All My Wild Mothers: Motherhood, loss and an apothecary garden

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Sometimes, we try so hard to cut out the things that do not fit the idealised garden of this life – the loneliness, the loss, the struggle of it all – that we forget to see the beauty that it holds. And it is so beautiful. So, plant the seed. Find the small thing worth the gift of your hope. Whatever else comes, trust that it will grow, even if you do not see it flower.” Establishing and running a family-centered community studio space offering traditional and digital arts workshops and event

you've captured my lifetime in palliative care. Just wonderful..." (Dr Kathryn Mannix, author 'With The End In Mind -- How To Live And Die Well) The book begins at a moment in her life when there is an unexpected death in the family, so grief and coping with it, learning how to manage its lingering presence, plays a significant role in what follows. Founder of the rural, radical Wild Women Press. Programming, delivering & producing Wild Women workshops, projects, live events & publications in rural Cumbria and beyond, working with over 2000 women. Curating the global #WildWomanWeb. Co-ordinating multi-artist projects and touring. Organising annual creative retreats for 20 years. www.wildwomenpress.com So glad to have been part of bringing this story to a wider audience. It is extraordinary work..." (Ronnie Goodyer, Indigo Dreams Publishing Ltd) Stone by stone, seed by seed, they discover that sometimes life grows, not in spite what is broken, but because of it.

Human Geographies -explores how literature can collaborate with immersive, digital spaces to share our grief stories - recipient of an ACE DYCP Grant 2021 A stunning meditation on the joy of nurturing (and of getting your hands dirty). It is a love letter to mothering and nature and mother nature, which bursts with wisdom, humility and hope. The writing is lyrical and beautiful… exactly the book we all need to read right now… What a wonderful book’ Catherine Simpson, author of When I Had A Little Sister Stone by stone, seed by seed, All My Wild Mothers is the story of how sometimes life grows, not in spite of what is broken, but because of it. Immersive digital storytelling and official Minecraft Marketplace Content Creator. www.thewizardandwyld.com At seven months pregnant, Victoria Bennett was looking forward to new motherhood after difficulties in previous pregnancies. Life felt hopeful at last. Then the telephone rang, and the news she received changed everything. Her eldest sister had died in a canoeing accident.

Five years later, undone by grief, austerity measures and the responsibility of being a full-time carer for her medically vulnerable son, Victoria and her family need to find a secure place to rebuild their lives. Moving to a new social housing estate in rural Cumbria, at first it seems the most infertile grounds to plant a new life.

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Working with digital creative producer, Adam Clarke, on high profile digital gaming and culture engagement projects including TateWorlds (Tate Britain), Fire1666! (Museum of London), RammCraft (RAMM, Exeter) I am currently working on All My Wild Mothers , a nature memoir that examines motherhood, loss, and the ancient art of wortcunning. This work- in-progress was long-listed for the Nan Shepherd Prize (2019) and the Penguin WriteNow Programme (2020). I am grateful to New Writing North and The Society of Authors, for awarding me the Northern Debut Award and an Authors' Foundation grant to complete this work. I share quite a few things with the author: we have had a child at the same age(albeit it was my second, but due to a huge 14 year gap it does feel as if it's my first :D), I have shared the same worry for the wellbeing of my unborn child, but also the worry of having to deal with a potentially life long condition clouding our lives; I have home educated my first born and we very much considering doing the same for our second one; I am a bit of an amateurish gardener, having had a raised bed for some year now!. Sharing all this with Victoria made me really feel her heartbreak, to the point where I started imagining how it would be to suddenly lose my sister. I have had to rein in tears as I was reading, countless times! And saying that All My Wild Mothers is a raw and tearjerker read is an understatement!

So many people can relate I'm sure, to the struggles and heartache we're faced with over the years. Victoria writes, 'when I imagined our future, it held no grief', and I know that feeling well. When you settle down into adult life, you have a vision of what your life will be, and it doesn't involve suffering. But finding joy in the little things, like creating a garden full of small wonders, is a magic unto itself. Weaving of memoir and herbal folklore, All My Wild Mothers is a story of re-wilding our wastelands, and the transformation that can happen when we do. In a time of uncertainty, it has something to teach us about resilience, and the power of joyful resistance. The narrative itself is an enchanting combination of memoir and herbal folklore, and it really pulled me in as Victoria weaves her story through details and facts about plants. Her writing is passionate, and in fact it reminds me of Raynor Winn and the way I felt reading about her pain and loss too. Motherhood is a big theme throughout; a kind of hard work that takes up mental energy you don't feel you possess in times of grief, but also spurs you on with a beauty and joy previously unimagined.

in the end, all we have is life, and death, and all the mundane miracles we almost miss between. Even though we weep, we must still give thanks for the moments that we have, and sing.” Stone by stone, seed by seed, they discover that sometimes life grows, not in spite of what is broken, but because of it. Bennett said: " All My Wild Mothers has been grown over the past 10 years, rooted in the landscape of loss, motherhood, and the complex demands of caregiving. I could never have imagined that one day, it would be published alongside some of our best loved, and treasured champions of the natural world. It is an honour to join the Two Roads family, and to be part of their commitment to publishing stories that inspire us to nurture what connects and sustains, rather than what divides." I really loved the idea of the "wild" garden and I particularly enjoyed reading the bits at the start of each chapter about the different plants, their meaning and uses in history. I found this a unique and very enjoyable way to write a memoir. Plus I really love reading about people that are not necessary famous. I always found their lives are so rich and Victoria's like is indeed full of depths and heartbreak worth reading about! I am a writer, poet and creative producer. I founded Wild Women Press in 1999 and have spent the last 21 years facilitating creative experiences and curating platforms for women to share ideas, stories, inspirations and actions for positive change, including the global #WildWomanWeb movement and #WildWomanGamer. I hold an MA in Creative Writing from Lancaster University (2002). Previous awards include the Northern Debut Award for non-fiction (2020), the the Mother's Milk Writing Prize (2017), The Writing Platform Digital Literature Bursary (2015), Northern Promise Award for Poetry (2002), and the Waterhouse Award for Poetry (2002). With nearly three decades experience working as a freelance writer and artist, my work includes poetry, non-fiction, video-game narrative, creative writing facilitation, and publishing. I am a co-director of The Wizard and The Wyld, an immersive digital-storytelling partnership.