The Essential Hip Mama Writing from the Cutting Edge of Parenting

It’s been over a decade since Ariel Gore, in a caffeine-induced brainstorm, invented Hip Mama as her senior project in college. The zine that’s been called "fun and irreverent" by USA Today, "delightful" by Glamour, and "cutting-edge" by the Chicago Tribune has grown up alongside Gore’s daughter, covering subjects from weaning to home schooling with a political edge and a puckish sense of humor. The Essential Hip Mama captures the heart of a decade’s worth of earthy, honest, soulful parenting—and topics from circumcision to dating, abortion to the belief that "mothers don’t fart." Gore has gathered in one volume the whispers and conversations heard in homes, on playgrounds, and in coffeehouses around the country. Reassuring and hopeful, The Essential Hip Mama is a brilliant testament that one becomes an "expert" simply through the act of mothering, echoing Gore’s own words, "Whenever I’ve needed parenting advice, I’ve put out a call for submissions."

Ariel Gore launched Hip Mama: The Parenting Zine from her kitchen counter in family student housing at Mills College when she was 23. Her kid is now taller than she is, but Ariel is still practicing the chaos theory of motherhood, fighting the good fight, and pondering the spirituality of coffee. She's the author of three parenting books and the travel memoir Atlas of the Human Heart. Get your very own copy of the zine at www.hipmamazine.com.