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

Product Information

At the time of this initial event, she is pregnant with her first child, as the story continues her son becomes as much a part of the narrative as the author herself. 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." 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. While life and death go hand in hand, a thing Bennet knows first-hand as she experienced pregnancy loss, it is terribly difficult to grief ‘properly’ in a time which is stereotypically presented as joyous. New mothers, in any case, are often forced to internally fight with doubts, fears and negative thoughts, but this is exacerbated when death has also joined the party. 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.

What a wonderful read this is. The memoir of author Victoria Bennett this is her story interspersed with pictures and descriptions of herbs and plants and their historical folklore and medicinal uses. Beautifully written, almost poetic, it’s a very relaxing read, like cuddling up on the sofa with a box of chocolates and watching a favourite film. That’s not to say it’s not emotional. It is. Very emotional. I had tears when her son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at just two and a half years old - heartbreaking. 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. Human Geographies -explores how literature can collaborate with immersive, digital spaces to share our grief stories - recipient of an ACE DYCP Grant 2021She and her son set about transforming the rubble around them into a wild apothecary garden. Daisy, for resilience. Dandelion, for strength against adversity. Red campion, to ward off loneliness. Sow thistle, to lift melancholy. Borage, to bring hope in dark and difficult times. I am also currently developing an extended project, Human Geographies - an XR memoir project exploring narratives of absence and how literature can collaborate with immersive, digital spaces to share our grief stories. This work is supported through a DYCP award from the Arts Council of England. Immersive digital storytelling and official Minecraft Marketplace Content Creator. www.thewizardandwyld.com

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. When Bennett is seven months pregnant the phone rings to inform her that her eldest sister has died in a canoeing accident. What is supposed to be a period of preparing for motherhood, turns into a seemingly never-ending grief. At seven months pregnant, Victoria Bennett was looking forward to new motherhood and all that was to come. But when the telephone rang, the news she received changed everything. Her eldest sister had died in a canoeing accident. I cannot recommend this book more highly to everyone but particularly to gardeners, mothers, poets, nature lovers and to those seeking a gentler yet wilder path. 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.

Customer reviews

Its synopsis reads: “On 19th October 2007, at seven months pregnant, Victoria Bennett was looking forward to new motherhood and the promise of the future. The telephone rang, and the news she received changed everything. Aged just 47, her eldest sister had died in a canoeing accident.