In this long, layered poem, noted scholar Deborah Schnitzer conducts an examination of identity and motherhood by building a discourse around the life and work of Gertrude Stein. In Loving Gertrude Stein, Steins life becomes intertwined with that of Schnitzers narrator, and the resulting exploration considers the influence and importance Steins work has hadnot only for the narrator, but for women in general. Both those who have an interest in Steins life and work, and those who come to know her through this book, will be rewarded on many levels, not the least of which being Schnitzers rich use and mapping of the language that she uses to create a discourse with this venerable icon of womens literature.