their families, and when those of us whose mothers are gone may be missing them more acutely because of how unsettled the world is. Four contributors to the anthology have contributed thoughts. I'm honored to present them here. For myself, I think about my mother's incredible kindness, her generosity of spirit and love of people. I try to practice the first two and feel comforted by the last and try to comfort others as we all stumble through this terrible time. To purchase the book, please visit the Algonquin/Workman website before May 25th for a 20% discount. At check-out, enter the code MOTHERSDAY20 -- and voilà.
Recent posts

"Let it Be" by Cordelia Manning

I'm delighted to post this piece on "going gray" in response to a public invitation to readers of Me, My Hair and I: Twenty-seven Women Untangle an Obsession. Reader Cordelia Manning sent in this lovely piece and titled it "Let It Be." It's more evidence that our hair is a deeply personal public/private matter that has the power to make us reflect on our entire lives. The wonder is that Cordelia Manning has done it so succinctly here. Thank you! "I was a much adored child: first grandchild on both sides; first child of my parents; first niece of all my aunts and uncles. I was the one they had all waited for and I was showered with love and attention. Even later, after my siblings and cousins arrived, I was the first and eldest, the special one. "I like to think all that attention was wonderful, nurturing, but in fact they were all always fussing over me. My hair was too long, short, or thick, my skin was too fair and freckled, my eyebrows too h

Ingrid Nilsen raves about Me, My Hair and I

Beauty and fashion guru Ingrid Nilsen raves in her NOVEMBER FAVORITES video about Me, My Hair and I.   Take a look at minute 10! Thanks, Ingrid! Want to buy the book - an original paperback, published by Algonquin? Try Amazon or your favorite indie. Some of mine are Porter Square Books and Politics and Prose . 

Me, My Hair and I - Boston and Miami Book Fair

Hair-obsessed readers, please join Hallie Ephron, Elizabeth Searle and me,  Monday November 16 at 7pm Newtonville Books, Newton, MA.    There may be a drawing for a hair-related gift basket involved.                                                       _____________________ And if you're headed to the Miami Book Fair, four of us will be on a panel,   Saturday, Nov. 21, at noon. Details click  here:   Hair: A Cultural Exploration Saturday, November 21 @ 12:00 pm   | Free ADD TO SCHEDULE Have a good-hair day with  Hallie Ephron ,  Ru Freeman , and  Marita Golden  — contributors to  Me, My Hair, and I: Twenty-seven Women Untangle an Obsession , edited and moderated by  Elizabeth Benedict , the anthology that proves what every woman knows — many things in life matter more than hair, but few bring as much pleasure as a really great hairdo.

Great Silver Hair Story from a Reader

I was delighted to receive this story from a reader in response to my call for stories about going gray, or as we say around here, silver. Got one you want on this blog? It can be with or without your name - entirely your choice. Email me at info@ElizabethBenedict.com and I'll consider it.  In the meantime, here's one I really identify with - especially all the ambivalence - should I, shouldn't I? Thanks for sharing with us! "I am a 37 year old brunette who has never colored my hair. Prior to having any grays, I never thought my hair was my best feature, so I didn’t want to spend the time/money in the salon coloring it. It simply wasn’t a big deal to me. "As a few silver strands started showing up like obnoxious runway lights in an otherwise calm night,  I thought, “hmm.” About that time, a (male) colleague of mine gave me Anne Kreamer’s book [ Going Gray ]. Upon reading it, I resolutely decided to not color my hair and wrote her a fan letter (my first.

To Go Gray or Not, That is the Question

Where are you on the issue of going gray? Are you firmly for, against, or ambivalent? Before Me, My Hair and I came out, I thought the most risqué piece in the book was Alex Kuczynski's "And Be Sure to Tell Your Mother," about, well, pubic hair. But once it came out and the New York Post interviewed contributor Anne Kreamer on her decision some years ago to go gray, I realized this was a much more fraught issue than I'd imagined.  It has to do whether whether we're going to age naturally or intervene in the process - and what the costs of each decision are, financially, emotionally, and culturally. My own story: my essay in the anthology is called, "No, I Won't Go Gray," but soon after the book went into final production, I changed my mind. My hair dresser mistakenly dyed my hair black - it had been a soft brown, close to the original - and after a few weeks of trying to live with it, I decided I couldn't bear to go through what's necess

"This Glowing Collection of Essays...."

BOOK PAGE just published a wonderful review of Me, My Hair and I .   A taste from the beginning: “Gorgeous hair is the best revenge,” said Ivana Trump, she of the platinum blonde, sky-high hair. Hair as tool of revenge, as obsession, as embarrassment, as source of pride: Why does a long string of protein absorb so much of our attention?" and the end: "Thought-provoking and insightful,  Me, My Hair, and I  is a must-read for anyone who has ever dealt with frizz, gray hair, mothers insisting we get a haircut, fathers insisting we not, hair envy or hair disasters. In short, all of us." READ MORE Reviewer Amy Scribner mentions essays by contributors Suleika Jaouad , Alex Kuczynski , Hallie Ephron , Jane Green, Jane Smiley, Adriana Trigiani , and Anne Lamott.