My name is Rita Arens, and this is my house.
I started this blog in 2004 shortly after the birth of my daughter. I started it to chronicle her life and my experience as her mother. At this point, I'm writing so we both will know who I am and who I was after I've long since forgotten.
I'm an editor in corporate America and a freelance writer. I've written over 50 articles for periodicals including Scholastic Parent & Child, Babble, The Kansas City Star, Greater Kansas City Business, KC Weddings, Art and Ingram's. My fiction and poetry has been published in Circle Magazine online, The Rockhurst Review, Camas, Offerings, and Number One.
I'm a contributing editor for BlogHer in the mommy & family category, and I also post product and book reviews at Surrender, Dorothy: Reviews and Cool Mom Picks. I've written professionally for SuperEco and Savvy Source. My LinkedIn profile is here. You can find me on Twitter here. I'm on Facebook, but we have a tenuous relationship. I've done some speaking, most notably at BlogHer 2008 and BlogHer 2009 (liveblog here), the 2008 Kansas City Literary Festival and 2009 Chicks Who Click. I appeared on the Walt Bodine Show in 2008.
Along with 24 amazing contributors, I published an anthology in fall 2008 from Chicago Review Press called Sleep Is for the Weak: The Best of the Mommybloggers Including Amalah, Finslippy, Fussy, Woulda Coulda Shoulda, Mom-101, and More!, which won a 2009 gold NAPPA award. I'm currently looking for an agent for my first picture book, Bella Eats the Monsters, and my young adult novel, Empty Plate.
I'm a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and the Missouri Writers Guild.
You can reach me at ritajarens(at)gmail(dot)com.
