I’m Margot.

I’m a writer, a grad student, and a woman with quickly diminishing fertility who’s trying to figure out whether having kids is, for me, compatible with being an artist.

To make this life-changing decision, I’m doing what I’ve always done: consulting books.

In the Mother-or-Monster Memoir, I comb the lives and work of women writers I admire for clues, insights, and inspiration. Each week, I examine the work of one “Mother” (a female artist with offspring) and one “Monster” (one without), and reflect upon what I find there.

Will I be able to be both a devoted mother and a dedicated writer? Or would I be better off curtailing domestic life? I’m hoping that reading and studying other women writers will help me to figure it out.

If you’ve landed here, I hope you’ll find something that’s helpful to you too.

Oh, and if you have no idea what I’m talking about — start here.