author talk: Once A Mother, Always A Mother by Annette Byford
Saturday 21st May
in the shop - 12pm - author talk - free entry
Please register via Eventbrite if you wish to attend so we know how many people to expect.
As part of Feminist Book Fortnight, join Annette Byford to hear about her new book ‘Once A Mother, Always A Mother’
Becoming a mother is not just a question of learning how to bring up a child - it brings a profound change of identity. The same happens years later, when children grow up and leave home and the mother’s job is, supposedly, ‘done.’ Yet this phase of motherhood rarely gets attention.
In this moving book the author of A Wedding in the Family, Annette Byford continues her examination of how mothers experience family transitions and how it impacts their sense of who they are. The book focuses on the practical and emotional challenges and tasks of being a mother of adult children, from the experience of the empty nest through being a mother-in-law, grandmother and negotiating growing old.
The author uses interview material, case studies and short stories and draws on her own experiences, both as a mother, a grandmother and as a psychotherapist, to discuss how mothers navigate the twists and turns of this journey.
She includes material from interviews with mothers and looks at these experiences against the background of analytic psychotherapy and family therapy. Also included is an exploration of images and depictions of mothers-in-law, grandmothers etc in literature and media, along with several, illustrative short stories on the theme of mothers and their adult children. Throughout the book there are discussions about what constitutes a successful or unsuccessful transition.
Annette Byford has worked as a psychologist and psychotherapist in private practice for the last 25 years and as a lecturer and clinical supervisor in NHS, University and the voluntary sector. She is a chartered counselling psychologist and a senior practitioner on the Register for Psychologists Specialising in Psychotherapy. Annette is married and has two adult children and two grandchildren. She is the author of ‘A Wedding in the Family. Mothers tell their stories of joy, conflict and loss’.
Please register via Eventbrite for instructions to join and to help us with book ordering and to manage numbers on the shop floor. We are operating with Covid caution here at October Books, so please respect your fellow attendees by maintaining some distance. We are requesting that people attending events/gatherings in the shop please wear a face covering - to ensure all people feel safe. This is a free entry event, but if you'd like to sling October Books a donation, please do.
If you would like to reserve a copy of ‘Once A Mother, Always A Mother’ to collect from the shop please email us at info@octoberbooks.org
Find out more about Annette Byford on these social channels - Twitter: @ByfordAnnette
Find out more about Feminist Book Fortnight - Twitter: @FeministBk22 FB: @feministbookfortnight
