Minneapolis erotica writing workshop July 28 and Lady Books Podcast!

I'm excited that on Sunday, July 28, from 7-9 pm I'm teaching my Erotica Writing 101 workshop at sex toy store The Smitten Kitten in Minneapolis (3010 Lyndale Ave S)! Attendance is only $10 and we'll be doing lots of writing exercises and going over the ins and outs of erotic writing and getting published. If you know anyone in the Minneapolis area, please let them know. Register here.



I'm moving my erotica teaching online starting this fall (stay tuned here and to my newsletter!). I'm hard at work making it my best class yet. If you have any burning questions about the genre, feel free to drop me a line at mail at rachelkramerbussel.com and I'll do my best to answer in the class. If you want personalized attention for your writing, I also offer erotica and nonfiction sex writing consulting.

I was featured in Season 2 of the Lady Books Podcast, which I am a regular listener of and highly recommend. Check it out for more of my thoughts on erotica writing, editing and the marketplace. It was a fun and interesting trip down memory lane and deep dive into the genre.

5 spots left in my June 12 Berlin, Germany erotica writing workshop (in English)

Heads up that if you've been wanting to take my June 12th Berlin, Germany erotica writing workshop at feminist sex toy store Other Nature, there are five spots left! The workshop runs from 18:30-20:30 and while it doesn't require any prior writing experience, it does require pen or pencil and paper or a laptop so you can write during the exercises. And I'll be giving out a timely handout on where to submit your writing. Plus selected erotica anthologies of mine will be available for sale in English and German. See you soon, Berlin!

May madness

In a few short weeks I fly to Berlin for my erotica writing workshop at feminist sex toy store Other Nature. I'm excited to teach there and meet Berlin readers and see my books in two languages (I do have a few copies of some of my German translations, but have never seen them in a store before).



When looking at flight options, I had to decide if I was finally going to make this trip, or let all my fears about money overwhelm me. Clearly, I chose the trip, and I'm still not sure if it was the "smart" thing to do given that I am paying off debt and have an unpredictable income. But I made the decision partly because I knew having an impending international trip would force me to finish projects that I've lingered over.

This week, unless I get so frustrated I give up, my self-published anthology Candy Lovers will be published. I'll post the buy link the second it's ready, I promise; this book has been more time-consuming and expensive than I could ever have imagined, which is probably a good thing or I wouldn't have tried to put it out myself. I've almost got my Word document finalized with all the authors' edits; then I will need to convert it to be read by Kindle and whatever other steps (probably many of them) need to happen so you can click and buy it on Amazon.

I've been quiet here because I'm trying to get that ready, finish writing deadlines, revise Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 4, out November 19 (ebook, which will be reflected at retailers soon), book BWE4 readings, work with private clients, take swimming lessons and a bunch of other tasks. I've got a lot of travel coming up this year; several months, I'll be away every or almost every weekend. So I'm just reminding myself that I love what I do, I'm very lucky to get to do it and make a real living at it, and that my job now is to learn how to do things differently.

I've also booked my first big advertising campaign that will launch in January ("big" in my world). I'm excited about that; there's a sweepstakes involved. It's all thrilling, but just as easily overwhelming, so I try to balance those two out. Then when I'm back from Berlin I plan to finally tackle the other big project, my online writing classes. So stay tuned. I'm honored and humbled that I've already had so much interest, but that also makes me want to make these classes as amazing as they can be.

My next erotica writing workshop is in Berlin, Germany in June

Updated May 6 with new registration URL While I'm in the process of launching my online erotica writing workshops (and some others around various aspects of writing), I'm still teaching the occasional live workshop. The next one will take place June 12, 2018 at Berlin, Germany feminist sex toy store Other Nature. I'm very excited about this for a few reasons, namely that Other Nature sounds amazing and I can't wait to shop there, I've never been to Berlin and German is the only language my books have been translated into. This is how the store describes itself on their site: "Other Nature is a feminist, queer-oriented, eco-friendly, vegan sex shop in Berlin Kreuzberg. We’re not your average sex shop. Bring your mum." Need I say more? I am leaving room in my suitcase for my shopping finds (and will be sharing photos and stories on my Instagram and the Best Women's Erotica Instagram so make sure you're following both!).

The workshop details and registration are on Other Nature's website. Class size is limited to 18 people so if you'd like to take it, please register sooner than later. If you know anyone in Berlin who might be interested, please pass this on. Thanks! And if you want an individual consultation on your erotic short story, novella or novel, you can work with me via my site EroticaWriting101.com - I'll be available to work with new clients starting April 1, 2018.

