Join me March 21 in New York for a FREE Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 4 reading

I try to do at least one reading from my Best Women's Erotica of the Year series books for each volume as a way to meet the authors I otherwise just correspond with via email and share their stories live. For Volume 4, I'm thrilled that The Pleasure Chest on the Upper East Side (1150 Second Avenue) in Manhattan is hosting our reading on March 21 from 7-9 pm. It's free and there will be snacks and beverages and free bookmarks and we'll answer your questions and sign your books afterwards! If you know anyone who might like to hear some sexy stories, please let them know. There's no need to RSVP but if you want to do so or spread the word, you can use the Facebook event page. Questions about the reading? Contact The Pleasure Chest or email bweoftheyear@gmail.com and I'll do my best to answer. All 18 and over are welcome! I sometimes get questions about whether these events are "for women" and the answer is no. They're for any adult who wants to hear some erotica out loud!

March 21, 7-9 pm
Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 4 reading
Join editor Rachel Kramer Bussel and contributors Calliope Bloom, Tamsen Parker and Sofia Quintero for a sexy reading from the new anthology, Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 4. Hear about everything from erotic role-playing and BDSM, to a hot professor who gives some sexy extra credit and more! Book signing and Q&A to follow. There is no advance registration or reserved seating for free workshops or events. Attendance is on a first come, first served basis. Early arrival is recommended to secure your spot!
The Pleasure Chest, 1150 Second Avenue, New York, NY, 212-355-6909
Lexington Ave./59 St. (4, 5, 6, N, Q, R)
Lexington Ave./63 St. (F)

See you tomorrow February 13 at our Galentine's Day Washington, DC Best Women's Erotica reading

I've been remiss in posting here due to a rush of deadlines and getting ready for my Washington, DC reading. It's tomorrow night, Galentine's Day, Tuesday, February 13 at 7 pm at bookstore Politics and Prose at The Wharf. There's also a Mardi Gras parade at 6 at the Wharf you can check out beforehand. If you know anyone in DC, please please please let them know! Here's an easy to use Facebook event page where you can share the details.



You may not be aware but readings take up a lot of time and energy and money (though thankfully in this case I had points for Amtrak and my hotel room). That's why as of now it's my only one for this book so I am hoping with every fiber of my being that we have a big turnout. That's also something I feel I owe my authors, several of whom are reading for the first time ever. Just typing that takes me back to my first reading way back in 2011!

I wish I were independently wealthy and could do readings everywhere in the world my authors are located. But in the real world, I do what I can, and doing at least one reading for each of these Best Women's Erotica books, aka, the highlight of my erotic editing career, is what I can offer. I truly believe that erotica isn't just meant to live on the page, but to be alive in the way it can only be by being heard out loud. So that's what we'll be doing tomorrow, along with dishing about writing and publishing. I'll even be sharing the theme for Volume 5, so if you attend you'll know it a few weeks in advance! See you soon! p.s. I no longer drink so will probably be a bundle of nerves, but I'll be wearing red to mask them (and because it's the night before Valentine's Day). If you can't make it, follow bestwomenseroticaofyearseries on Instagram for photos and stories throughout the day and evening (yes, I'm a superstar in choosing social media handles - NOT).

Los Angeles loves erotica - see you tonight 1/31 at Skylight Books for my book tour kickoff!

Firstly, tonight is the kickoff of our Best Women's Erotica of the Year book tour at Skylight Books in Los Angeles at 7:30 pm (1818 North Vermont Avenue in Los Feliz).



I hope you can make it, or else let someone in the LA area who might be interested know. I've heard through the grapevine that some cool folks will be in the audience and I and my authors Jocelyn Bringas, Melina Greenport and Jade A. Waters are all going to read you very sexy stories and answer your questions and sign books! If you want to invite friends easily, here's the Facebook event page. It's free and we will be sharing behind the scenes secrets as well as our hot words. And a special shoutout to Skylight because they treat their authors so well - the book is in the store window, in a special display with other upcoming authors and in the area where we're going to read! Plus they have a beautiful tree in the middle of the store.





