Celebrating Mom Poets During
National Poetry Month By Liza Roe
In honor of National Poetry Month (April), we interviewed three multi-talented moms who regularly pen poetry. Tanaisha Pearson (TP) is a single parent to a 7-year-old and works at Miss Shirley's Cafe, Heather Greenwell (HG) is a mother of three and works in human resources, and Shana Oshiro (SO) is a mother of three and a self-employed singer/performer and music therapist. Although their experiences differ, poetry is what unites these poetesses. How did you begin writing poetry? TP: I began writing at the age of 20. I was trying to figure out this whole "life" thing and thought I could write a master plan. Well, that didn't work out, but I felt relief. HG: My best friend from high school, Phil, got me into writing. Sadly, in 2018, Phil passed away from cancer. However, he's a large part of why I've continued writing as an adult. SO: The first whisper of a poem came to me in college, out running by the lake. I had no aspirations or interest in writing poetry, but this began a relationship with my inner voice that serves me in voicing my experiences and feelings. How has being a parent influenced your poetry? TP: I've written about both the good and bad times [of parenthood]. However, having a front-row seat to watch another person grow and learn has been wonderful. I have more opportunities to write about experiences I wouldn't have had if I wasn't a mom. HG: Prior to being a parent, I didn't want to publicly write and discuss the tough stuff since the details were subjective and personal for most people. It felt invasive and like I was being a “Debbie Downer”. However, I can't imagine not discussing it now that I'm a parent.… A lot of people have similar personal situations and need some guidance when navigating through them. A great way to help others is by sharing our own experiences. SO: Many of my poetry attempts to answer my questions about life and the questions I imagine life has for me. My children are a context and container from which the answers are drawn and informed. Despair, when it's a tempting conclusion, isn't an option when my children are so beautiful and need me to nurture them with some measure of goodness I must insist on believing in.
Heather (34) and daughter, Olivia (2)
Shana (38) with husband Andy (38) and children Beni (5), Misha (6) and Kenshin (10) (left to right)
Tanaisha (32) and son, Kadin (7)
14 | THE MOTHERLODE
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