Free erotica writing workshop in Brooklyn at Sex Expo September 24

My final live erotica writing workshop will be on Sunday, September 24 from 2:10 to 3 p.m. at Sex Expo in Brooklyn (72 Noble Street, Brooklyn Expo Center), and if you use this link you can get in for free! I'm shifting almost all my teaching to the online classes I'll be launching this fall, so this will probably be my last New York class for the foreseeable future. I'll be sharing more about those classes as soon as they're available, but I can tell you that the sharing that happens in my live classes is special. I love seeing people's faces transform, as they get bolder about what they're writing and what they're willing to share with others, as they dig into their erotic imaginations. It's really the perfect environment because you're surrounded by toys and good energy. Everyone will get a handout with more resources.



I'm aware that this class is taking place during Rosh Hashanah, although I didn't know that when I booked this many months ago and forgot to check. I decided that since I rarely have the opportunity to teach live classes these days and since it's such a wonderful event filled with amazing sex toys that I want to check out, I'd go ahead and do it. But I apologize to anyone who would have liked to attend but can't due to the holiday. If I do teach any more in person classes, I'll do my best to make sure they are on dates when as many people as possible can attend. And I'm always available for consultations via my website EroticaWriting101.com.

How journalism helps me teach my erotica writing classes

I have to admit that when I first started teaching erotica writing classes about 6 or 7 years ago (I wish I knew when I taught my first one!), I didn't know what I was doing. I had a bit of impostor syndrome going on because I felt outclassed, yet simultaneously compelled to do this thing that felt new and risky and uncertain. Part of it was a natural outgrowth of my belief in forming community around writing.

Ever since my very first short story, "Monica and Me," was published in the anthology Best Lesbian Erotica 2001 and I organized a reading at Bluestockings Bookstore in Manhattan, and later went on to organize numerous others as well as run a five-year erotic reading series, community has been vital to my spirit and to my sense of what erotica writing is all about.

I started out writing erotica on a whim, at the tail end of law school, not knowing what I was doing but wanting to try it anyway. That first story led to writing more stories, which led to co-editing an anthology, which led to today, when I've got my 61st anthology, Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 1 coming out. Just as I learned by doing both how to write erotica, how to organize readings, how to make book trailers, and all the attendant work of crafting erotica and putting out anthologies, so too have I learned how to teach my writing classes.

One skill that's helped me is my journalism background. No, not the journalism school I didn't go to, but the school of real life, where I've been freelance writing since around 2000, when I had various full-time jobs, and through the last four years of working for myself full-time. I've had to learn how to call up strangers, how to investigate online and off (though mainly online).

What I didn't expect was my journalism background to aid me in teaching erotica writing. I considered them two different types of writing: journalism was nonfiction and serious, erotica was fiction and less serious. But what I've found is that teaching erotica writing is an interesting hybrid of all my skills. Especially when I teach online at LitReactor for my 4-week Between the Sheets erotica writing class, I have time to dig deep into the topics I'm covering, and research answers to students' questions. That's been wonderfully educational for me, because it's broadened the scope of the class. Because a student early on asked a question about literary agents, I now have a list of literary agents who accept erotica and erotic romance, complete with details on what they are and aren't looking for, to provide to my students, and I'm constantly on the lookout to add to that list.

Same with topics like self-publishing, author branding, social media, taglines, incorporating multiple partners, and so on. Having the freedom to have that time to investigate, and having the confidence that comes with asking questions on behalf of my students, has meant that my original vision for my LitReactor class has been dwarfed by what it's become. It means that it's a constantly evolving project that changes each time I teach it, because different students have different questions.

I don't tend to think of the world as "right brain" and "left brain," but it's undeniable that I have a very artistic, creative, freeform side, and a more diligent, detailed, research-oriented side. Both of those converge perfectly for me when I teach, and are, I believe, part of what my students appreciate. It's not that I know the answer to every single question they may ask, but that I'm able to find out answers and provide resources to the questions I can't answer from personal experience. It's made me fearless in contacting major players in the erotic publishing world, and to my delight, almost all of them have responded to my queries and passed on valuable information.

So if you want to pick my brain for a month about erotica (and actually, longer than that, because all students get invited to my private online group of alumni to continue the discussions, questions and camaraderie), I recommend my LitReactor class, ideally if you have at least five hours a week to devote to it. That's what I consider the minimum input to get the most out of the class. With my February 11-March 10 class, LitReactor is offering an early bird price if you register by December 31st. The price will go up by $25 on January 1st. In the meantime, I'm contacting more publishers, editors, literary agents and authors to interview for this class to enhance it even further.

