I’m thrilled to say that Princeton University has asked me to talk at an “Author’s Lunch” Monday, May 6, 12-2pm. Reserve a seat at the table with us by calling 609.497.1777. $60 per person Includes delicious lunch, and proceeds benefit local scholarship fund, The 101: Fund, supporting need-based college scholarships for local high school graduates.

COME ON DOWN! Let’s chat!! I’ll also be selling and signing books just in time for Mother’s Day! (Cheaper than rush shipping!)

 

 

After 12 years and an emotional roller coaster ride, Momma Love is now for sale at MommaLoveTheBook.com. I’m shipping books daily for Mother’s Day! If you want your’s, waste no time.(Please note that media mail takes 2-8 days to deliver. There is also a priority mail option.)

xAli

 

Momma Love was 104% FUNDED last week when the Kickstarter fundraiser for it ended! Here are some pix of Momma Love rolling off the presses at SHAPCO Printing in Minneapolis, MN. SHAPCO is a “Green” printer, so that means that all waste product- paper, proofs, plates, etc- are recycled, and all inks are eco-friendly. Which is GREAT!

My rep Debi Bergerson has been an incredible person to work with there. She gets my vision for the book and is full of creative suggestions and solutions. (Plus she’s just very nice!) Owner Joe Avery came up with a perfect solution for the poppy title type I wanted! Wait till you see!

 

 

After 12 years of hard work and being thrown for a loop by a publisher who shut abruptly, taking with them the financial investment I’d made towards my book’s production, I’ve decided to self-publish Momma Love; How the Mother Half Lives.

Gloria Steinem says “Ali Smith has given us a gift with Momma Love; a fresh, eye-opening manifestation of motherhood’s contemporary realities.”

Please consider supporting Momma Love’s printing through my Kickstarter campaign. Any amount helps! Pre-sales of the book are available at a special discounted price as well as some other very cool perks!

The book will be released May 1st this year making it the perfect Mother’s Day gift!

In my quest to share these women’s personal stories and portraits, I’ve turned away from the industry and towards the community. I’ve turned to you. The heart of the matter.

Click here to support Momma Love on Kickstarter.

 

 

MOMMA LOVE image Kelly Pregnant Outside, which has had the honor of hanging previously at The International Center of Photography, is currently in a wonderful portraits show at The Center for Fine Art Photography in some very good company!

If you find yourself in Fort Collins, Colorado before March 23rd, stop in to see a great show.

 

Erin Marra over at Lovesomeblog.com posted a really nice piece about Momma Love and expressed a question I’ve heard many times now. WHEN IS THIS BOOK COMING OUT?? Let me assure you I’ll shout it from the highest hills when it’s out. It’s definitely been a long, really great journey, during which the book has become much stronger and better, so I’m glad for the time it’s had to simmer.

Check out Lovesome here.

I recently met an amazing woman named Jessica Shyba. It just so happens, she writes a very successful blog that chronicles her relocation from the suburbs to NYC with her husband and two beautiful kids. Suburban to urban mom is a move I’ve been hearing more and more about lately.

Jessica is one of the moms I’ll be talking to and photographing for my Momma Love book project. She honored me with a very cool mention about the Momma work, and about my work photographing mothers in prison, on her blog this month! You can read her piece about it here.

The August issue of Marie Claire (on stands now) features photos I took of Momma Love momma Kitty Stillufsen in an article about how she “proposed” parenthood to her two gay best friends! The three of them conceived and are raising a daughter named Olive together. It’s an incredible story. In addition to being excited to shoot Kitty’s story, I’ve been wanting to do something with my art for a long time now that will support issues surrounding gay rights. I’m an ardent supporter of gay marriage, but it seems hard sometimes to figure out how to do anything actually productive with your art to support causes you believe in. This was a unique opportunity to  do just that. To support the rights of people who love each other to have their commitments respected. To honor this beautiful family with the respect they deserve.

This story has since run, with these and additional photos, in Marie Claire Australia and Greece, and in Italian Grazia Magazine.