Mother Tongue #9
190 x 240 mm, 128 pages
Houston/Los Angeles, US
Biannual
First published 2021
Founders/editors: Melissa Goldstein and Natalia Rachlin
Creative director and design: Vanessa Saba
Mother Tongue was launched by two mothers tired of the traditional media portrayal of motherhood. In place of idealised aspiration and agony aunt problem-solving, the boldly-designed magazine focuses on the complex, real lives of mothers and the issues they share around ‘art, sex, pop culture, politics, food and a few things in between’.
For this Fall/Winter 2025 issue, Mother Tongue returns with Erykah Badu on the cover, coinciding with the 25th anniversary tour of her groundbreaking album Mama’s Gun. As ever, the issue platforms a multitude of perspectives, covering the full spectrum of the female experience and serving as a powerful reminder of the connections that are formed, as well as the collective power that is unlocked, when these experiences—however disparate—are shared. As Mother Tongue editors Melissa Goldstein and Natalia Rachlin attest: ‘It’s about the conversation in and of itself, the dialogue, the effort, the ability to exchange and disagree, to be furious but still kind’.
Inside, you’ll find a feature on filmmaker Mary Bronstein’s maternal horror story, starring the indomitable actress and mother of two Rose Byrne as the increasingly claustrophobic lead; writer Alexa Wilding bravely opens up about her life as a ‘cancer mom’; plus, Erykah Badu ushers in a new era of creative fertility, inviting Kate Branch into her Dallas home to discuss spirituality and motherhood.
On the Journal:
At work with Mother Tongue, ‘The pandemic was definitely our spark, because we both (had to) put work on pause to stay home with our kids when schools shut down in the spring of 2020. The load on mothers the world over just got so intense, and we felt like there were so few arenas to have candid, more nuanced conversations about the realities of motherhood today...’
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On Vimeo:
magCulture meets Mother Tongue, recorded at the magCulture Shop on 30 June 2022.
watch now