Author Talk: We Are Animals, by Jennifer Case

Join us for an afternoon of creative nonfiction to celebrate the launch of Dr. Jennifer Case's book "We Are Animals: On the Nature and Politics of Motherhood"

Calling all moms! You are invited to an afternoon with local author and professor, Dr. Jennifer Case, to celebrate and enjoy her new book on motherhood, but also have a moment to share your own experiences of motherhood. We Are Animals is a collection of personal essays tackling social stigmas around mothering, childbirth, and feminism in the twenty-first century.

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Doors will open at 2:00 pm for light refreshments and a meet-and-greet with the author. Jennifer will begin her readings at 2:30 pm followed by audience stories and questions.

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About We Are Animals:

When Jennifer Case became pregnant unexpectedly with her second child, she was overwhelmed at the prospect of caring for another child in a society with high expectations and low support for mothers. She sought to reclaim control over, if not her changing body, then at least her rapidly declining mental health. Immersing herself in research, Case learned that the United States has one of the highest maternal death rates among developed countries. One in every five women develops a mental health issue as a result of pregnancy. It became clear to her that in order to address the sexism and isolation mothers face—including the racism that further marginalizes women of color—we must recognize these as social problems that affect us all.

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We Are Animals draws attention to these issues by examining key moments in Case’s life where her experience as both a woman in twenty-first-century America and a child-bearing mammal, and the conflicts between these two identities, were brought into sharp relief. From the surprising salve of parasocial interactions on baby forums to the not so surprisingly intertwined history of industrial dairy farming and wearable breast pumps, Case explores an array of realities that give historical and cultural context to the experience of motherhood.

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The essays collected here offer a balm for women who have struggled in silence over childbirth trauma, conflicted responses to motherhood, or a deeply felt intuition that what their bodies needed as mothers did not match what society provided. They also offer a much needed, nuanced perspective for policymakers, activists, and medical professionals who continue to shape women’s experience of motherhood.

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About the author:

Jennifer Case teaches creative writing at the University of Central Arkansas. She also serves as an assistant nonfiction editor at Terrain.org and is the supervising editor of Arkana. She is the author of Sawbill, and her work has appeared in Orion, the Sycamore Review, and Fourth River. She lives in central Arkansas.

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