Love letters...

I'm teaching an erotic love letter workshop on Sunday, January 27th at Babeland that I hope some of you will come to! Details at the end of this post. There will be an emphasis on the erotic, but it will also cover regular love letters.

To that end, I've been thinking about lots of things, some of which I'll write more about this weekend, among them James Joyce's erotic love letters to Nora from 1909. And some of my own. It's been a long time since I've been in love, and so I haven't had much practice, though I do tend to write to the people I fall in love with. Not always, but the big ones, yeah, I just can't help myself.

Here's something I wrote a long time ago, that I think now is safe to own up to. We never did kiss, and that's okay, and it's funny because while part of me rereads this and thinks about how foolish I was over this person, part of me knows that I fell for him for a reason, and this is still one of my favorite things I've ever written.

Is it possible to love someone before we've even kissed? Even if we never end up kissing? Before we've even spent more than a few moments alone? I don't even know what it is about you that so attracts me. I get totally flustered around you. I've been told that my face gets red when I talk about you, and I'm sure it's true.

Maybe it's because for all your brilliance, you seem to have some of the same insecurities I do. When you open up to me, I feel incredibly protective. I want to wrap you up in my arms and kiss you all day and night, ply you with encouragement, make you a superstar. I find it really easy to believe in you, more than in myself. I find it infinitely cute when you talk about babies or kids; boys don't usually openly declare they've found anyone under 15 remotely adorable. I'm skittish, nervous to tell you things, yet filled with the converse desire to tell you everything because, somehow, I think you'll understand.

You're charming without trying to be. It's in part your selflessness that endears you to me. I'm shocked there aren't girls lining up around the block for the chance to talk to you. (Wait. Maybe there are.) I promised myself for New Year's I would stop thinking about you, would banish you from my mind once and for all, but I can't. The way you smile, the way you laugh, the way you manage to surprise me, whether with a tattoo or a risk, are all unforgettable. Maybe I'm totally crazy and seeing what doesn't exist, mirages spun solely from my imagination. Maybe there's a good reason I haven't been able to focus on anything or anyone else for months now. I guess that's up to you to decide. Whenever you're ready, even if that day never comes, I'll be here.

Love Letter Writing Workshop with Rachel Kramer Bussel
Sunday, January 27, 8:00-10:00, $20
Babeland SoHo, 43 Mercer Street, NYC
U R HOT. Want to express your feelings to your Valentine, but just can’t find the words? Spend the evening with Rachel Kramer Bussel penning romantic notes and sweet nothings for your special someone. Rachel is a novelist, editor, and columnist; editor of more than a dozen erotic anthologies, including He’s on Top, She’s on Top and Hide and Seek. Her work has been published in the Village Voice, Penthouse, Bust, and the San Francisco Chronicle, among others.

About Babeland:
Babeland is recognized around the world as a friendly place to shop for sex toys, books, and videos. Founded in 1993, Babeland has received numerous honors in its fifteen years of business, including Zagat Survey Awards for "Top Service" in New York City in 2003 and 2006. It was voted "Best Place to Buy Sex Toys" by The Village Voice, New York Magazine, New York Press, Miami New Times, Seattle's The Stranger, and the Seattle Weekly. Self Magazine has hailed co-founders Rachel Venning and Claire Cavanah as “new generation sex gurus."

REGISTER in person at Babeland or by calling 212-966-2120.