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.
Essays Database
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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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