Questions about the class? Email me at rachelkb at gmail dot com with "LitReactor" in the subject line.

Save $10 on my Washington, DC erotica writing workshop this Sunday at Lotus Blooms

Exciting news: Use the code BloomsBigO to register at Eventbrite for Sunday's erotica writing workshop at Lotus Blooms in Washington, DC! Their address is 2408 18th Street NW (Adams Morgan neighborhood). That means if you register by Saturday, November 7th, the normally $25 fee will be $15 and if you register on the day of the event, the $30 fee will be $20. Hence, I would recommend signing up by the 7th. We'll be doing writing exercises for two hours, along with learning about the current erotica marketplace and you'll get two handouts. Questions? Email info at lotusblooms.com or call the store at 202-836-4474. See you there!

Why I love teaching erotica and sex writing

I used to be of the "those who can't do, teach" mindset, at least, regarding myself: who was I to teach erotica when I hadn't written a novel like almost everyone else in the field? But I realized recently that I've been teaching erotica for quite a while now, and have done it everywhere from the 92Y Tribeca to colleges like University of Pennsylvania and Northwest and SUNY Purchase to conferences like CatalystCon. Plus, I've managed to teach at sex toy stores I ardently support such as Babeland, Early to Bed, Nomia, Secret Pleasures, Self Serve, The Tool Shed and others (with one coming up October 15th at Eve's Garden in New York, where I bought my first vibrator, my third at Nomia in Portland, Maine October 21st and one November 8 at the brand new Lotus Blooms in Washington, DC). When I have a whole month to teach at LitReactor (next one is November 3-December 3), we can really dig into the topic and I get to research students' questions, which has led me to find agents seeking erotica, analyze threesome scenes and much more.

It was really teaching two three-hour workshops in one day at CatalystCon, which I did twice in 2014 and twice this year, and will again on April 1 in Chicago, that showed me, Yes, you know what you're doing. You're good at this. You can't lead people for six hours if you're talking out of your ass, so to speak.

Conversely, even when given a short amount of time, to know that I've moved people, that I've inspired them, that I've gotten them writing and encouraged them to think about doing more writing and maybe sending their work out into the world, means so much to me. It's also made me realize that teaching is a different skill set entirely. I've had to go back through my own writing, writing I've published and writing I've enjoyed reading and break down exactly what makes it work in order to explain it to students. I truly enjoy knowing what students want to know and doing my best to help them with answers. I would say the vast majority of what I do is encourage; it's not a step by step, you type this and write this and voila, you have erotica. It's more about unlocking their minds to the possibilities of what they can conceptualize, what they can use as fodder, where their stories can go, and then coaxing them through the process.

On Sunday at Sexual Health Expo (aka, SHE), I only had half an hour to teach, which is much shorter than I'd normally talk for, but I was thrilled and impressed with the way students dove right in at 11 a.m., asked questions, and told me they found it useful. While I still would prefer a longer time slot, knowing I could make an impact and impart information that got people writing made me so thrilled. During one writing exercise, I whispered to my friend F. Leonora Solomon, asking if I could mention her by name as the editor of two upcoming Riverdale Avenue Books anthologies on femdom erotica (January 31 deadline) and Victorian era erotica. She said yes, and I did, and then she asked a question I was so happy I could answer. And look what happened:





So yes, it's part of my business and how I earn a living, but alongside that, teaching has given me new insights into how erotica and sex writing work, and why I do them and want to encourage others to.

2 New York erotica writing workshops: September 20 and October 15 and one October 21 in Portland, Maine

I'll be doing two erotica writing workshops soon in New York, and then won't be doing any for the foreseeable future since it's pretty far from where I live, so I hope you can make these. If you can't, I'd love it if you can spread the word about them, and I'm also teaching another online erotica writing class at LitReactor.com November 3-December 3 that you can take from anywhere in the world, on your own schedule, anonymously or not. That one is limited to 16 people and is already starting to fill up, so check out the link above if you're interested. I also offer personal consulting on erotica and nonfiction sex writing; rates are on my website (scroll down). Want updates on all my events? Sign up for my newsletter on the left-hand side of my site, rachelkramerbussel.com

If you're in New York and want to hear some hot readings, I recommend tonight's Between the Covers reading at People Lounge, 163 Allen Street, at 8 pm with Laura Antoniou, D.L. King and, all the way from the UK, Lucy Felthouse!

