Written by moms, read by moms, reviewed by moms. That’s Mama Lit.

The Mama Lit Review Team consists of busy, hip mamas from around the country. We represent a variety of family structures
(with one to nine kids), work situations, religious and political beliefs, cultures, and a variety of personal interests.
We know how hard it is to find time to read, let alone the time to research the hundreds of books that are released daily
clamoring for your attention (and money). We take the guesswork out of it for you by reading the books that are being talked
about in playgrounds and boardrooms across the globe, and let you in on our honest feedback.

Then once we’ve read and reviewed the Mama Lit that’s out there, it’s your turn!
Start the conversation by leaving a comment. We’d love to know what you think about the reviews, if you disagree or
agree with the points made in reviews if you’ve read the book in question, if a review prompted you to go out and buy
a book, if a book changed your world views. We’d love to hear from you!

Be sure to sign up for our mailing list, which automatically puts you in our online book club, where you don’t have to find a sitter
or wait for your husband to come home so you can attend the meeting; the book club where you don’t need to clean your house
or cook anything for a potluck; the book club where you can hang out with your girlfriends in your jammies at midnight or 4am
after getting up with a crying baby; the book club where you can actually discuss BOOKS and all of the
amazing mama lit writers of the world.

Currently our review team is full, but if you are interested in joining our review team in the future, please send us an email.

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THE MAMA LIT REVIEW TEAM

photo by Amy McMullen Photography

Marlynn Jayme Schotland
Portland, Oregon
Mother of two (ages 5 and 2)
Adventure, silliness and laughter are important parts of everyday in the Schotland household. With a creative Web geek papa
and an obsessive multitasker/entrepreneur mama, the Schotland kids are forced into nightly sing-a-longs,
silly games and crazy storytelling. A former tv anchor/reporter and public relations professional, Marlynn now runs a
graphic & web design + pr studio as well as a super cool organization for mama entrepreneurs. She is also a
Twitter addict and serial blogger: as witnessed here, here, here, and here. Her mission in life is to support fellow moms
in all endeavors, especially in finding harmony and fulfillment in our work as professionals and as mothers. She knows
that being a mom can make life a little crazy, and it helps to know that others are living the madness right along with you.

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Kristin Benson

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Lara Colvin
Chicago, IL
Mom to a 3.5 year old daughter
Being a high school college counselor has greatly helped Lara maneuver the maze of admissions into… not Yale, not Smith,
not Dickinson but junior kindergarten for her 3 year old. Luckily, all of the applications have been sent;
the essays have been written; the interviews have gone well, so it appears her daughter will be allowed to learn her ABC’s after all.
She will, however, be expected to save the world from all evil and wrongdoings as repayment to her parents for the atrocious cost.
An avid reader and writer, Lara occasionally (well regularly) makes her famous dinner of take-out-from-around-the-corner so
she may read princess books. Someday, she will learn to tango, but for now practices her high-jump skills at home over the toys
and laundry. In her downtime (as if), she enjoys books without pictures, her husband, and red wine.
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Kate Crawford
Newark, DE
Mom to 1 son (8 months)

Kate Crawford is a stay at home momma, living in Newark, Delaware with her husband Scott and 8 month old boy, Nathan.
Kate spends most of her days lounging around the house in pressed silk pajamas, eating bon-bons and watching soaps.
Her genius son plays quietly in his room for hours, hand carving wooden blocks. Her husband does all of the cooking, shopping,
cleaning, and laundry. He also lactates. Therefore, Kate is confident she will have plenty of time to read at least a novel
a week…and then craft long thoughtful reviews, bursting with insight and pithy humor.

