Meet Cheryl Pallant
Award-winning author, poet, dancer, healer, somaticist, coach, professor, and workshop leader
About Me
I’ve always been captivated by the transformative power of creativity and connection, how our passions and experiences intertwine to shape who we are. My journey has been anything but linear, shaped by a curiosity for the unseen and a desire to explore the deeper layers of life. Whether I’m writing, dancing, engaging somatic intelligence, or observing the world around me, I approach every moment with a spirit of inquiry and awe.
Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to wear many hats: an author, mentor, healer, and explorer of mysteries. My work bridges the gap between the tangible and intangible, blending the resonance of words and silence with a profound appreciation for the connections that tie us together. Through my involvements, I aim to inspire others to see the beauty in the everyday and the extraordinary potential within themselves.
On any given day, you’ll likely find me pursuing one of my passions, whether it’s writing a book, leading a retreat, doing an energy healing, connecting with nature, or coaching, ultimately finding ways to bring light into the world. This website, more than a collection of my work, is an invitation to join me on a journey of discovery, reflection, and transformation.
I practice meditation, drawing from more than four decades of Transcendental Meditation, Tibetan Bon Buddhism, and Soto Zen. I’m also an interfaith minister and co-founder of Integral Meditation Group at Ekoji Buddhist Sangha. I hold a PhD in Somatic Writing and certification in Reiki and Healing Touch, training also in Process-Oriented Psychology, Authentic Movement, shamanism, and yoga.
I founded RVA Litwalk, perform with the theater-dance group Song-ah, lead the Richmond Contact Improvisation Jam, co-founded the Spring East Coast Contact Improvisation Jam and organized the Fall East Coast Contact Improvisation Jam for many years.
My ongoing interests include bicycling, tango, Zouk, sustainability, presence, embodiment, delight, and really good pizza.
My Writing
My writing explores the intersections of creativity, embodiment, consciousness, and connection. My recent books are the poetry collection, Light at the End of the Word, and the nonfiction book, Ecosomatics: Embodiment Practices for a World in Search of Healing. Previous books include Her Body Listening, a collection of poetry; Ginseng Tango, a memoir about living in South Korea; and Writing and the Body in Motion: Awakening Voice through Somatic Practice, on somatic writing; and Contact Improvisation: an Introduction to a Vitalizing Dance Form, on this seminal dance.
Other books in poetry include Continental Drifts, Morphs, Uncommon Grammar Cloth, and Into Stillness; chapbooks, Poetry by Chocolate, The Phrase, Declaration of Independence, and Spontaneities.
Additionally, poetry, fiction, and nonfiction have appeared in numerous print and online magazines such as Fence, HOW2, Tarpaulin Sky, North Dakota Quarterly, Oxford Magazine, Spirituality & Health Magazine, where I am a regular contributor, and in several anthologies like An Introduction to the Prose Poem, Hope Beneath Our Feet, and Spiritual Herstories. I've published over 200 reviews and interviews with dancers, writers, performance artists, and spiritual practitioners from around the globe and was dance critic for a local newspaper.
I received accolades from the Theresa Pollak Prize for Excellence in the Arts, the Virginia Books Award, the Southeastern Book Association, the Bechtel Prize, and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Richmond Arts Council.
Learn More About My Books
Teaching & Workshops
As a teacher and workshop leader, I guide individuals on writing, poetry, contact improvisation, Writing From the Body, contemplative movement, ecosomatics, meditation, embodiment, and healing – at schools, hospitals, and art and spiritual centers throughout the U.S., abroad, and online.
