Mawmaw is an intimate, long-term exploration of West Virginia's grandfamilies, households where children are raised by their grandparents. Spanning all four seasons, the work moves beyond the usual narratives around the opioid crisis to examine the many reasons grandparents step into a caregiving role: incarceration, death, unpreparedness, or neglect.

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Through photographs made between 2022 and 2026, the photobook weaves together everyday life — from birthdays and play to exhaustion and resilience — to show both the triumphs and the struggles of these families. At the heart of it all are the grandmothers themselves, who keep these children fed, happy, and deeply loved, protecting them from the uncertainty and instability of the foster care system. Personal journal entries and letters from the grandmothers themselves expand the story, giving them space to speak in their own words.

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“What began as a documentary project quickly became babysitting, dinners, holidays, birthdays, and deep relationships. These families welcomed me as one of their own. Most visits I would hardly photograph at all. I would spend entire days with them and they would never let me leave hungry. I came to understand each family’s unique circumstances and how crucial their Mawmaws are in their lives.

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This journey transformed me as well. It taught me how to be a father, a role I once thought I might never know how to do. In the final year of photographing these families, I visited their homes with my own baby daughter in my arms. I am forever grateful for Mawmaw.” - Anthony Wilson

Published by Guest Editions and Pomegranate Press.

Available to purchase below:

Guest Editions
Pomegranate Press