My name is Vanessa Taal (“Taal” means “language” in Dutch).  I’m Dutch-American, and a writer, editor, yoga and meditation instructor based in Brooklyn, NYC.

I love stories, and their absorption and dissection has been a lifelong practice and pastime. 

Their vitality and importance continues to make me more aware, as I continue to acknowledge the power they hold as the arbiters of our reality.

I do this work because I started to see, in my own work and the work of others, that discovering the core of our stories—the heart of the matter—is a process that often involves a search. The hunt comes down to realizing the author’s perception of things through integration, and the author having the courage to face those perceptions, and share them.

In the chaos of the world, stories dare to speak to our humanity.  To inspire and to heal us.  I am here to help you on your journey.

Background

I have written poetry, articles, essays, short stories and short films. I was the personal assistant to playwright Roger Hirson (Pippin) for four years (2015-2019). I have worked as a ghostwriter on two plays and one short film.  I am currently working on the next draft of my first book.

I have edited plays, screenplays, memoirs, photography books, short stories and novels.

I trained as an actor for two years at HB Studio in the West Village.  Acting teaches you about desire, what drives a story. I have acted in a small number of short films.

I was one of eight directors to attend the year-long Directors’ Workshop at The Barrow Group in 2017-18, where I worked with Seth Barrish and presented work to an intimate group of NYC-based actors and directors.  Directing teaches you the tapestry of stories. I have worked as AD on two short films.

I am a classically trained (in India) RYT500 Hatha yoga instructor with extensive experience in Iyengar, Vinyasa and Yin.  I have been teaching since 2014. I have been meditating for 15 years, and annually attend silent 10-day retreats. Yoga and meditation provide me with the grounding I need to approach the deep inner work, continuously.