Here's the details on my workshops:

September 20, 11 am - 11:30 am Erotica 101 writing workshop at SHE (Sexual Health Expo), NYC
I'll be teaching my erotica writing workshop followed by a book signing. Admission to SHE, which runs September 19-20, is $25. See sexualhealthexpo.com for schedule and details.
Millennium Broadway Hotel, 145 West 44th Street, New York, NY 10036



October 15, 7-8:30 pm
Erotica Writing 101 workshop
Eve's Garden, 119 West 57th Street, Suite 1201, New York, NY
Facebook event page Rachel Kramer Bussel, professional erotica author and editor of over 50 erotica anthologies, such as Come Again: Sex Toy Erotica, The Big Book of Orgasms, Best Bondage Erotica 2015 and more, will take you through the ins and outs of modern erotic writing. Learn how to get started, find your voice, and write against type. You'll discover how to incorporate everyday scenarios as well as outlandish fantasies into your writing, and make them fit for particular magazines and anthologies. She'll also talk about submitting your work and keeping up with the thriving erotica market (including anthologies, ebooks, magazines and websites). Whether you're writing to that special someone, penning longtime fantasies, or want to earn cash for your dirty words, this workshop is for you. Please bring paper or writing implements or a laptop to use for in class writing exercises. A bibliography with erotica resources will be provided. $20/person. Limited to 20 people. Register at Eve's Garden or by calling 212-757-8651. Doors at 6:45, class runs from 7-8:30 p.m. and includes a handout with resources.



October 21, 7:30-9 pm
Erotica Writing 101 workshop
Nomia, 24 Exchange Street, Suite 215, Portland, Maine
Facebook event page Rachel Kramer Bussel, professional erotica author and editor of over 50 erotica anthologies, such as Come Again: Sex Toy Erotica, The Big Book of Orgasms, Best Bondage Erotica 2015 and more, will take you through the ins and outs of modern erotic writing. Learn how to get started, find your voice, and write against type. You'll discover how to incorporate everyday scenarios as well as outlandish fantasies into your writing, and make them fit for particular magazines and anthologies. She'll also talk about submitting your work and keeping up with the thriving erotica market (including anthologies, ebooks, magazines and websites). Whether you're writing to that special someone, penning longtime fantasies, or want to earn cash for your dirty words, this workshop is for you. Please bring paper or writing implements or a laptop to use for in class writing exercises. A bibliography with erotica resources will be provided. $20/person. Call 207-773-4774 or visit Nomia to register. Limited to 20 people.

Why I'm excited to teach, speak and simply be at CatalystCon West in Burbank in September

In just a few weeks I'll be hopping on a plane (okay, two planes, the first from Philadelphia to Boston) to Southern California--Burbank, to be exact--to attend one of the best conferences I've ever been to, one I judge other conferences by (yes, I really do): CatalystCon. It's an event focused on the wide world of sexuality, and when I say wide, I really mean it. Look at the breadth of session topics being presented! I've never attended and not learned so much, often things that changed how I consider a topic or given me deep insights. If you're anywhere near Southern California or deeply interested in how people are changing the world of sexuality, I encourage you to attend.



A few sessions I'm especially looking forward to: Is Kink a Sexual Orientation? A Panel Discussion, SEX AND LOVE AFTER 50 — Rewriting the Rules, Toys For a SexAbled Life: Fun, unique and adaptable ways to give and receive satisfying pleasure with erotic toys, Slut Shaming in Sex Positive Communities (and Elsewhere). It's also a place where I look for people to profile in my sex columns; they can't all be about dick pics. In fact, it was while attending CatalystCon West last year that I got asked to write my Philadelphia City Paper column, and I launched it writing about The UnSlut Project and Emily Lindin, whose documentary sneak peek I saw at Catalyst.

It's also one of my favorite places to teach writing, as I'll be doing on September 11th, with two workshops, three hours each, on Erotica Writing and Sex Writing. (See also, "How to make money writing about your sex life and 5 times I did" and "6 reasons I encourage my erotica writing students to submit their work.") These classes are a chance to dig deeply into the topics and, I hope, encourage students to get their work out into the world, because people attending CatalystCon have fascinating things to say about sexuality, activism, art, relationships, values and so much more (although you do NOT have to attend CatalystCon to attend my workshops, though I highly recommend it). I love getting to update my handouts with new venues to pitch and submit to, and to enter into a room where there's a base level of trust and eagerness. Yes, people may be strangers, but I've found there's a camaraderie that forms around the conference that is special and helps further the spirit of the classes. Plus I now have a private Facebook group for my writing class alumni, so hopefully if people join and do publish pieces as a result of the class, I'll get to hear about it and proudly share their work. I started the group because often I teach one-off classes and when they're done I never hear what people are up to, and I like to see people's progress develop as they gain confidence in their writing and continue to pursue it, whether that's the following month or following year. So I'm really looking forward to that.

