Isa Coffey

This interview was conducted with Isa Coffey in the Hudson Area Library. Born in West Germany and raised just outside of Washington D.C., Isa now lives in Chatham, New York. She is the founder of Wisebodies, a school that draws upon plant knowledge, compassion, community and movement to teach holistic sexuality in the Hudson Valley. Isa discusses how her four-decade career in sexuality was prompted by her experiences with Childhood sexual harm. She draws connections between the body and memory, and emphasizes the transformative power of a woman’s knowledge of her own body. She mentions studying at Smith College and Hunter College and working at a women’s health clinic in San Diego, and recalls the lesbian and gay social culture of New York in the 1980s. In retracing her own journey of parenthood, Isa describes the rarity of lesbian and gay parenthood at that time, and discusses her experience with self-insemination. Having moved to the Hudson Valley 17 years ago to pursue her practices of herbalism and farming, Isa describes how the city of Hudson has changed since then. She also talks about her brain trauma, brain surgery, and epilepsy, and emphasizes the need for societal change around the treatment of those with disabilities. She discusses navigating environments both with and without her service dog, Lily, who is present with us during the interview.

This interview may be of interest to those who want to learn about herbalism, farming, the Hudson Valley, disability, Childhood sexual harm, sexual education, holistic sexuality, education, lesbian history, intergenerational and community learning, and healing