A few days after last year's Mother's Day, a most amazing submission was sent to I, Anonymous, from a woman addressing the itchy facts of how Mother's Day feels to a mother whose child was born dead.

The submission was astonishingly eloquent, and I immediately set it aside for publication in The Stranger before 2010's Mother's Day. (I also emailed the author to thank her for the submission and let her know my wait-and-publish plans, to which she was amenable and grateful). Then, late last fall, my hard drive died, taking with it my one and only copy of this amazing I, Anon submission as well as the writer's contact info.

I regret that I am unable to share this I, Anon with you, but of course my regret is nothing compared to the feelings of the mother of a stillborn child, which helps my segue to a more joyful topic: Tonight's "She Said: Women's Lives Through Poetry and Prose" reading at Hugo House, organized by and featuring Monica LeMoine, whose just-published book Knocked Up, Knocked Down deals extensively (and with impressive dark humor) with her experience of stillbirth.

For more info on LeMoine and tonight's other readers (all of whom I'll be introducing as the night's honorary male lady) see this Seattlest post.

And happy early Mother's Day to any and all mothers whose babies aren't around to commemorate the day. (If you haven't yet, you should check out Monica LeMoine's Knocked Up, Knocked Down blog.)