“Beauty lies in truth, hardcore, from the depths of the soul. Jacqueline Cioffa’ takes us there, brave, raw & unfiltered.” – Sandra Bernhard PRAISE “Jacqueline Cioffa has bestowed upon women a gift that is for each stage of their lives. The Shape of Us is for the mothers with daughters as well as daughters with mothers—a complicated relationship …
In celebration of the 2020 Centennial for Women’s Suffrage, Auburn Public Theater presented two nights of feminist readings & performances from some of the most wildly talented female writers & performing artists, both locally and regionally in CNY. I was incredibly honored and grateful to read poetry from my forthcoming book, The Shape of Us …
I was thrilled to be a guest author at the NYS Equal Rights Heritage Center Feminist Marketplace Opening Ceremony for Women March in Seneca Falls. Gifting my books about strong female characters, and celebrating my forthcoming Poetry book, The Shape of Us, Select Poems and Essays dedicated to women was a privilege. It was an …
I never thought I would be diagnosed with a serious mental illness, not in my worst nightmares or wildest dreams. I never thought I would write a book about my struggle, and I certainly never thought so many people would be so gracious, receptive, kind, and willing to help. I never thought I would live …
A collection of poems and essays celebrating all the glorious, gorgeous, empowered sisters of my soul. The survivors, rebels, outcasts, lightning rods, and quiet heroines.
For the tough as nails warrior women, I have adored, aspired, and admired. You have made me feel worthy of the sweet, soft miracle it is to be born a girl, in these fast and loud, masculine modern times.
I have always felt safest underwater. My fondest memories are childhood summers spent at home with my strong, capable, joyful father sitting in a chair counting laps. He would be happy to just sit, and count well into adulthood. I knew he was there, waiting, whenever I came up for air, lingering a moment too …
The Highway Halfway Mark I wonder, I do. I cannot help but wonder what’s down the road from the place I have ever truly called home. The wood and grass and nails and bolts, the wet familiar dew smells and giggling baby sounds. The joy and the sorrow. I can’t help but observe and wonder. The funny, peculiar, crooked …
To steal all that was pure and innocent Before she had the chance to experience All the changing shapes of her body The first kiss, crush, giddiness, and her exploding sexuality Making her feel dirty and ashamed Carrying secrets that did not belong to her Not yet a woman, barely a girl, and merely a …
There comes a point in life when you must accept the reality and the gift that is the passage of time. While I know in my heart, our time grows shorter and shorter I can’t help but be bitchy, mean, selfish and lose my patience daily. I have not been the easiest child. The woman …
Host Amalia Natalio Colyer of KarmicKindness conversation with Guest Author Jackie Cioffa: SS: The Manic Mind (Episode 2: Part 2) Soul-Full Sessions Listen on Apple Podcasts Part 2 of a captivating conversation with Jackie Cioffa about what brought her to The Red Bench (literally and figuratively), the stigma around mental illness and what we can do to foster …