Bodylove with Corie Feiner

Embracing Our Bodies As They Are

You may remember meeting Corie Feiner in this newsletter in July 2023. Corie writes her own weekly Substack newsletter filled with poems, thoughts, and reflections on yoga, writing, and life. Her archive is a journey into the wisdom and benefits of the practice.

I was a lucky participant in Corie’s online Body Love Poetry Workshop, an exploration of the craft of poetry applied to appreciating our bodies with all our faults, flaws, beauty, and breath-taking wonder. We were inspired by the poetry of Lucille Clifton, Marge Percy, Sharon Olds, Kara Jackson, and others. We moved into our bodies with mudras, mantras, and gentle movement. We wrote poems about our hands, hips, breasts, and bellies and shared them with a perfectly-sized group of nine. You can read more about Corie’s workshop here, and here, and here, and you can sample a free workshop on Sunday, April 28th at 10 AM EST. I highly recommend this workshop as a way to develop a friendlier relationship with your body. No previous poetry experience required.

About the workshop, Corie says, “We need community, deep embodiment, and ways to learn to unconditionally love ourselves more than ever. We’ll move our bodies, breath deeply, read, and write original poetry. Most importantly, we’ll share our work in a safe and supportive space.”

Read more about the Bodylove Poetry Workshop here, and read on for a sampling of poems written during the workshop.

These Claw-like Hands by Corie Feiner

These hands are claws made to
grasp a bare branch, scratch

at white bark, they

caw and caw and

pick up their prey—yes,
that stray field mouse
on the side of the road – yes—

that turtle, that hatchling, that hope.

They have been wild with a
a will of their own
to claw past any pain.

These hands are red and cracked
and tired from hunting night
after night for my children

who cried from their

nests always for

more… more… more

I place the scar of hands
on the nest of my laps
and open them

as if there were eyes
in the center
of my palms,

as if they could see me,
as if I was holy,

as if I was
whole.

Corie Feiner is the Poet Laureate Emeritus of Bucks County, PA and an award-winning poet, performer and educator called "wonderful" by The New York Times and "absorbing" by Backstage Magazine. Her popular Bodylove Poetry Writing Workshop is the outcome of her journey to foster radical self-love and self-acceptance in our bodies and our entire beings through the power of awareness and poetry.

Corie admires the innate creativity that lives in us all. She sees everything as metaphor. “The world is full fractals and like things. Being creative helps me keep an open mind and understand that we are constantly creating our lives in this world.”

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Next Bodylove Workshop! 

• Dates: May 5, 12, 19, 26

• Times: Sundays at 10 AM EST 

• Duration: 1.5 hours

• Location: Online via Zoom

• Topics: hymen, menstruation, belly / stretch marks, uterus

• Cost: $175

• There will be a free sample workshop on April 28th.

Link for information and registration for the May session of Bodylove. 

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It is Time by Katie Anne Jamieson

when I notice 
more cuts and scratches
on my hands, my arms

I know it is time to
hold you in my arms
soft belly up, claws
relaxed and retracted

rubbing your soft belly
cradling you in scratched
arms, I hold your little paws

ask your sharp parts
to show themselves,
needle sharp at the ends

and I clip one nail,
then two; but you don't 
like it, but it is time

your protest matters
and so I look you in the eye
and rub your nose
like you like, soothe
your fear of being out of control

in the back and forth of
the soothing and the
breaking off of the
sharpness
I never stop holding you
with firm and attentive care

I love you
and I want to be close to you

I do not want to bleed for love

you, my sweet cat,
are not the only
one hurting me with
unaddressed sharpness

I scratch myself
scratch and scratch 
and now when I notice,
I am learning to
hold myself, to feel,
acknowledge, and be gentle

I rub my soft belly
and rub my scared nose
sooth myself with firm,
attentive care

I will not rush
or clamp down and force
this breaking off;
I don't like it, but it is time

The sharpness has protected me
and I am so grateful
and I don't need it anymore

I can love myself in this way
I must say goodbye
to these sharp claws
so fear is not my first name

now I call myself soft,
I call myself love

Katie Anne Jamieson (she/her) is a writer, editor, and massage therapist based in northern Indiana. She is curious and kind, always pursuing personal growth and meaningful connection. Katie is a certified cat lady, salsa dancer, and lover of flowers. You can spot her driving around town and the country in her 1990 Toyota Corolla Wagon or funky 1984 Chevy G20 conversion van. You can find her on Instagram @breath.of.freedom.poetry and read more of her poetry at www.breathoffreedompoetry.substack.com.

Interview with Katie Anne Jamieson

Katie has been writing since childhood. She discovered poetry in college and started writing poetry in earnest 6 years ago while going through a big life transition. She finds writing a therapeutic process and loves following her curiosity.

How has your work changed over the years?

It started as a seedling and has grown out and expanded into a tree with many branches and leaves. My work now engages with a broader community, just like I do. It is braver, and it is less concerned with following the rules.

Who are your favorite creatives? Who do you admire and why?

I don’t really like to pick favorites, but my best friend Rebecca, an illustrator, inspires me in how she approaches all of life with gusto and makes everything beautiful around her. Joy Harjo, David Whyte, Andrea Gibson, Ellen Bass, and Wendell Berry are poets I love. Each are so present and honest and help me be more attuned to what matters.

What are you reading / listening to these days?

The Sweet Breathing of Plants, a book of essays edited by Linda Hogan and Brenda Peterson; The Will to Change by Bell Hooks; The First Four Books of Poems by Louise Gluck.

What do you do when you are ‘stuck?’

Hike, bike, swim, nap, play with my cat.

How often do you write? Do you have rituals or routines?

Mostly I write as inspiration arrives. Sometimes I sit down to write because I want to be inspired. Sometimes I write because my brain will explode if I don't.

What is your process for creating/completing a new work?

I write and edit as I am writing. Writing and editing flow together. I rarely come back to edit poetry days or weeks or months later, but sometimes I do. My prose writing process is very different.

Do you have a funny story or anecdote about being creative?

I wrote a sexy fruit poem inspired by my friend's 6-year-old daughter. She said that she "spanks the pomegranate" to get the seeds out. And I was like ... oh man ...

What advice do you have for aspiring writers/creatives?

Be playful, curious, and present. Do not create what you think others want you to create. Do not seek perfection. It does not exist.

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