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Erin Kirkland
Anchorage, AK
Two sons (14 and 3.5)
Erin Kirkland lives in Anchorage, Alaska and is married with two boys, 14 and 3.5. She freely admits that raising a teenager and a
preschooler hold more similarities than differences, but wouldn’t change a thing. OK, maybe some things. A part-time freelance writer
covering the outdoor scene, Erin and her family make the most of her year-round recreational assignments, as long as they don’t
involve bears. Erin has become enamored with the idea of blogging, and contributes to two blogs to date, with two more
under construction. When Erin has time to devote to herself (ha), she relishes 5K’s, skiing, cycling, berry picking (she
makes a mean crowberry jelly), Date Night, and a good read with a glass of Pinot Gris. You can read her personal blog here.
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Megan Loeb
Pleasanton, California
Mother of two girls (ages 3.5 and 1.5)
With two boisterous, bright little girls, Megan’s life involves much more squealing than she ever imagined. Comical husband Curtis
and daughters Mary and Lucy (and dog-daughter Greta) keep her laughing and continually reframe her perspective on life.
Following the old “it takes a village” adage, Megan works part-time in Community Relations at a Silicon Valley company to help support
local schools and charities. As a recreational (read: slow) triathlete, she loves the great outdoors almost as much as a good read.
Indicative of every mom’s frenetic schedule, often times Megan’s only shot at escaping the madness of her happy but wild life is her
monthly book club gathering. Thank goodness for comaraderie and books!

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Heather Laird
Ashland, Oregon
Mother of two (ages 5 and 1)
Self described “domestic engineer” and “extreme waste management guru”, Heather Laird finds humor and joy with her young family.
With baby Ann and big sister Grace, Heather is exploring the new world of a stay-at-home mother. Her background in sales, writing,
and occasional marketing seems to have very few practical applications when negotiating with a savvy and overly precocious
five-year-old. And those years of fast-paced business meetings do not help in addressing her infant daughter’s current problem:
a mouth that is a constant spicket of goopy slobber. Yuck. Alas, it all makes her smile. . .
or just leads her to wanting to take a short little nap.

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Dannie McClain
Bella Vista, Arkansas
Mother of two (ages 12 and 7)

Past the diapers, binkys, and slobber stage, Dannie might just be our resident ‘tween’ mom. Her twelve year old son is entering
the teen stage full speed and her darling seven year old daughter is trailing not too far behind. When not spending her evenings
reminding her son to take a shower, wrestling a sixth grade math problem, running late for some sport, or reading the latest princess
story, she spends many hours following up on her many blogs – here, here, here, and here - e-mails, and doing her own
homework, struggling for her Marketing degree. In addition to both her full-time family and college, Dannie spends her days as
a Category Manager for a textiles company headquartered in New Jersey. Don’t be fooled by the corporate job, Dannie
is branching out and is wanting to fulfill her dream of writing for a living. Better late than never when capturing your dream.

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Melanie McCluskey
Brooklyn, NY
Mother of one daughter (age 1)

As a full-time mom, part-time retail copywriter, once-in-awhile journalist, and voracious reader, Melanie is learning the fine
maternal art of balancing everything she loves. When she’s not introducing her one-year-old daughter Maureen to the wonders of
Spanish music class and foot-high parallel bars at the park, Melanie tries to keep up with her grown-up interests of fashion, music,
Dominican culture, and of course books. One of these days, Melanie hopes to start running again and eventually finish a marathon.
But for now, she’s happy that the only marathons she endures are daylong swing-pushing sessions at the playground.

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Kalynne Pudner
Auburn, Alabama
Mother of nine (19, 17, 16, 14, 13, 11, 9, 9 and 5)

Earning a Philosophy Ph.D. while birthing, raising and home-educating a houseful of children helped Kalynne learn to read and
editorialize with utmost efficiency. She also learned that a stash of books in her well-lit closet is the most viable escape route
from brain-numbing chaos spawned by nine kids and a hundred-odd college students. What better use of these lessons than to
join the Mama Lit review team? When she is not doing laundry or teaching ethics at Auburn University, Kalynne can be
found running, playing tennis, concocting martini varietals, or (most likely) blogging as The Philosopher-Mom.

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Mary Bordner Tanck
Pleasant Hill, MO
Mom to Shelby (9 months)

Mary has one daughter, Shelby who is 9 months old, and a wonderful husband, John. Mary is the funniest person she knows.
Well, not really; but she likes to think so. Does that count? She has a Wonder Woman cape, but it’s usually either tangled up
in her feet or in the dirty clothes mountain. By day, she builds high-rise buildings and in the afternoon she answers her true
calling to motherhood. Mary enjoys hanging out with her baby and husband, scrapbooking, fishing, crafting, and reading.