“More Than One Way to Mother: A Poetic Reflection on Identity, Healing, and the Courage to Be Honest”

By Dr. Brittney Clinton | Wednesday, May 13, 2026 | BookTalk

  Amidst a society that often portrays new motherhood through a lens of idealized purity and subdued expectations, there are voices like Courtney Perry's that speak with a profoundly healing and invigorating candor. Perry takes readers on a journey through the silent realities of postpartum life in her moving poetry book More Than One Way. Here, they will experience the coexistence of pleasure and sadness, the reshaping of identity, and the gradual healing process. The facts that drive Courtney Perry's work, the bravery required to share them, and the life-changing potential of narrative for moms on their own paths are all topics covered in this candid discussion between Dr. Brittney Clinton and Perry.

Dr. Brittney Clinton: Early motherhood is often idealized, yet your work suggests a more layered reality—what truths did you feel were missing from mainstream narratives that you felt compelled to write?

Courtney Perry:  I think that, thankfully, it’s becoming more mainstream to share the challenges that come with parenting and early motherhood, and in a way that’s different from just complaining about the laundry and sleepless nights. In much of parenting, but especially in those early months, there can be so much identity confusion, relationship change, and mental, emotional, and physical strain.

What compelled me to publish this poetry collection was realizing the impact of sharing openly and honestly about my own challenges in the early postpartum period, and seeing how that helped other moms feel like they could be more open about their own struggles. My daughter was born after an incredibly hard and terrifying labor and delivery, and afterward I dealt with unexpected birth-related health crises, followed by a diagnosis of postpartum depression.

I started writing poems to process all that was happening, and for several years after, the poems kept flowing through me. Through writing about different stages of motherhood in those first five years, I found comfort and opportunities to examine and shift my perspective. Whether it was something lighthearted, like writing about my daughter befriending a bumblebee, or something heavier, like coming to terms with the unexpected reality of having an only child, I found that writing poems helped me name it, sit with it, and ultimately accept it.

I also think a lot of parenting content online still shows the perfect kitchen, the coordinated outfits, and the babies who breastfeed with ease. I wanted to put something out into the world that says, “Sometimes what you have looks different from what you see, and that’s OK too.”

Dr. Brittney Clinton: The title More Than One Way implies diversity in experience and approach—how did your personal journey reshape your understanding of what it means to “motherwell”?

Courtney Perry:  Like the title of the book implies, there are so many ways to parent, to love, to heal, and to grow. This doesn’t just apply to motherhood—it applies to all facets of life and identity. Before my own journey into motherhood began, I had a pretty good idea of who I was and how I operated in the world. However, I found very quickly that that foundation can become shaky as you encounter things you never have before.

From the moment I found out I was pregnant, I saw that there are many right decisions you can make when it comes to you and your family. People don’t need someone telling them what to do—even though people love to tell pregnant women and mothers what to do. Mothers need someone to sit alongside them while they figure it out and stumble through it.

An excerpt from one of my poems, The Descent, reflects how I view mothering well: “A good mother is not measured by how quickly she falls in love with her child… may we do it by how much time and acceptance we allow while descending into motherhood and into love.”

I also think it’s important to recognize that diversity in experience is shaped by many factors—identity, history, race, religion, support systems. Two people can have similar parenting experiences on the surface, but navigate them very differently. That’s where the mindset of “there’s more than one way” becomes essential. We’re all doing our best—and supporting each other through that is one of the most meaningful parts of motherhood.

Dr. Brittney Clinton: In your poems and reflections, how do you navigate the tension between identity as an individual and identity as a mother, especially in the early stages?

Courtney Perry:  Identity is such a strange thing in the early stages of motherhood. For me, it felt like my individual identity disappeared for a while—something I had to slowly rebuild. At first, I tried to find the “old me,” but eventually realized she wasn’t really there anymore. I needed to create a new version of myself.

