Books about fathers are a dime a dozen — good fathers, bad fathers, absent fathers, disappointed fathers. But you're unlikely to see a whole lot of pieces written by white men that really delves into the complexities and importance of motherhood, and white men are still overrepresented in the literary world. For that reason alone, if you walk into a bookstore and pull a book from the essay or biography sections out at random, it's more likely to be about daddy issues than what it means to be a mother.

That's why Thursday's themed reading at Hugo House is so important. Five writers are sharing new pieces that explore "how motherhood is rendered in their work, and the impact that motherhood has had on their lives as writers."

The authors are a good mix of local talent: poet Amber Flame, essayist Anne Liu Kellor, medical/health writer Mary Pan, memoirist Carla Sameth, and nonfiction author Samantha Claire Updegrave. The fact that the lineup is majority women of color, too, is likely to add to the experience, as Americans tend to other nonwhite moms in some damning ways.

It's great to see Hugo House present a showcase of writers tackling a specific theme in depth and in unison. Here's hoping this is just the first of a series of feminist explorations of representation in writing; these kinds of events are vital for starting conversations that should have happened decades ago.

Hugo House, 1634 11th Avenue, 322-7030, http://hugohouse.org, 7 pm, free.