I’ve always loved a good story. I was speaking and reading by ten months old; by ten years, I was staging original and classic tales with my toys – picture an all-female version of LoTR featuring Jem, Barbie, She-Ra, and their cohorts (with Poochie for Girls, cast against type, as Sauron).
My loyalty to Narrative remains steadfast. A graduate of Northwestern University’s School of Communication and Columbia University’s MFA Creative Writing program, my artistic and educational offerings include creative writing, copywriting and editing, live and voiceover performance, and public speaking.
I’ve lectured at schools, organizations, and wellness centers in the Tri-State area, Los Angeles, Nashville, Panama, and Turks and Caicos – at the School for Field Studies, FourSquare, The New York Women’s Foundation, New Jersey Public Schools, and PowerPlay NYC, among others.
Notable collaborations, appearances, and publications include Soho Rep, Bustle, Kaneza Schaal, the Yellow Chair Review, the Stars on Fire podcast, Thayer Magazine, and Lana Wilson‘s A24 documentary, Look Into My Eyes.
Popular speaking topics include:
- Demystifying meditation and mindfulness
- Meditation instruction, benefits, and applications
- Metaphysical and intuitive training tools
- The meditation and performance connection
The Ilka Pens