I'll do a fuller recap when I'm home but I also got to visit two other amazing bookstores. On Sunday, I taught a wonderful, enthusiastic and smart group at romance bookstore The Ripped Bodice in Culver City. Their store is a treasure trove of sexy books, cards, lingerie and other cool items and they have this amazing personal touch. They recommended a book by a new to me author, Tamsen Parker, that I'm enjoying (Craving Flight, about a woman who converts to Orthodox Judaism and is kinky). They also have an utterly adorable bookstore dog named Fitzwilliam Waffles, who even has his own Instagram account. I highly recommend the store and they also host lots of cool events, like Romantic Comedy (comedy night) and movie nights and book events and such. Oh, and they have book art hanging in the air (my photo doesn't really do it justice because when you are standing in front of it, they're just right there), book pages as wallpaper and just a generally beautiful design, including couches to sit on and read! They also have fiction and memoir and YA and various genres, and romance subgenres by category, like Cowboys and I Love Rock N Roll. Perhaps coolest of all, their bathroom has tons of books you can read and a Post-It wall where you can write whatever you want, and one on the mirror saying "Nasty Women Read." Indeed!







I visited Pasadena for the first time and the first thing I saw after getting out of my Lyft car was this free speech art, which seemed quite apt.



Then I promptly fell in love with Vroman's Bookstore and pretty much want to move in there. I wandered around and pretty much swooned over their displays. I love that they have an erotica section, that they are playful and political and had four amazing signs about writing that encouraged me to get back to it. They also have fun book-themed pillows and mugs and other items and it's a bookstore you can get lost in and wander for hours.





To recap, I hope you'll come out to our Skylight Books reading tonight and tell your friends, and if you're in LA or will be, all three of these stores are amazing and there's lots to see in the surrounding neighborhoods as well (I may have bought some crystals at the store next to Skylight, because I feel like I need all the help I can get these days).

Hear sexy erotica and learn how to write it with me in 2016 in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago

I'm thrilled to have my new anthology Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 1 hitting bookstore shelves (and ebook retailers) on January 12th, and despite moving on that same day, I'm taking myself on the road to promote it. I love doing readings, even though they aren't the most practical or economical of events, because I get to meet the authors whose words I fell for in the editing process and hear them read their stories in front of a live audience. I've been organizing readings since my very first erotica story was published in 2000; forming community and letting people hear erotica read aloud has always been part of what's drawn me to the genre and an integral part of how I operate. After I hear the author read, I always think of the story a little bit differently, and I know audiences remember the story differently as well.



Plus, bottom line (not "button line," as I somehow inadvertently typed at first): they're fun. Words on a page will always remain the same, but words read aloud will never be 100% identical. There may be a change in tone, a certain inflection, a raised eyebrow, a hand gesture, a cheer or hoot or moan or laugh from an audience member. Who knows what will happen? I've had authors bring props to readings and use them to perfect effect. I've had passages I thought for sure were intended with a certain tone read completely differently. That's the beauty, the magic, the joy and the thrill of live readings, and why I'm going out of my way (literally and figuratively) to do them. I believe so much in this book and this series. I want it to sell well, yes, but I also want it to live beyond the pages of print books and electronic screens. I want it to feel alive, captivating. I want to host had-to-be-there events for those who can attend. Yes, you'll be able to buy the audiobook narrated by the woman I think is the best erotica narrator around, Rose Caraway, in a few months. That will surely be hot too. But nothing beats the aliveness, the camaraderie, the excitement of a live reading. I still believe that, 15 or so years after organizing that first one.

So even though these days I'm mainly a suburban homebody and like it that way, I am thrilled to be organizing readings for Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 1. Right now, two are booked, both free and open to the public, Tuesday, January 19th from 6:30-8:30 at Good Vibrations at 1620 Polk Street in San Francisco and Thursday, March 31st from 6-7:30 pm at The Pleasure Chest at 3436 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago, with wine and other beverages. I'll be sharing more about them and will have official links very soon, but wanted to tell you so you can mark your calendars and let friends in the area know. Can't make the readings? (Or even if you can!) Please show your support by backing the Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 1 Thunderclap. It'll take you less than a minute; all you do is authorize Thunderclap to post a one-time post on your Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr accounts. That's it! Then on January 12th, the publication date, they will let your followers know the book is out. Also: I'll have postcards at my events, but if you're in the U.S. and want one in the mail, just fill out this form and I'll mail you one!

