Misfit Matriarch
Writer and Creator (2011–2020)
​Now offline

I wrote about my experiences as a young, working-class mother on my personal blog, Misfit Matriarch, extending content reach through the blog's Facebook page. The blog and its social media presence became a space to develop my voice and connect with readers, other writers, and editors who later invited me to contribute to their publications. I also created two zines based on the blog’s content.

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Review from Broken Pencil issue 59
When’s the last time you asked a  20-something single parent their  thoughts on co-sleeping and freecycled  car seats? It’s been that long, huh?  Hillary Di Menna knows this, so took  the spirit of her blog Misfit Matriarch,  and turned it into a zine.  Di Menna has a lot to offer on topics  related to single parenthood. Perhaps  that’s what got the Durham Region  journalist to expand on her blog. In “Bus  Routes and Transportation Bouts,” Di  Menna critiques the Durham Region Transit no-strollers-on-public-transit  policy. She goes on to speculate why  angry anti-stroller sentiment started up  in the first place — “… with this ‘loser  label’ hanging over bus riders’ heads,  they may be grasping at straws trying to  find someone they can deem lower than  themselves.” It’s no biggie; Di Menna  and daughter ride on.  In the section entitled “SomeBody,”  Di Menna rights the wrong perceptions  women have toward one another;  infants and expectant mothers included.  Misfit Matriarch #1  also confronts kids’  TV, whiny dads and memories of Di  Menna’s mom.
One fuss, however, is the  zine name. There’s nothing misfit about  the opinions of a 20-something single  parent on things that matter. Then again,  Di Menna probably knows this and is just  waiting for the masses to catch on.  Wait… there’s more! If you’re  interested in lady heroes with “va  va voom hair,” bending baby gender  norms, and telling your neighbour to  piss off memo-style, check out  Misft  Matriarch #2: Summer hissy fits for $3.  The 48-paged zine features a progressive  parent’s reading list and a centerfold of  a pregnant Björk wearing ram horns.  (Nicole Morales)