Rebekah Denison Hewitt

media release: A Room of One's Own is thrilled to welcome Rebekah Denison Hewitt in celebration of her newly released book of poems Creature in Bloom. She will be joined in conversation with Rita Mae Reese. 

This is an in-person event at A Room of One's Own Bookstore.

About the book

It is rare to find a collection so grounded in the manifold meanings of motherhood—in all its anxiety, ambivalence, and joy. From the aches and fears of pregnancy, through the pain and relief of childbirth, to the perplexing questions and worries of parenting, Rebekah Denison Hewitt grapples with what it is to make a human (and to sometimes lose one), “the baby a creature / in bloom / the mother / a lotus eater.”

Closing with the counsel “Do not be afraid. / Rinse your heart out. Proceed,” these poems give readers many reasons to fear—health issues, genetic deformities, postpartum depression, gun violence, and car accidents. Yet always lurking underneath are light, optimism, and a stubborn willingness to soldier on. Exploring the stories, myths, and personal histories that shape the experience of modern motherhood, Creature in Bloom expands the conversation around what it means to be a mother.

Rebekah Denison Hewitt is a poet, librarian, and educator. She holds an MFA from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she was a Martha Meier Renk Distinguished Graduate Fellow. Her work has appeared in publications such as Narrative, The Rumpus, Poetry Northwest, and Bellevue Literary Review. She lives in Wisconsin with her family.