Meet Berlin erotic poet & performer: Pauline Marie-Antoinette

‘Seeing life as a poetic expression, I take pleasure in conducting intriguing gatherings, liberating inner journeys, and poetic immersions.’

Pauline Marie-Antoinette is an erotic poet, performer and facilitator based in Berlin. Offering both in-person and online services, she is interested in creating customised sensual experiences to suit your needs and desires. From sensual dinners to kink workshops, immersive theatre to retreats, Pauline’s experiences are thoughtfully curated in wider goals of creating a society that is open to exploring new ways of relating with each other.

Could you introduce yourself and what you do?

Originally from France, I am based in Berlin and travel the world to share my Erotic Poetry Odyssey at multiple events and festivals. It’s an immersive theatrical show based on my own erotic poems, which I love to customize for each place and audience.

I also lead workshops around creative intimacy, kink exploration, and poetry writing, and organize and facilitate retreats such as RIMA Experience, Little Deaths & Wonderful Lives, and Embodied Love.

With a background in Political Science and Event Management, I now dedicate my life to sharing my passion for poetry and sensual liberation by combining multiple tools that have helped me to liberate myself and find fulfilment in my life and intimacy.

What are your specific offerings on Sensuali?

• Erotic Poetry Odyssey: An immersive theatrical experience combining conscious sexuality practices with my erotic poems, a pinch of humor, and an interactive component. I like to collaborate with a live musician and customize my storytelling and experience for any type of gathering, from private celebrations to weddings, festivals, temple nights, or play parties! This can range from 30-90 minutes and cater to intimate groups or audiences of 200+ people.
• Sensual Dinners: In collaboration with a chef, I craft dedicated narratives and guide groups through an erotic and immersive dining experience.
• Creative Intimacy and Kink Exploration: I create workshops where people learn practices to connect deeply with their bodies, bring their desires to life, improve communication, discover how sub/dom roles can impact their lives and intimacy, learn to craft their own domination experience, and indulge in the art of surrendering.
• Couple Experiences: I guide couples through practices to deepen their intimacy and learn tools and techniques to better connect, incorporating elements from tantric teachings to BDSM, always with an artistic and poetic touch.
• Retreats: I co-create retreats around creative intimacy and kink exploration (Little Deaths & Wonderful Lives), embodiment and sexuality (Embodied Love), and theatrical psychomagic odysseys (RIMA Experience).

What was your journey into this world?

As a teenager, I was fascinated by the dynamics of love and relationships and read a lot of erotic literature, including works by Marquis de Sade, Françoise Sagan, “Story of O,” and “The Surrogate Wife.” These sparked a light inside me to approach sexuality with a different perspective and initiated my BDSM fantasies. My journey into this world truly began after my first relationship with a woman who helped me see sexuality with new eyes, discover new sensations in my body, and explore another way of relating intimately.

I embarked on a quest to deconstruct what I had learned and rebuild what felt right for me. From open relating to self-love, tantra, communication, and sub/dom dynamics, I discovered that it wasn’t just about sex but about learning to be human and meeting myself in the mirror of others, which had a profound impact on my entire life.

I felt a desire to share my learnings and experiences through poetry, which I quickly began performing on stage. Later, I expanded my offerings through workshops, retreats, coaching, and private experiences.

How would you describe your approach to what you do in a nutshell? 

I love to bring an artistic and creative approach to intimacy, tantric practices, and kink exploration, empowering people by giving them tools to craft experiences that feel right for them. I believe that we can all awaken the artist within us to turn sexuality and relating into a true art form.

There’s a lot of depth in my experiences, but also always a touch of humor and lightness. I ensure that everyone can relate to it and find their own keys to becoming more fulfilled in their lives and intimacy.

Do you have a mission?

I dedicate my life to crafting the world in which I want to live, where people communicate openly beyond taboos, dare to be vulnerable, and act with radical honesty, respect, and empathy towards each other.

My mission is to embody these values, share them through various mediums, support artists and passionate individuals, and keep growing to become the best human possible.

I believe that being fulfilled in our bodies and celebrating conscious pleasure is also a political act in a world ruled by fear, judgment, and body shaming.

I also think that learning to be vulnerable with strangers and connect with them intimately is an act of peace and tolerance that reveals the beauty in each and every one of us.

Can you present one of your poems?

“Boundless Love” is one of my favorites. It is an invitation to remove the labels we put on our loved ones and embrace our unlimited capacity to love.

I believe that many of us are polyamorous by nature (etymology: poly: many, amor: love) as we love many people in our lives: our parents, kids, friends, and partners. The love we have for each person grows, changes, fades, and transforms, and sexuality can be a part of it or not.

We can be intimate with a friend, and we can be friends with an ex-partner and still feel love for them. This poem is not a praise for polyamory in our sexuality but an invitation to detach from how things should be, to see commitment beyond sexuality and desire, and to believe in our unlimited capacity to love other humans.

Boundless Love

One lover is not enough

To fill the extent of my heart

I am faithful with them all

But I can’t choose overall

I’m found of multiple beings

Who are all part of my dream

And I’m longing to discover

Which new soul I’ll encounter

My curious mind is seeking

Various ways of expanding

Whatever sex or gender

Our hearts know no border

As I question and wonder

My little voice whispers

“Life is so beautifully abundant

As we float with the current

Why should we possess our Lover

As long as we respect each other?”

