Graduation Season
July 9th, 2026 | by Cheryl Klein
“So, like, time passes and then we die. Is that all there is?”
About Cheryl Klein
Cheryl Klein
Cheryl Klein’s column, “Hold it Lightly,” appears monthly(ish) in MUTHA. She is the author of Crybaby (Brown Paper Press), a memoir about wanting a baby and getting cancer. She also wrote a story collection, The Commuters (City Works Press) and a novel, Lilac Mines (Manic D Press). Her stories and essays have appeared in Blunderbuss, The Normal School, Razorcake, Literary Mama, and several anthologies. Her MUTHA column “Onesie, Never Worn” was selected as a Notable Essay in Best American Essays 2022. She blogs about the intersection of art, life, and carbohydrates at breadandbread.blogspot.com. Follow her on Threads: @cherylekleinla.
Author Archives: Cheryl Klein
A Dark History of White Saviors: Paige Towers on Her New Book About Familicide and Korean Adoption
May 15th, 2026 | by Cheryl Klein
"What happens when vulnerable children become symbols of religion, generosity, and multiculturalism? What happens when they’re no longer autonomous individuals?"
G is for Generation: On Finishing Our Parents’ Projects, Or Not
April 10th, 2026 | by Cheryl Klein
What am I doing for myself? What am I doing for my kid(s)? When is it time to give up on my own achievements and pass the torch
Cookies and Other Sustenance: Economic Injustice, the Adoption Industrial Complex, and Being Human on the Internet
November 24th, 2025 | by Cheryl Klein
Two things can be true. I can be a good mom and the adoption industrial complex can be an outgrowth of an economic system that favors the white and wealthy.
“Will You Know How Much I Loved You?” Tiffany Graham Charkosky on Parenting in the Face of Cancer Risk
October 21st, 2025 | by Cheryl Klein
"What makes us human is our willingness to care for those who need it." —Tiffany Graham Charkosky
Free Pass: On Glimmers, Magic, and Magical Thinking
September 25th, 2025 | by Cheryl Klein
Kids dive headfirst into joy without contemplating their worthiness, without guilt, without considering geopolitical context or their most recent bloodwork
Dispatch from the Summer of ICE: May the Ghosts of Chavez Ravine Haunt You
July 3rd, 2025 | by Cheryl Klein
I thought maybe the kids misunderstood how citizenship works. It turns out I did
Forward Facing
June 2nd, 2025 | by Cheryl Klein
People are always trying to predict things about babies: their gender, which parent they’ll look like, whether they’ll be full of grace because they were born on a Tuesday
Requiem for Target
March 28th, 2025 | by Cheryl Klein
Moms daydream about solo trips to Target. Moms make memes about Target. Target promised it had our backs