ABOUT THE MAGAZINE

Our Mission Statement

The Mom Writer’s Literary Magazine, an online literary magazine, features writing by mothers on the ups and downs and many challenges of motherhood. We publish creative nonfiction essays, columns, book reviews, and profiles about mom writers.

The Mom Writer’s Literary Magazine features writing that is vivid, complex, and down-to-earth. We are not looking for “sugar-coated” material. Our philosophy is simple: Motherhood is always worthy of literature. We are a literary magazine for mothers with something to say. We’re proud to have published essays that are poignant, smart, and sometimes, humorous.

The Mom Writer’s Literary Magazine is also a resource for the literary community. We provide author profiles, book reviews, and our writer’s guidelines.

Here at The Mom Writer's Literary Magazine we know that being a mom takes more than the act of giving birth or adopting a child. Being a mom takes constant devotion and psychological work that goes on throughout your entire life. The Mom Writer’s Literary Magazine honors the fulfilling and tedious work that women do by making their stories visible through print.

About the Editors

Paula Schmitt, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, is a writer living in Vermont with her husband and five children. She has been featured in The Chicago Tribune, The Burlington Free Press, The Times Argus, Kids VT, Adopting for Tomorrow magazine, Adoption Today magazine, Penwomanship magazine, The Herald of Randolph, and in online parenting magazines such as ThePhilosophicalmother.com and RaisingOurKids.com. Her syndicated column runs on various websites, including JustForMom.com and SanityCentral.com. She also has her syndicated column in Kids VT Family Newspaper and has been quoted in American Baby magazine and All You magazine.  Her book, Living In a Locker Room: A Mom’s Tale of Survival in a Houseful of Boys is available at your favorite online retailer and at all bookstores. She will be launching and hosting Mom Writer's Talk Radio this coming fall of 2005. You can read Paula’s writing and get more information about her book at her website paulaschmitt.com.

Lucie Bouchard Antoniazzi, Senior Editor and Webmaster for the MWLM, is a stay-at-home mom with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a specialization in telecommunications from Concordia University in Montreal. She chose to stay home full time with her three children after working as a telecommunications engineer for twelve years. When her youngest child started school in 2002, she decided to pursue her second passion: writing. Lucie now works from home as a freelance writer and is senior editor, columnist, and webmaster at justformom.com and senior editor and webmaster at The Mom Writer's Literary Magazine. She also has a regular column at sanitycentral.com. Aside from writing personal experience essays and humorous anecdotes for parents, Lucie writes articles and short stories for children. She has a passion for writing picture books and is working on her first teen novel. She recently sold her first children’s piece to Highlights for Children magazine. In her spare time, Lucie likes to read, listen to music, take walks, practice tae-bo, and spend as much time as she can with her family. She lives with her husband, Rudy, their three children, Sabrina, Vanessa, and Nicholas, and their cat, Dusty, in Laval, Quebec, Canada.

Tracy Lyn Moland, Cover Page Editor, Reviews Editor, and Regular Columnist for the MWLM - Over the past few years, best selling author Tracy Lyn Moland, B. Ed. has established herself as a highly sought after and internationally recognized life management and marketing expert. You may recognize Tracy Lyn’s ideas and advice from magazines like Reader’s Digest, Chatelaine, or Women’s Day as well as her series on Good Morning Canada and appearance on Living it Up! With Ali and Jack. She has been featured in over 500 media outlets and presented in three countries. Her expertise has lead to her work as a spokesperson for Johnsonville Sausages, Crayola, TJ Maxx, and Whirlpool appliances. Tracy Lyn’s books Mom Management and Quotes of Inspiration have provided much needed advice and sanity in our crazy world.

About the Columnists

Kerri Charette, Regular Columnist for the MWLM, is editor of Misadventures of Moms and Disasters of Dads, a parenting humor collection published by "Moms In Print". Kerri is a mother to five children; three boys (ten, nine, five) and two girls (three and two), a former kindergarten teacher in Ledyard, the president of the Ledyard Women's club, a committee chair on the PTO, and a religious education teacher at Our Lady of Lourdes church. Kerri also hosts a weekly cable television show for the adoption agency Child Adoption Resource Association (CARA) of New London, CT (Kerri's fifth child's adoption was arranged through CARA). The show, "Families in the Making" brings awareness to adoption issues and is seen on the COMCAST Groton Cable Network, Adelphia Cable Network of Norwich, and Eastern CT Cable Network serving the Waterford area. Kerri holds an undergraduate degree in elementary education from the University of Connecticut (1992) and a masters degree in teaching reading and language arts (1999) from Eastern Connecticut State University. For those interested in learning more about the Misadventures of Moms and Disasters of Dads anthology series, Kerri suggests visiting the website misadventuresofmoms.com.

