Tag: Body Narrative

A narrative based in the bodily experiences—physical, emotional and more—of a central subject (personal essay or poetry) or character (fiction). Body narrative is a growing trend in not only artistic venues but also medicinal. "Developed at Columbia University in 2000, 'Narrative Medicine' fortifies clinical practice with the ability to recognize, ... Read More

 Voice is the person behind the words that speaks out to the audience… Voice is your personality and resonance flowing in print.                                                                                                             —Utley We learn to speak very young; even before basic language is learned, an infant will vocalize sounds that range from coos of pleasure to cries of ... Read More

I was not ladylike, nor was I manly. I was something else altogether. There were so many different ways to be beautiful.                                       —Michael Cunningham (A Home at the End of the World) Traditional conceptions of gender and sexuality permeate every aspect of our society and culture, affecting not only ... Read More

Parting is all we need to know of hell. –Emily Dickinson Among all of the emotions we can have, love is one of the most exhilarating and powerful. Hormones associated with love include dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, adrenaline, vasopressin, testosterone, and estrogen—all of which are part of the brain’s reward system ... Read More

Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul And sings the tune without the words And never stops at all -- Emily Dickinson Barbara Kingsolver begins her 2008 Duke University commencement address, "How to Be Hopeful," with: “The very least you can do in your life is ... Read More

A library is a place where you can lose your innocence without losing your virginity. —Germaine Greer The word “virgin” generally indicates naivety, innocence, or inexperience in a particular context. Virginity can also represent sharing a previously un-shared part of yourself with a partner, and, for this reason, is often ... Read More

They wouldn’t need much, would they? A few small fish, an arrangement of figs. A little paper. A handful of words. —Carole Maso [i] In her poem “The Invitation,” Oriah Mountain Dreamer reminds us: It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ... Read More

The only disability in life is a bad attitude. —Scott Hamilton We are constantly adding to the narrative of our bodies. Every bump, scrape, bruise and cut alters our physical shape—and, as our bodies transform, so too do the ways we see ourselves, others, and the world around us. Nowhere ... Read More

Have you ever worked on a story that you knew was tied into another story: one you didn’t want to write. One you have never wanted to write. And then you wrote it. Ultimately, it was the most vulnerable writing you’ve ever done. The reward: Intuitive knowledge. Vulnerability. Writing that came ... Read More

Pretty is something you’re born with. But beautiful, that’s an equal opportunity adjective.                                                                     Author unknown The ... Read More

The female nether regions divide Americans into two distinct camps. On one side are the people who cannot bring themselves to say, hear, or read the word vagina no matter how legitimate the circumstances that prompt its use. Depending on whether they over-identify with daytime talk show hosts or public ... Read More

Do you notice what other people wear? Do you ever feel self-conscious about your own clothes? Although we may dismiss clothing as surface-level compared to the body and personality, clothes are central to ways our bodies are experienced, presented, and understood within culture. Clothes mediate between the naked body and ... Read More

All writers are the same. We all have lungs and wrists and feet. Sylvia Plath had a belly button. Jane Austen had knees. Having this awareness embodiment makes the writers we admire more human. “Sharon Olds mentioned that after hearing a talk about Emily Dickinson, she suddenly flashed upon a ... Read More

No one will love us until we love ourselves   You can’t touch it, but it affects how you feel. You can’t see it, but it’s there when you look in the mirror. You can’t hear it, but it’s there when you talk or think about yourself.  Self-image: one’s concept ... Read More

  A person will sometimes devote all his life to the development of one part of his body –the wishbone.  –Robert Frost    Our bodies respond to our thoughts, emotions, and our inner spirit. In this  column you will be asked to dialogue with your body and explore what your ... Read More

One puts down the first line…in trust that life and language are abundant enough to complete it. Wendell Berry  To fully connect with the skin you live in now, you may want to blindfold yourself and touch your elbows, your heels, your hips, your face. Taking the visual element out ... Read More

We take these sounds as testimony: violin, skin, tongue. Our bodies know these testimonies as beauty. --Susan Griffin Words have mysterious and profound power. The process of writing can be life changing and therapeutic. Research suggests that expressive writing can improve health and well being. Dr. James Pennebaker, the premier ... Read More

Our bodies conceptualize not only themselves but also each other, murmuring: Yes, you are there; yes, you are you; yes, you can love and be loved. –Nancy Mairs, from “Body in Trouble” (2011)   What is Body Narrative? Body narrative is simply writing the story of our bodies. In this type ... Read More