An impossibly moving memoir of gardens, herbalism, and the rigours and rewards of care… It heralds the arrival of an exciting new voice in nature writing‘ Cal Flyn, author of Islands of Abandonment My ugly grief does not fit this pink-tinged world of motherhood. No one wants to hear about death, so close to birth. In my last trimester, there were no trips to buy baby clothes, no antenatal classes to learn breathing techniques for an easier birth, no numbers swapped with other expectant mums. When others were nesting, I stayed in my room and cried and, when the time came, I gave birth at home beside the coal fire, as snow fell from the January sky.” It took a year of iterations and submissions, but then the book found representation with Jenny Hewson at Lutyens and Rubinstein, following a fantastic response from querying agents. It went on to be acquired in a hotly contested five-way auction, by Lisa Highton, at Two Roads Books. All My Wild Mothers was published February 2023. Initially writing in poetry, I have had poems appear in several anthologies, and published five pamphlets of poetry, the most recent being 'To Start The Year From Its Quiet Centre' with Indigo Dreams Publishing. Previous awards for poetry include a Northern Promise Award, and the Andrew Waterhouse Prize. I have also written for games-based storytelling. My work has been featured in The Guardian and most recently, at the Playing Poetry Festival at The National Poetry Library.

In this one act, he has learnt that society has one rule for those who have wealth, and another those who do not." I cannot recommend this book more highly to everyone but particularly to gardeners, mothers, poets, nature lovers and to those seeking a gentler yet wilder path. There are some books that you read, knowing that they will stay with you for a long time. Victoria Bennett’s memoir is one of those books ... All My Wild Mothers is one of the most achingly precious books that I have encountered in recent times’ On Magazine So many people can relate I'm sure, to the struggles and heartache we're faced with over the years. Victoria writes, 'when I imagined our future, it held no grief', and I know that feeling well. When you settle down into adult life, you have a vision of what your life will be, and it doesn't involve suffering. But finding joy in the little things, like creating a garden full of small wonders, is a magic unto itself. While life and death go hand in hand, a thing Bennet knows first-hand as she experienced pregnancy loss, it is terribly difficult to grief ‘properly’ in a time which is stereotypically presented as joyous. New mothers, in any case, are often forced to internally fight with doubts, fears and negative thoughts, but this is exacerbated when death has also joined the party.Founder of the rural, radical Wild Women Press. Programming, delivering & producing Wild Women workshops, projects, live events & publications in rural Cumbria and beyond, working with over 2000 women. Curating the global #WildWomanWeb. Co-ordinating multi-artist projects and touring. Organising annual creative retreats for 20 years. www.wildwomenpress.com

This stark and intimate memoir begins with Victoria relaying the death of her sister, the grief that came with it, and how it shaped her life. At that time, Victoria was pregnant with her son and all the stress had an impact on her physical and emotional well-being. I am currently working on All My Wild Mothers , a nature memoir that examines motherhood, loss, and the ancient art of wortcunning. This work- in-progress was long-listed for the Nan Shepherd Prize (2019) and the Penguin WriteNow Programme (2020). I am grateful to New Writing North and The Society of Authors, for awarding me the Northern Debut Award and an Authors' Foundation grant to complete this work. The publisher bought UK and Commonwealth rights from Jenny Hewson at The Lutyens & Rubinstein Literary Agency in a five-way auction for publication in February 2023. At seven months pregnant, Victoria Bennett was looking forward to new motherhood and all that was to come. But when the telephone rang, the news she received changed everything. Her eldest sister had died in a canoeing accident. Interview on The Naked Muse Photo-Poetry Project, 2011/12 -- Guardian/BBC/Huffington Post/WriteOutLoud/PhillyMag/View From Here/Poetry FoundationThe book begins at a moment in her life when there is an unexpected death in the family, so grief and coping with it, learning how to manage its lingering presence, plays a significant role in what follows. Bennett won the 2020 Northern Debut Award and was longlisted for both the 2020 Nan Shepherd Prize and Penguin’s 2020 #WriteNow programme. In writing this book she was supported by the Northern Debut Award from New Writing North and given a grant from the Society of Authors.

An intimate memoir of motherhood, herbal folklore ALL MY WILD MOTHERS is more than just a memoir. It’s a handbook on survival, and a testimony to radical hope. All My Wild Mothers is a profound exploration of grief, identity, and rediscovery; a testament that life and love persists, even when we think all is lost. When Bennett is seven months pregnant the phone rings to inform her that her eldest sister has died in a canoeing accident. What is supposed to be a period of preparing for motherhood, turns into a seemingly never-ending grief. Two Roads has won a five-way auction for All My Wild Mothers: A Memoir of Motherhood, Loss and an Apothecary Garden by Victoria Bennett, author and founder of Wild Women Press.

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Publishing “Wounded Angels” (bestselling Franciscan author and poet, Fr. Murray Bodo) and “Orange Dust” (Foreword by The Dalai Lama) - Kenneth Wilson All My Wild Mothers is so good! Really distinctive, interesting writing...I've never read anything quite like it..." (Amy Liptrot, Northern Debut Award). At seven months pregnant, Victoria Bennett learns her sister has died in a canoeing accident. In that moment, her life changes. Can I allow myself to believe in the mystery, alongside the weight of truth, and learn to trust the beauty I find growing in the dark? I found this book poignant, beautifully written, lyrical in places. It will stay with me for a long time.

I am a writer, poet and creative producer. I founded Wild Women Press in 1999 and have spent the last 21 years facilitating creative experiences and curating platforms for women to share ideas, stories, inspirations and actions for positive change, including the global #WildWomanWeb movement and #WildWomanGamer. I hold an MA in Creative Writing from Lancaster University (2002). Previous awards include the Northern Debut Award for non-fiction (2020), the the Mother's Milk Writing Prize (2017), The Writing Platform Digital Literature Bursary (2015), Northern Promise Award for Poetry (2002), and the Waterhouse Award for Poetry (2002). With nearly three decades experience working as a freelance writer and artist, my work includes poetry, non-fiction, video-game narrative, creative writing facilitation, and publishing. I am a co-director of The Wizard and The Wyld, an immersive digital-storytelling partnership.Victoria Bennett is a disabled and chronically-ill poet, author. Her writing spans poetry, memoir, non-fiction and games-based storytelling, and she has She written and talked extensively on grief, care, and writing through times of change. Truly a glimpse inside the world of the writer, stunningly honest storytelling as she shares the grief of loss and the power of new life entwined. Wonderfully written and totally immersive, hard to believe this is a debut. Bennett said: " All My Wild Mothers has been grown over the past 10 years, rooted in the landscape of loss, motherhood, and the complex demands of caregiving. I could never have imagined that one day, it would be published alongside some of our best loved, and treasured champions of the natural world. It is an honour to join the Two Roads family, and to be part of their commitment to publishing stories that inspire us to nurture what connects and sustains, rather than what divides."