Alumna Nicole Lipson ’98 was inspired by many of her literary heroes as she wrote her new book, Mothers and Other Fictional Characters, which came out March 4.

From Kate Chopin to Maya Angelou to Shakespeare, she uses literature in the book to grapple with society’s expectations of mothers, and of women.

“One of my essays, ‘As You Like It,’ is about my experience witnessing my oldest child migrate from the identity of a girl to the identity of a boy, and trying to figure out in real time, having no experience of this, how to parent in this situation,” Lipson said. “I turned toward [Shakespeare’s] ‘As You Like It’ and Rosalind became a filter through which I contemplated and grappled with the changes I was witnessing in my child.

“If you’re someone for whom books are an important part of life, tying them into your work is organic and natural.”

Read the full story on The College of Arts & Sciences website.