Jennifer Case, a creative writing professor at the University of Central Arkansas, delves deep into the intricacies of motherhood, feminism, and reproductive justice in her upcoming book, We Are Animals: On the Nature and Politics of Motherhood. Set to be published by Trinity University Press on September 17, 2024, the collection of essays explores the profound and often challenging experiences of being a mother in contemporary society.

Author Jennifer Case

Case’s background as both a researcher and mother allows her to fill a gap in resources for new mothers. By combining personal narrative and sociological research, her writing illuminates the influence social structures have on mothers’ personal experiences.

“So often, we move through life overwhelmed with our personal struggles, without fully realizing how those struggles connect to larger structures and issues. The book tries to make those connections clear, hopefully in a manner that contributes to change and understanding,” she says.

As one may expect, her own experiences with motherhood catalyzed her investment in this project. “Childbirth put me in touch with my animal self in a way I hadn’t before,” Case explains. “I wrote to understand that shift. When I became pregnant with my second child—an unintended pregnancy during the 2016 election—the political, social, and biological complexities of motherhood fully revealed themselves. I’ve always been one to write into difficulty, so I did that,” Case said. 

Writing We Are Animals was a meticulous process for Case, who balanced her writing with the demands of early motherhood. “I wrote each of the pieces individually. My children were quite young at the time, and I only had the headspace to think about individual essays, rather than a whole book,” she explained. After completing the essays, she arranged them to create a cohesive narrative. “I laid them out on the floor and moved them around to determine what order would work best and tell the larger story I wanted to tell.”

Case faced significant challenges while writing the book, particularly in balancing her creative work with childcare responsibilities. “Childcare was probably my greatest challenge, lol. I need time alone in order to develop a full essay, but it often seemed like the days I had set aside to write were also the days a child got sick or slept poorly,” she said. Despite these challenges, she persisted, working bit by bit during the time she had. “I’ve always considered myself a marathon writer more than a sprinter, and that was definitely the case here.”

Her role as a creative writing professor also influenced her approach to writing the essays. “The wonderful thing about teaching is that it keeps you curious. Studying essays with my students inspires me to experiment myself and helps me continue to approach writing with a beginner’s mind: open to discovery and exploration,” she noted.

Case hopes that the book raises awareness and offers support and clarity to women who’ve struggled with their experiences of motherhood. 

“It is really difficult to talk openly about struggles with motherhood—whether feelings of ambivalence, depression or anxiety, or dissatisfaction. There’s a lot of social pressure to be the ‘good mother’ who always loves motherhood, and women can feel silenced and judged when their stories don’t quite fit that,” Case says. She hopes to reassure readers that “these [experiences], in fact, are simply part of being human.”

For more information and to request a press kit, contact Burgin Streetman at bstreetm@trinity.edu.