Jessica Bates

Jessica Bates is a writer, a Nashville native, and a reading enthusiast. Her grandfather sold books to schools and book fairs, so she grew up around lots of books.

Jessica released her first book Birth & What Came After in May of 2017. It explores the joys and sorrows of motherhood with accessible poetry and short prose. Her work has been compared to Sharon Olds, Martha Silano, and Gabriela Mistral. Her second collection will feature miscarriage pieces as well as more portrayals of the complexities of motherhood.

You can hear Jessica Bates and Barbara Demske, founder of The First Latch breastfeeding community, talk boobs, babies, VBACs, and beyond on episode 2 of The First Latch podcast. You can also hear Jessica read the poem Weaning there, the poem that Barbara connected with while feeding her (probably) last nursling.

You can find Jessica on Instagram @_jessicabates, where she loves sharing her current reads & other randomness. To stay in the know about Jessica’s future writing projects, sign up for her newsletter on her website @ jessicabateswriter.com.

Jessica writes poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction.