Belly A Birthing Journal By Sarah Nicholson After a long period of gestation….Belly has finally been born…..and it is beautiful! Belly began as an idea in Editor, Sarah Nicholson’s mind as she lumbered pregnantly from bookstore to bookstore: “I was looking for a creative pregnancy journal. I had seen diaries like RAW Women which have women’s artwork and creative writing and I thought that there must be something beautiful like that designed for pregnant women. I was really surprised that I couldn’t find anything.” After birthing her son, with baby on hip, she set out to create just such a pregnancy journal, slowly collating materials from around Australia which have become Belly. Belly journal is an innovative and original Australian made journal for pregnant women, showcasing contemporary literature and visual arts around the themes of pregnancy, birth and early motherhood. Over 50 contributors from diverse places and spaces around Australia share their wisdom, thoughts and creative responses. The result is an exploration of pregnancy, birth and motherhood through poetry, prose, photography, drawing, painting and sculpture. The works included were selected for their high literary and artistic standard and have a diverse mix of styles designed to appeal to a broad spectrum of tastes. Pregnancy is a significant event in women’s lives with birth as the culmination of this rite of passage. This collection brings together the reflections, feelings and observations of women from this period of their life celebrating the themes of nurturing, sensuality, connection, wonder, love and the creative life of women, exploring the pins and the depths of these transitional experiences. Dispersed among the contributions is space for the pregnant woman to respond, by adding her own creative energies: to write, paint, draw question, respond, dream and wish. Belly is a unique gift for the pregnant woman that will be cherished. Belly is independently produced and self published. Samples of written material and art from the journal can be found on Belly’s website. www.bellyjournal.blogspot.com.