The Wet Nurse's Tale (36 page)

Allan Gurganus—genius suffused with kindness—continues to show me what an artist looks like. Rebecca Ashburn, my good friend, inspires and instructs.

I found soul food at the table of Edith Feffer. Thanks go to Vicky Dickson, Gina Devine, and Betsy Granda for wit and wisdom. Thanks to Lisa Rubenstein for wisdom and wit. Thanks to Carl and Susan Eisdorfer and Bob and Mary Deming for their support. Thanks also to Barack Obama for just being.

Thank you to my colleagues at the Bull’s Head Bookshop at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, especially to Stacie Smith and Mary Stone. I am indebted to the mighty Walter Royal Davis Library, also at UNC, where I found
Wet Nursing: A History from Antiquity to the Present
and
Breasts, Bottles and Babies: A History of Infant Feeding
, both by Valerie Fildes, rare and valuable books, each. Thank you to Michael Hanson for directing me to the ABNA, which I also thank. Thank you to Alison Robertson and Margaret Grayson for friendship and inspiration and to Barbara Bamberger Scott at A Woman’s Write for a boost to my confidence when I needed it.

Thanks to Dave Deming, the most tolerant of men. And finally, with gratitude and love, thank you to Sandra Eisdorfer, editor, mentor, marvel, and mother.