There’s no harm in honouring

The desire we have for a being

Let our egos fade away

We came on this Earth to play

We’re here for little time

How could it be such a crime?

To cherish multiple souls

Who are all part of a whole?

Yes it’s essential to commit

To put some efforts to build

A family, a community, a tribe

Which we support in all regards

To our date and soulmate

May we dare to communicate

With respect and honesty

Remembering that we are free

To choose our own model

Without putting any label

As long as we’re faithful to Love

In this life and way above

How do your events make people feel?

I’ve received a lot of beautiful and touching feedback, and I think each person finds the keys they need in my shows and workshops depending on their current path. In general, it feels very liberating for people, and after my shows, everyone speaks openly, beyond societal taboos.

My sub/dom explorations have been very impactful; some people have healed traumas of abuse, and many women felt really empowered by learning to take control over someone, which impacted their lives and confidence.

I also see that heterosexual men are often scared to be paired with another man, but each time it happens, they have the greatest breakthroughs and surprise themselves by enjoying an intimate moment of vulnerability and connection with someone of the same gender.

I never push anyone to do something but always let them do only what feels right for them in the moment, encouraging them to dare to say no and just witness.

How has your own relationship with sex and the erotic evolved over time?

I used to be pretty jealous and possessive and didn’t know how to communicate my needs and desires. It made me feel so frustrated at times, and I ended relationships due to my inability to communicate and share feedback.

My learnings from the sex-positive world have helped me communicate efficiently both in my love relationships and in every area of my life, heal my insecurities, and be honest, truthful, and more understanding with my partners and relatives. It also helped me let go of a lot of judgments I had towards others and myself.

I discovered the infinite magic of my body and how essential it is to combine conscious breathing, bodywork, and embodiment to achieve new heights in our sexuality.

I also learned to use sexual energy as a vehicle for creativity, edging pleasure, and releasing stress and tensions.

What is a small and unexpected pleasure in what you do?

I find so much fulfilment in the waves of feelings that happen with each show I do. From the little stress and tension I have before to the state of absolute flow and trance when I perform, and the connection in pure presence with participants, which is one of the greatest feelings I’ve ever experienced.

I must confess that I also have a huge kink for watching my own theater of sub/dom creative play when I do it in workshops! It fills me up with so much adrenaline and excitement to see how people get creative in such a short period of time, and how sensuality and kinks are way more fascinating than sex to me!

What is your opinion on the current sex-positive movement?

I feel like the sex-positive movement is a bit like a tree, with a trunk representing similar foundations and many different branches. Berlin has such a broad sex-positive ecosystem, ranging from spiritual tantric gatherings and temple nights, to wild sex parties, kinky play, and creative sensual explorations. As the movement has developed so much in the city, it is also reflected in the way people relate to each other.

I feel like asking for consent has become the norm and has infused a spirit of greater respect toward each other. It encourages people to blur the lines between friendships and partners, have a strong sense of community, and detach from the traditional model of a nuclear monogamous family to explore new ways of relating to each other. 

Berlin feels like a laboratory of human explorations where new norms and models emerge, giving people the opportunity to choose what feels right for them at different periods of their lives.

What are your hopes for the future in the sensual world?

I hope that more people have access to educational material and are able to learn about their bodies, their pleasure, and how to explore intimacy, sexuality, and relationships. I really wish that learning to communicate, express our desires, and ensure that our “no” is heard contributes to reducing the number of abuses, especially those that often remain taboo within existing relationships and marriages.

We have a tendency to label everything, from sexual orientation to genders to models of relationships, and to think that we have to choose one or another when I feel like they can all be more fluid, enabling individuals to explore themselves freely and just be without the need to be categorized with a specific label.

I also wish for a world where people, especially women, are free to use their bodies in any way they wish without shame and judgment and can openly speak about their sexuality. I believe that many people are stuck in an outdated model of relating that pushes them to lie and betray their partners. I also feel that loneliness is one of the biggest issues of our times in the Western world, and that we need to reinvent the way we choose to liveB and relate to each other, value commitment and true connections, and be able to choose alternative models that can evolve over time.

Closing thoughts?

Sensuali is such an inspiring initiative which gives me a lot of hope to normalise the work of so many artists, therapists, activists and sex-workers who are still often marginalised when so many people would benefit from having access to more information and be able to explore themselves and their intimacy freely with skilled professionals.

Iso

Author

Iso is a writer and filmmaker based in East London. She is passionate about all things erotic and leads a sexy, shame-free life in hope that she can inspire others to do the same. Originally from a Northern seaside town, she is naturally drawn to the best things in life: candyfloss, trashy karaoke bars and heart-shaped sunglasses.

Pauline Marie-Antoinette

Author

Pauline is a poetry writer, performer, experience creator, and intimacy and kinks workshop facilitator. She believes in the power of arts and creativity to be profound vehicles for change and loves to empower people to free their inner artist and turn sensuality into a real art form. Her solo-show, "An Erotic Poetry Odyssey" is an invitation to deepen intimacy, explore conscious kinks while challenging societal taboos. Pauline designs experiences for couples, retreats and workshops in Berlin and around the world!