Photographer Winky Lewis remembers a time—her kids were still in diapers then—when motherhood seemed slow-going. But in 2013, as her daughter and two sons approached their teenage years, time was passing faster than she liked.
Her longtime neighbor, the writer Susan Conley, felt the same way. So they embarked on an experiment designed to help them register motherhood at a pace that better allowed for reflection and appreciation. The result is a book of stories and photographs, Stop Here, This Is the Place: A Year in Motherland, which Down East Books published in April.
Each week for two years, Lewis sent Conley a photographic dispatch from the world of the children in her life, which unfolded before her in small moments at home and the surrounding neighborhood. Conley, in return, sent back a short story written in response to the image.
“Getting those emails was like Christmas each week,” Lewis said.
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The photos in Stop Here, This Is the Place, which are collected from the first year only, reflect a vision of childhood that’s peaceful and idyllic. Lewis’ children are friends with Conley’s sons, and they’re often seen running, climbing, and playing outside together in a picturesque landscape of green lawns and sunshine.
“They put up with me taking a lot of pictures. My kids, Susan’s, and the other kids on our street, are all very good sports about my camera,” Lewis said.
Lewis and Conley live on the same block in Portland, Maine, and though they saw each other regularly during the year, they chose to refrain from talking about the project throughout the process.
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“My instinct was just to sort of tuck it away with the photo from the week and await the next one. I think I didn’t want to ruin a good thing,” she said.
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Seeing a year of life and growth mapped out in the book is a little daunting, Lewis said, noting that the daughter in the photo on the first page is much smaller and younger than the one who appears on the last page a year later. But there’s no doubt in her mind that the experience was worthwhile.
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“I really hope that we can shine a light on the importance of just a moment, to inspire a pause and some reflection. I find I don’t do enough of that, even in this beautiful little world I inhabit on my quiet little street in Portland. Working on this book with Susan opened my eyes to that,” she said.