How do women writers cope with changes and juggle the demands in their already full lives to make time for their lives as artists? In this anthology, noted female novelists, journalists, essayists, poets, and nonfiction writers address the old and new challenges of "doing it all" that face women writers as the twenty-first century approaches. With eloquence, sensitivity, and more than a touch of wry humor, Sleeping with One Eye Open relates positive stories from women who lead effective lives as artists, emphasizing how sources of inspiration, discipline, resourcefulness, and determination help them succeed despite the obstacle of "no time." The title essay, Judith Ortiz Cofer's "The Woman Who Slept with One Eye Open," defines the collection. Cofer relates the ways in which a mythological story from her Puerto Rican culture gave her confidence and courage, encouraging her creative success and emphasizing the rewards of "women's power" and personal strength. Denise Levertov's "The Vital Necessity" urges poets to make time for daydreams--essential, empowering creative food. Tillie Olsen offers a frank discussion of the pressures of work and expectations that too often sap creative energy. Tess Gallagher connects her mother's creative gardening with her own inspiration as a poet and the need for growth in her writing. Marilyn Kallet's interview with Lucille Clifton relates the personal strength that helped Clifton raise six children and publish her first book at the same time. This affirming collection offers a wealth of writing advice, given through honest accounts of perseverance and accomplishment.

A child doesn't ask to be born; they are brought into the world by their parents. If they're lucky, that child is nurtured, fed, loved, and guided by their mother and father. They are given a home and shelter, an education, something to occupy them, and they are protected from the worst the world has to offer. This wasn't the case for Helen. Told even from an early age that she was a mistake, and forced to feel that she should apologise simply for existing, Helen was born to a mother who did not seem to want her. Her early life was a series of abuses, mental and physical, and a daily struggle to become something better than the model presented to her at home. What do you do when the one person who is supposed to be your loving guardian is instead your greatest persecutor? What can a child do? For Helen, there was only one option: endure. She survived years of her mother's abuse, and her father's neglect, and tried as well as she could to look after herself and her younger brother, Matthew. This is an affecting memoir about Helen's tumultuous childhood, a story about the rotten core that can lie behind an unsuspicious facade. For every picture-perfect family there may be a child next-door, barely surviving.

Eva Richardson had a rough upbringing, but she stuck to her guns and achieved her goals of graduating college. Meeting and marrying Walter Watson was the icing on the cake, and now Eva is living a fairytale lifestyle many women only dream of. However, the glitz and glamour of love soon turns a little black and blue, and she soon realizes that she's in hell on earth. Eventually Pandora's Box blows wide open and all Walter's ugly secrets ooze out. Eva is forced to decide if this is just a phase or if the saying, "he doesn't love you if he doesn't hit you every now and again" is true. Love, passion, and betrayal take a horrible turn, and Eva is forced to face a life-altering event. Will Walter and Eva find their way to a happily ever after? Or will their love affair end with broken hearts and pain that can't be undone?

As in previous books in this critically acclaimed series, Brynie polled hundreds of high school students across the country to find out what they wanted to know most about sleep and dreams. Using an accessible question-and-answer format, Brynie helps readers discover and learn facts about the physical, emotional, and social topics surrounding sleeping and dreaming, including how and why we sleep, sleep disorders, and sleep and the brain.