3 upcoming in person erotica writing workshops: State College, Philadelphia and Portland, Maine

In addition to my online erotica writing class I'm teaching for LitReactor May 5-June 2 (as of this posting, there is 1 spot left), which you can participate from anywhere in the world, I'm teaching 3 upcoming in person erotica writing workshops in State College and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, respectively, and Portland, Maine, one of my favorite cities, and after that I'm switching my teaching mainly over to online, save for CatalystCon. My website has my upcoming calendar listings and I'll be updating it as I confirm any other events. Click through on the dates/titles for registration, except for Nomia, who you can call to register. I'm especially excited about the Philadelphia workshop since I write a weekly sex column for Philadelphia City Paper, and will be previewing the conference in my May 7th column. Each workshop attendee will get a handout with market information and erotica writing resources.

April 27, 7 pm - 9 pm (rescheduled from February)
State College, Pennsylvania
Professional erotica author and editor Rachel Kramer Bussel, editor of over 50 anthologies such as The Big Book of Orgasms, Flying High and Best Bondage Erotica 2014, will take you through the ins and outs of modern erotic writing, from getting started, finding your voice, and incorporating your surroundings, pop culture, and personal experiences into your stories to crafting a range of characters and settings and submitting your work. In this supportive, welcoming workshop environment, you’ll learn how to write vividly about everyday scenarios as well as outlandish fantasies, and make them fit for particular publications in the thriving erotica market. This workshop will address the recent boom in erotica inspired by Fifty Shades of Grey, provide examples of well written erotica, and will include multiple writing exercises. You’ll be given a handout listing major markets and further reading suggestions. No previous writing experience required. Please bring laptop or pen and paper.

May 8, 3:15-5:15 pm
SEXx Interactive conference, Philadelphia

I'm teaching this 90-minute workshop as part of the weekend of programming for SEXx Interactive. Find out more and register here (you can register for individual sessions or an entire day or weekend).

June 2, 7:30 pm - 9 pm
Nomia, Portland, Maine
Seating is limited and we expect this workshop to fill up FAST! Please call the shop at 207-773-4774 to reserve your spot. $20 per person. More info on Facebook.

My Pennsylvania erotica writing workshops: State College and Philadelphia

My State College, Pennsylvania Erotica 101 writing workshop has been rescheduled and will now take place Monday night, April 27th from 7 to 9 p.m. It's $20, which also gets you my erotica market resources handout. Register on Eventbrite or else at the door.

Then I will teach a 90-minute version of my workshop at the SEXx Interactive conference in Philadelphia on Friday, May 8 from 3:45-5:15 p.m. I'm looking forward to doing an event in the city where I write my sex column (I will also be doing a conference preview for my column and interviewing some of the speakers, including one I'm most excited about, keynote speaker Feminista Jones). I also highly recommend hearing Morgan Thorne speak on asexuality, which I just did at CatalystCon. Register here for SEXx Interactive.

My State College erotica writing workshop postponed

Due to the weather forecast, I've postponed my State College erotica writing workshop that was supposed to happen Monday, February 9th. As soon as they new date is finalized, I will be sharing it and registration will be re-opened. My apologies for any inconvenience this has caused, but I wanted to ensure my safety and that of attendees.

Postponed: Learn how to write erotica this Monday, February 9th at my writing workshop in State College, PA

Update: postponed due to bad weather conditions. Will announce new date ASAP!
Weather permitting, I will be in State College, Pennsylvania on Monday, February 9th teaching my Erotica 101 writing workshop from 7-9 pm at Hotel State College, 100 W. College Avenue. I've never been to State College and am looking forward to teaching this workshop! It's $20/person and you can register in advance via Eventbrite and walk-ins are welcome - I'd say get there by 6:45 p.m. at the latest to register. Bring pen and paper or a laptop. Here's what Onward State had to say:

Kramer Bussel will host an erotic writing workshop on Monday, Feb. 9 at Hotel State College, where for just $20 you can spend a couple hours learning about crafting your wildest fantasies into books for all to enjoy.

The event will take you through all the necessary steps to transform your “outlandish fantasies” into a literary chef d’oeuvre, “from getting started, finding your voice, and incorporating your surroundings, pop culture, and personal experiences into your stories to crafting a range of characters and settings and submitting your work.”

My erotica writing workshops in State College, PA, Arlington, VA, Baltimore and online (aka, anywhere)

I'll have details about a reading I'm doing in Brooklyn at indie bookstore BookCourt February 16th and my March Virginia events in Richmond and Charlottesville soon, but the other events I'm doing are workshops. The most in-depth will be the month-long LitReactor class, which is geared toward writers who want to dig deep into what makes a story erotica, write every week, learn about the erotica writing market and how to get published and make money and give and get critiques (giving critiques is optional but is very helpful in learning about how different people approach the same assignment). The CatalystCon workshops, because they are three hours, are also pretty in-depth and cover a lot of ground. If you are in or near State College, Pennsylvania, please let people know; it's my first time being there. Looking forward to all of these.

February 9, 7-9 p.m.
Erotica Writing 101 workshop, State College, PA

Professional erotica author and editor Rachel Kramer Bussel, editor of over 50 anthologies such as The Big Book of Orgasms, Flying High and Best Bondage Erotica 2014, will take you through the ins and outs of modern erotic writing, from getting started, finding your voice, and incorporating your surroundings, pop culture, and personal experiences into your stories to crafting a range of characters and settings and submitting your work.

In this supportive, welcoming workshop environment, you'll learn how to write vividly about everyday scenarios as well as outlandish fantasies, and make them fit for particular publications in the thriving erotica market. This workshop will address the recent boom in erotica inspired by Fifty Shades of Grey, provide examples of well written erotica, and will include multiple writing exercises. You'll be given a handout listing major markets and further reading suggestions.

No previous writing experience required. Please bring laptop or pen and paper.
Hotel State College, 100 W. College Avenue, State College, PA Tickets via Eventbrite, $20/person

March 24, 6:30 p.m.
Erotica Writing 101 workshop, Baltimore
Same description as above. $25/person.

Sugar, 1001 West 36th Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 410-467-2632
Purchase tickets in person at the store, over the phone with a credit card or online at Brown Paper Tickets.


March 27, 9:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
Erotica Writing 101 workshop ahead of CatalystCon, Arlington, VA
(see link for nonfiction sex writing workshop later that day) Same description as above. $45/person.
Hilton Crystal City, 2399 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA

February 12-March 12
LitReactor online erotica writing class (participate any time of the day or night)

Last but definitely not least, and where I plan to focus my teaching: the internet! This is for those who are truly serious about wanting to write erotica and devote time each week to stories and submitting them. You of course aren't required to submit them but there's a lot of market information, including new exclusive interviews with editors and publishers about what they are looking for right now. Specifically, the wonderful LitReactor, where I taught a sold-out class last fall and had such an amazing experience I was sad to see it end. Click here to read testimonials from former students. There are only a few spots left and the class is limited to 16 people so if you're thinking of signing up, I advise not waiting until the last minute.