At present
Sonja is a writer, mover and birth worker whose work explores imagination, embodiment, and relationality through creative and political lenses. She is pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy in Balkan Studies at the University of Ljubljana, where her research focuses on maternal healthcare in Serbia through the lens of biopower. Her creative and scholarly practices are deeply intertwined at the intersection of poetics, resistance and the body.
Alongside her academic work, Sonja offers lactation education, HypnoBirthing®, and doula support. She is a Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC) and a Pathway 3 mentee working toward the International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) credential. Her approach to perinatal support is grounded in bodily connection and the belief that birth is a transformative, integrative process.
Based between New York City and Belgrade, Serbia, Sonja lives with her partner and their desert dog, Trout. Her creative practice includes both writing and performance, with movement rooted in pole dance, butoh, and instant composition.
Backstory
Sonja was born at home and grew up in Portland, Maine. Graduating a year early from high school, Sonja spontaneously enrolled at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico where she was introduced to postcolonial theory which would later inform her research interests.
Sonja completed a Bachelor of Arts in English and Creative Writing from the University of Iowa. During this time, she experienced a health crisis spurred by the hormonal changes of birth control which required that she interact with a fractured healthcare system and rely on family for support, sparking her interest in holistic healthcare and reproductive advocacy.
Upon graduation, Sonja traveled around Latin America before moving to New York City to study poetry, where she also taught writing to youth from underserved communities. She completed a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from New York University and began teaching writing at the City University of New York where she continues to teach today.
Shortly after her graduate studies, Sonja felt a strong call to birth work and became a certified doula through DONA International, a Certified Lactation Counselor, and a HypnoBirthing® Educator through the HypnoBirthing® Institute. Additionally, she devoted a year to studying physiological birth under midwife Whapio Bartlett at The Matrona and is presently in a mentorship under an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC).
