About
Dr. Vanessa Carlisle (they/them) is an author, coach, and educator dedicated to liberatory practice through the intersections of sexuality, safety building, and death care.
They hold a BA in Psychology from Reed College, an MFA in Fiction/Creative Writing from Emerson College, a PhD in Creative Writing, Literature, and Gender Studies from the University of Southern California, and a black belt in Danzan Ryu Jujitsu. A graduate of the Going with Grace death doula training program, Vanessa is also a nationally certified death doula.
As a survivor of multiple forms of violence, Vanessa works to combat stigma and improve conditions for women, queer people, and sex working communities. Vanessa has been an advocate for sex workers’ rights for 14 years and draws on 27 years of lived experience in sex work to craft their programs and trainings. A former co-host and producer of the live radio shows Sex, Please! and Body Politics: Sex, Love and Liberation on KPFK 90.7FM, Vanessa co-created the first sexuality education program hosted by sex workers in California public radio.
Vanessa is the author of two novels: Take Me With You (Running Wild Press, 2021) and A Crack in Everything (iUniverse, 2010). Vanessa’s essay “How to Build a Hookers Army” appeared in the critically acclaimed anthology #WeToo: Essays on Sex Work and Survival (Feminist Press 2021), n+1 magazine, and was a notable essay in Memoir Magazine’s #MeToo Essay Awards. Vanessa’s short stories and essays have appeared in PRISM, NinthLetter, Juked, WordRiot, The Desert Sun, and many more.
Vanessa teamed up with Dr. Stephanie Covington to write Awaken Your Sexuality: A Guide to Connection and Intimacy After Addiction and Trauma and the Awaken Your Sexuality Workbook, forthcoming in October 2025 from Hazelden Publishing.