I'm very much looking forward to the panel I'm moderating (details below) about how to navigate some of the issues around sharing your sex life whether in writing, onstage, in podcast form or in YouTube videos. It's the same topic as the one I moderated at CatalystCon East, but with different panelists. One of my goals with my panels has been to include people who haven't been to CatalystCon before, in this case, the amazing Gaby Dunn, and also to work with people I haven't worked with before. I learned so much last time, and this is a topic near and dear to my heart as someone who continuously writes about her personal life, and continues to grapple with the impact.

I have a print piece coming out in a dream publication, a magazine I subscribe to, whose founder is a household name, right around the time of CatalystCon. I'm excited and honored, but the truth is, also nervous. Will people think less of me because of what I reveal about my sex life? Will I be misinterpreted to sound like I have disdain for a certain kind of sex that used to be a bigger part of my life, but isn't as much now? Will my partner, who is very supportive and proud of me, face any discomfort by my writing about our sex life in such a large venue? Will family members, who are wonderful but I would rather not discuss my sex life with, see it? Hence, I need and am excited for this panel just as much as anyone.

September 13, 11 a.m.-12:10 p.m.
CatalystCon panel Sharing Your Sex Life on the Page and the Stage
Whether on the page, stage or podcast, sharing personal sex stories means making public what’s often deemed private and inviting audiences to read, hear—and judge. What are the biggest challenges and rewards of airing our “dirty” laundry? How do we decide which sex stories are worth telling? Is there such a thing as TMI? How can we be deeply honest while honoring others’ boundaries (and having ours respected)? How can we tie our lives into what’s happening in the larger world and further social and political change? Is writing about your sex life different than sharing it live or via podcast? This panel will explore what it’s like to invite readers, listeners and audiences inside our bedrooms, and beyond. Featuring Anaín Bjorkquist, sex educator and host of the Sex Love Joy podcast, Gaby Dunn, writer, comedian, YouTuber and co-host of web series Just Between Us, and Dixie de la Tour, founder, host and curator of long-running live storytelling show Bawdy Storytelling. Moderated by Rachel Kramer Bussel, Philadelphia City Paper and DAME sex columnist and author of the personal essay collection Sex & Cupcakes.
CatalystCon West, Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport, 2500 North Hollywood Way, Burbank, CA

I will also be seeing lots of old friends, some who live far away, some who live "nearby," but that's all relative. Now that I live in what feels like the boonies, I rarely go to New York, and don't anticipate being there often in the future unless I'm doing an event. So geographical closeness is a bit moot, and even then, I wouldn't be around so many fascinating people at once. But for me CatalystCon is also a chance to meet new people, ones maybe I've interacted with online, often ones I haven't but who become familiar faces by the end of the weekend.

Want to hear more about my upcoming events and have access to exclusive book giveaways? Subscribe to my monthly newsletter by visiting rachelkramerbussel.com (left hand side).

See you at CatalystCon for Erotica and Sex Writing 101 workshops!

I've got a heavy deadline day today so will recap my recent writings as soon as I can, but wanted to share that I will be at CatalystCon this weekend at the Hilton Crystal City, 2399 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, Virginia (Crystal City stop on the blue line). Tomorrow I am teaching Erotica Writing 101 from 9:15 am to 12:15 pm and Sex Writing 101 (nonfiction) from 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm. Classes are $45 each or $79 for both. You can register online at Eventbrite through 11:30 pm tonight (March 26) or else in person from 8:45 to 9 am or 12:45 to 1 pm tomorrow with me directly (bring cash). Find out more about the workshops on the Catalyst site. Otherwise, see you CatalystCon folks at the opening keynote session!

So far, CatalystCon has been the only place I've taught Sex Writing 101 but I plan to bring that class online soon. Almost all my teaching will be moving online after May, save for CatalystCon and possibly a few other very special events. I will send announcements in my monthly newsletter (see blog's left-hand side or my website) and post them on Twitter and Facebook.