Nicole Dean, Regular Columnist for the MWLM, was born and raised in the Northwoods of Wisconsin - watching deer play in her backyard, swimming in the many lakes, and trying to stay warm in the white, snowy winters. After college, she married her college sweetheart and headed west to Portland, Oregon. Eight years and two children later, she and her family moved to the Gulf of Mexico where the snowplows are only used for pushing the beautiful white sand from the beaches off the roads. A proud work at home mom (WAHM), Nicole is the owner and creator of ShowMomTheMoney.com, for which she was awarded the WAHM Community MVP of the Year 2004 by WAHMTalkRadio.com. Her newest creation, RomanceYourHusband.com is designed to help couples stay friends throughout their marriage. Nicole is not a psychologist, nor is she a marriage therapist. RomanceYourHusband.com is meant for women who are in respectful, healthy relationships to find fun ways to keep the romance alive. 'Til Death Do Us Part' can be a long time. So, why not make the most of it? When she's not snuggling her husband, playing with her children, working, or dodging hurricanes, she enjoys reading, gardening, belly dancing, laughing often, and experiencing the joys of life.

Dionna Sanchez, Regular Columnist for the MWLM, has a passion for encouraging moms and a love for writing. Her greatest desire is that they would enjoy who they are and what their role in the home is as a parent, wife, and individual woman. Dionna has the gift of compassion and counts her blessings while trying to keep her own priorities straight as a mom, wife, and individual. She chose her teammate in her husband Eliseo and they raise their three children in Idaho. Dionna created Emphasis On Moms to help share encouragement and happiness with other moms. She encourages moms not to forget their marriages while they parent and is always honest in her articles; inspiring many. Her website ministry can be found at EmphasisOnMoms.com.   

Carrie Myers Smith, Regular Columnist for the MWLM, has a degree in exercise science and health education, is an ACSM-certified personal trainer, licensed corporate Wellcoach®, co-founder and president of Women in Wellness™, and the fitness editor for Fit Body magazine. Her work has appeared in many publications including Shape, Fitness, Fit Pregnancy, Cooking Light, Health, Muscle & Fitness HERS, and Energy for Women, for whom she was a contributing editor and "Body Shoppe" columnist. In addition, she writes frequently for health and fitness trade journals, including both ACE and IDEA publications, and is becoming increasingly more well-known as a respected expert in the fitness industry. Her first book, Squeezing Your Size 14 Self into a Size 6 World: A Real Woman's Guide to Food, Fitness, and Self-Acceptance (Champion Press, 2004), has won acclaim from real women and experts alike, and received one of Independent Publishers’ highest ratings. "I love playing a role in helping women change their lives!" says Smith. "While I may be considered an 'expert,' I really relate to the average woman, having the same struggles and life challenges." Part of these challenges includes raising and homeschooling four sons with her husband, about which she quips, "Let's just say they give me plenty of opportunities to practice my coaching skills!" In addition to her first book and workbook, Carrie also has the following books coming out in 2005 and 2006. Small Steps, Big Changes: A Day-by-Day Calendar and Coaching System for Total Wellness (Champion Press, 2006), Fit to be Mommy, co-authored with Bonne Marano, Fitastic Kids! (Champion Press 2006), Downsizing: Shaping Up Your Body by Slimming Down Your Life (2006). Carrie’s books are available through local and chain bookstores, online bookstores, and the publisher at championpress.com/books/squeeze.htm. You can visit Carrie through her site (currently under reconstruction): womeninwellness.com or email her at CarrieMyersSmith@aol.com.

Julie Watson Smith, Regular Columnist for the MWLM, is a mom of three and founder of Mommy Hullabaloo. More than just a parenting column, it is a national company inspiring moms to get organized and energized while learning, living, and loving the chaos of mommyhood! Julie is also the author of Mommyhood Diaries: Living the Chaos One Day at a Time (Wyatt McKenzie Publishing, 2005) and the upcoming Mommy Hullabaloo’s Guidebook to Learning, Living and Loving the Chaos of Mommyhood (TBD).  Visit Julie at mommyhullabaloo.com.

About the Graphics Design and Branding 

Nancy Cleary, Graphics Design and Branding for the MWLM, is an advocate for work-at-home moms - her publishing company, Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing Inc., named for her two children, celebrates seven years of bringing the ideas of mom writers and entrepreneurs to fruition. Behind-the-scenes stories of mompreneurs are featured in Cleary's series "The Best of Mom's Business Magazine Volumes 1-4". Other mom titles include "I Love My Life: A Mom's Guide to Working from Home" by Kristie Tamsevicius, "Mom's Work-at-Home Kit & Workbook" by Lesley Spencer, "Today's BlueSuitMom Magazine" by Maria Bailey, and current hot-seller, "14 Hours 'Til Bedtime" by Jen Singer. In January of 2005 Nancy launched The Mom-Writers Publishing Cooperative to publish talented mom writers, providing authors with a five-digit advance package, major book store distribution, and everything they need to make their publishing experience an empowering and profitable venture. Nancy Cleary has been quoted in Business Week, Working Mother, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Family Circle, Home Business Magazine, and Entrepreneur Magazine and featured in three best-selling books: "Marketing to Moms: Getting Your Piece of the Trillion Dollar Market" and "The Women's Home-Based Business Book of Answers" both by Maria Bailey, and "The Self-Employed Woman's Guide to Launching a Home-Based Business" by Priscilla Y. Huff. Cleary has a BFA in Graphic Design from Rhode Island School of Design and has run a successful design studio out of her home office in Deadwood, Oregon since 1992.