While goofing off int eh darkroom (and procrastinating doing any photo stuff), I came across this (old) piece with photographer and mother Marilyn Nance in the 25th anniversary edition of the photo journal "Contact Sheet" (#97)

Because it's long and it's not on-line, I'm only going to quote excerpts, but I thought I'd share it with you all:

"When I was invited to spend a month as Artist-in-Residence at Light Work, everyone said, 'You're going to leave your son?--You're going to leave your husband?--Why are you going to do that?--How are you going to work it out?" But I had to work it out.

I stayed at Light Work for 4 weeks, maybe 5 weeks--I lost track of the time. I didn't have an alarm clock or anything. I had an apartment, darkroom, and full use of whatever Light Work had to offer. I woke up when I wanted to, ate a leisurely breakfast, went to the darkroom when I felt like it--everything was very organic. I worked until I felt like stopping. Even now, I lack adequate work space, and thinking and dreaming space; I get crowded in by other people. that crowding-in keeps me away from my own work--or from even having the time to think about what my real work is in this world...

...I love working in the darkroom but I'm almost afraid sometimes because I know that I'll get totally immersed. I've had times when I'm in the darkroom and my son is knocking on the door, 'Mommy?' When he was a baby I put his baby seat on the dry side, and I worked like that. When he grew up to be 2 and 4 I'd set him up on the dry side and he'd hit the button & expose the paper & we would work like that. There's a point where you wonder, 'Is this neglect?' Wouldn't it be better to be immersed in the family stuff at home, and then remove yourself to be immersed in your own work, and then come back and get back into the family stuff, instead of always juggling & apologizing, 'No, not now, I'm on the phone," or 'I'm in the darkroom.'

It's amazing that I'm a photographer at all. There's no place in the history of photography for a person like me. When most people think of a photographer, they're thinking of a privileged white male. They're not thiking of a black woman from the projects."

Unfortunately, I can't find links to her photos on-line (and it's late and I'm tired and I've finally gotten my hands wet in the darkroom again after a month of uninspired shirts), so if you're interested, look her up in the library!