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Essays that ask what the body already knows.

I write research-driven personal essays that use memory, the natural world, and unlikely connections to explore what the body remembers.
 
 
 
 
 
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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

Essays about what the body already knows—exploring womanhood, desire, and questions that won't let go.
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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