S2E14 - The Poetics of Parenting: Poet and Educator Ben Berman's Take on Writing While Parenting

Oct 4 2023 • 41 mins

We are capping off our season of conversations with Ben Berman, the author of three books of poems and the new collection of humorous and literary essays, Writing While Parenting. Ben has won the Peace Corps Award for the Best Book of Poetry, has twice been shortlisted for the Massachusetts Book Awards, and has received awards from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, New England Poetry Club, and Somerville Arts Council. He's been teaching for 25 years and currently teaches creative writing classes at Brookline High School. He lives in the Boston area with his wife and two daughters.

Kaitlin’s conversation with Ben explores the intersection of creativity and parenting through the lens of his latest book, and how they can coexist.

Ben and Kaitlin talk about:

Why Ben felt compelled to write a book in and around the subject matter of writing while parenting.
The idea that disorder can be a catalyst for creativity and how being a parent as well as working with kids has shifted Ben’s perspective on creativity.
The challenge of balancing creative engagement with parenting responsibilities – how we can make our children a part of our creative journey instead of seeing them as obstacles.
The delicate balance between being fully present in the moment as a parent and detaching to think about it from a creative perspective and how Ben merges the two aspects through his writing.
The relationship between form and content, and how the structures that we create allow for freedom or inhibit it.

More about Ben:

Website: www.ben-berman.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ben.berman.7927/

Pre-order Writing While Parenting here:https://bookshop.org/a/86159/9781773491110

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