Cyborg Conception Book Launch and Panel Talk: The Importance of Storytelling for Solo Mothers by Choice
When:
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Venue:
Online
Grace Halden's new book, Cyborg Conception: Cultural and Critical Responses to Solo Motherhood by Choice, explores the growing popularity of solo motherhood via gamete donation and examines how this type of “cyborg conception” is narrated in medicine, bioethics, fiction, and memoir. "Cyborg Conception combines memoir and scholarly research to present a deeply nuanced and rigorous overview of the solo motherhood phenomenon."
You can read the blurb and order the book (or individual chapters) here: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-59386-4 (You do not need to have purchased the book or read it to attend! There will not be a quiz!)
Grace will offer a short reading from Chapter Two and discuss the memoir element of her book and the importance of positive and personal storytelling to counteract the numerous problematic narratives surrounding being a solo mother through gamete donation.
The event also welcomes three guest speakers: Nicola, Alexis, and Tory. These speakers were interviewed for Cyborg Conception and shared their stories about becoming solo mothers in Chapter Five. In the second half of the event, they will discuss their own lived experiences but also why they felt it was important to speak openly about their journeys and why storytelling is critical for creating positive portrayals of donor-assisted reproduction and solo parenting.
A Q&A session will conclude the event.
Everyone is welcome to this free event, which will be recorded, with recordings made available to those with tickets.
Contact name:
Grace Halden
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Dr Grace Halden
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I am a cultural historian with a broad focus on technology and posthumanism. I specialise in reproductive health, reproductive technologies, assisted reproduction (IUI and IVF), donor conception, and bioethics. I mainly work on 20th and 21st century literature and culture. My work is interdisciplinary and sits in the juncture between literary studies and medical humanities. I am a solo mother by choice through gamete donation and write creative non-fiction about this experience.