'My life was stalled, like a train carriage shunted into a siding. I wanted to write about my early life in Paris but I was afraid. Most of the time I was looking after my elderly mother who was unwell, and now my daughter was expecting a baby and would need me too. I felt trapped...' Iola Mathews explores a dilemma familiar to many women - how to nurture your own needs and creativity without neglecting your responsibility to the people you love. This brave and honest memoir explores many of the issues facing women in their fifties and the transition towards peace and fulfilment. MY MOTHER MY WRITING AND ME touches upon universal themes that affect us all as we get older, such as a loss of identity, dependence and above all, the search for an authentic life. Iola Mathews invites us to reflect on what might be our avenue to seek a sense of fulfilment as we age and yet paradoxically accept our own demise. --Dr Peter O'Connor