There were moments when I felt completely lost day-to-day. I remember asking my husband, half-panicked and half-laughing, “Who am I? What did I like before having a baby?” That feeling has stayed with me.

Writing became my way of honoring who I was in that moment, while also shaping who I was becoming. Through poetry, I made space for both the mother and the individual. One of my poems reflects this through mindfulness:

“How can I truly know myself if I don’t sit with my thoughts—the tender and the terrifying… In stillness I tread my own water. In silence I find my own shore.”

Dr. Brittney Clinton: Was there a specific moment, emotion, or breaking point in early motherhood that became the catalyst for this collection?

Courtney Perry:  Yes—the first few poems I wrote were through tears on my phone while rocking my daughter in the dark. I was processing a traumatic birth, being readmitted to the hospital with postpartum preeclampsia, time in the NICU, months of physical therapy, and eventually a diagnosis of postpartum depression.

Those early months were incredibly intense, and writing in free verse became a cathartic outlet. When I shared some of those raw pieces online, I was met with an overwhelming response from women across generations saying, “Thank you for sharing this—me too.”

The poems were heavy at first, but they evolved as I healed, bonded with my daughter, and found a new rhythm. What stood out most was the support I received—it felt empowering to be honest about how hard things were and be met with love instead of judgment.

That sense of authenticity continued to fuel my writing over the next five years. And in moments where I didn’t feel supported? I wrote about that too.

Dr. Brittney Clinton: How do you hope your words minister to or affirm mothers who may feel unseen, overwhelmed, or like they’re not “doing it right”?

Courtney Perry: The most meaningful part of publishing this book has been hearing from readers who feel validated. One reader told me, “It’s like you were sitting next to me for the last eight years.” That’s the greatest gift—to make someone feel seen and held.

Parenting can be incredibly isolating, especially when your journey looks different from others. My hope is that mothers read this and think, “Oh—I’m not the only one.”

There’s so much comfort in knowing you’re not alone—that your experience, even the hard parts, isn’t uncharted territory.

Dr. Brittney Clinton: If a reader walks away from More Than One Way with one transformed belief about motherhood—or about themselves—what would you hope that belief is?

Courtney Perry: I hope readers walk away knowing that all of their feelings about parenthood are valid—the dark, fragile ones and the joyful, light-filled ones. Often, those emotions exist within the same day, sometimes within the same breath.

As I write in my poem Permission: “Wherever you are, however you are, whoever you are—it’s normal, and it’s okay.”

  Mothers negotiating the unsaid realities of early childbirth may find a friend in More Than One Way, a poetry anthology by Courtney Perry. Perry shows us that being a "good mother" is not a one-size-fits-all proposition, but rather an authentic journey molded by love, resilience, and self-discovery via her candor, introspection, and grace. If you find solace in her words, try reaching out to Courtney Perry to go further into her work, share your own experience, or just hear someone who gets it. The knowledge that another person has been there, and has created room for you, might be the first step toward healing.

Connect with Author Courtney Perry at earlyhourpressbooks@gmail.com

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Dr. Brittney Clinton is a content educational practitioner currently serving as an Associate Professor at Westcliff University, Dissertation Committee Member, independent published author, and compassionate leader that attracts other professionals, scholars, and individuals in the community with a devoted purpose to empower, educate, and support others. Previously, Dr. Clinton served various leadership roles in Winston-Salem, NC with the following organizations: Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc and The Order of the Eastern Star PHA 30th District. Dr. Clinton currently serves as a board member for the city of Winston-Salem, NC Appearance and Commission Board. Dr. Clinton graduated from the following prestigious institutions: Winston-Salem State University, B.A. Sociology/Elementary Education 2009, Strayer University, MA Education Leadership and Management 2012, and Capella University, Ed. D Education Leadership and Management 2015. Dr. Clinton founded the motto “Continue to be a beacon of light”; which is implemented daily while effectively illuminating a successful path for others.