Blood & Cord: Writers on Early Parenthood

By Elīna Brasliņa

A child is born and everything is made anew. In this blur of new beginnings there are tears and laughter, new words and new silences: this is an unmaking and remaking of the self.

From short stories about unnerved fathers and lost mothers, to poems about ‘half-built Lego palaces’ and friends who share their deepest secrets, Blood & Cord is a raw exploration of new parenthood. Voicing silenced conversations about loss, grief, and loneliness, as well as the joys and laughter that are part and parcel of becoming a parent, the stories told within offer a refreshingly honest account of life after new life.

This collection is a hand in the dark, offering comfort and solidarity to any new parent.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Emma Press
• Release date: May 18, 2023
• ISBN: 9781915628169

Elīna Brasliņa

Elīna Brasliņa studied Printmaking and Graphic Arts at the Art Academy of Latvia. Since 2014 she has illustrated more than twenty titles, including Moon Juice by Kate Wakeling, which was her international debut. She has been nominated for numerous awards in Latvia, and has won the Zelta Ābele (Golden Apple Tree) National Prize for Book Art twice. She was awarded the International Jānis Baltvilks Prize in 2017. You can visit Elīna’s website and see more of her illustrations here: www.elinabraslina.com