The Poetry of Motherhood

Motherhood brings profound change — offering immense joy and fulfilment, as well as many challenges. It can be a time of great solidarity, creativity, and new thinking about what it means to be a woman, a parent, or even a child. For poet Erica Hesketh, whose debut collection In the Lily Room publishes in May, becoming a mum is what helped her find her poetic voice.

In this welcoming poetry workshop for mothers of all kinds, Erica will share inspiring poems and offer prompts to spark new writing, helping you express your unique experiences of motherhood.

‘In poems of great skill, daring and beauty, Hesketh somehow contains the leaky mess of new parenthood. This is for all mothers – mother of stone, mother of ice, mother of fire, mother of dark. A stunning debut: intelligent, tender and unwaveringly true.’ Clare Pollard

Erica Hesketh is a poet and editor, originally from Japan and Denmark, now based in London. Widely published in magazines and journals, she placed second in the 2022 Winchester Poetry Prize, and was commended in the 2023 Magma Poetry Competition and the 2023 Stanza Competition. She was longlisted for the 2024 National Poetry Competition. Her poetry has been commissioned by the Royal Festival Hall, Spread the Word and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Her debut collection, In the Lily Room, will be published by Nine Arches Press in May 2025. Website / Instagram @hesketherica