by Michelle LaCroix

Essays that ask what the body already knows.

Through personal essay, I collect and circle fragments that resonate, finding language for truths we know but cannot yet name.

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Selected Essays

Examples of recent work

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Holding Onto Dead Roses

on Nutcracker nostalgia and one-sided longing

For the Creatures That Glow

on attention, body visibility, and finding each other in the dark

Twelve Facts About Lungs

on the magic of female friendship

When I Feel Fragile, I Look to Sequoias

on aging, ancient trees, and familiar fruit

Writer • Coach • Pen-and-Paper Devotee

Hi! I’m Michelle.

I'm an essayist based in Central Virginia. I write about what the body remembers—using memory, the natural world, and unlikely connections to explore womanhood, desire, and becoming.

You can read my work on Substack, where I publish braided essays and reflections on craft. I'm also a certified iPEC coach, an anxious bunny, and an obsessive re-watcher. I live with my husband and our very silly cat Darla.

After years writing about people-pleasing under The Hearty Fig, those resources are archived here if you're interested.

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Muscle Memory

Personal essays that focus on memory and womanhood, plus side quests into craft. Recent essays have explored:

Bioluminescent creatures and body visibility

The architecture of lungs and female friendship

Sequoias, aging, and what it means to stay wild

Ballet nostalgia and one-sided longing

Craft techniques for accessing and writing into body memory

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