The Language of Mothers

""This collection of autobiographical narratives and poems that meditate on motherhood is a love letter to the authors' daughters and mothers, and to the land and waters of Hawai'i. Even as the stories Rain Wright tells recount heartrending experiences of domestic violence, struggles with mental health, substance abuse, cancer, houselessness, and loss, they are luminous and beautiful. Imagery of light and water flows through the intimate geographies of this book--through Wright's lyrical language, and her mother's artwork. As it makes a healing home for the generations of women in her life, The Language of Mothers creates a space for readers to breathe in the love that it radiates for them and their other-than-human companions, and for the 'āina."" Cynthia Franklin, author of Narrating Humanity: Life Writing and Movement Politics from Palestine to Mauna Kea ""The Language of Mothers offers both a harrowing story of the cascading effects of trauma and a testament to the healing strength of mother-daughter love. Wright's language is not just cerebral; she creates a language of the body, a tactile grammar, a visceral poetry. Rain Wright is a distinctive and stunning new voice."" Shawna Yang Ryan, author of Green Island ""Rain Wright's The Language of Mothers is a tender and precious gift of memory full of hard-earned wisdom, honesty, and lyricism to match. An incredible feat of love and hope spanning generations, this is a singular work of art."" Joseph Han, author of Nuclear Family