My other 2016 events are listed below, including my online only 4-week LitReactor erotica writing class, and one more special new workshop is being finalized for Thursday, March 10th at Brooklyn sex toy store Please. I'll update this post and my website's calendar page as details become available.

January 17, time TBA (daytime)
Sex Writing 101 workshop (nonfiction), SHE LA
Learn how to write about your sex life and get paid. See sexualhealthexpo.com for details and schedule. Register here. $25 gets you into both days of SHE, January 16 and 17, and if you use the code RACHBR you'll get 2 for 1 admission, so you can bring a friend free (or split the cost with them). The full lineup will be announced soon, as will the timing of my workshop. Get a sneak peeking this Xbiz preview, but note that this is a nonfiction sex writing workshop, not erotica (see the next entry for my erotica workshop).
Sexual Health Expo, Hilton Universal City Hotel, 555 Universal Hollywood Dr., Universal City, CA 91608




January 17, 8 pm - 10 pm, FREE
Erotica Writing 101 workshop, West Hollywood, CA
Rachel Kramer Bussel, professional erotica author and editor of over 50 erotica anthologies, such as Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 1, Come Again: Sex Toy Erotica, and The Big Book of Orgasms 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. Please note: We do not offer advance registration or reserved seating for free workshops or events. Attendance is on a first come, first served basis. Early arrival is recommended to secure your spot!
The Pleasure Chest, 7733 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA, 323-650-1022

January 19, 6:30-8:30 pm
Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 1 reading
Visit Good Vibrations and its Antique Vibrator Museum, as you join editor Rachel Kramer Bussel and contributors Amy Butcher, Rose Caraway, Dorothy Freed and Jade A. Waters for a hot reading of this brand new Cleis Press anthology, Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 1. Books will be available for sale and signing.
Good Vibrations, 1620 Polk Street (at Sacramento Street), San Francisco, CA, 415-345-0400



February 11-March 10
LitReactor Between the Sheets online erotica writing class
4-week online class taught by Rachel Kramer Bussel, editor of over 50 erotica anthologies and contributor to over 100 anthologies, including the Best American Erotica, Best Women's Erotica, Best Gay Erotica and Best Lesbian Erotica series. See URL above for weekly lecture and assignment topics. Also includes weekly writing critiques from Bussel and fellow students, discussion board, resources on author branding, pen names and submitting your work, extensive market information plus over a dozen exclusive Q&As with publishers, editors and agents, along with authors (traditionally published and self-published) such as Tiffany Reisz, Charlotte Stein, Cecilia Tan, Rebekah Weatherspoon and more about how they've broken into erotica. Students will have continued access to all classroom postings on LitReactor.com once class is over plus access to private alumni Facebook group for further discussion. Class is limited to 16 people and is likely to sell out. Students can be anonymous and take part from anywhere in the world on their schedule. $350 if you register by December 31; $375 January 1 or later. Questions? Email Rachel at rachelkramerbussel at gmail.com with “LitReactor” in the subject line.



March 10, time TBA
New workshop by Rachel Kramer Bussel
Please, 557 Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn, NY (Park Slope), main at pleasenewyork.com, 718-788-6969

March 31, 6-7:30 pm
Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 1 reading
Join editor Rachel Kramer Bussel and contributors including Tara Betts for a reading followed by a book signing. Wine and other beverages will be served.
The Pleasure Chest, 3436 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago, 773-525-7151



April 1, 9:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Erotica Writing 101 workshop, Chicago
In this three hour workshop Rachel Kramer Bussel, professional erotica author and editor of over 50 erotica anthologies, such as The Big Book of Orgasms, Cheeky Spanking Stories and Serving Him: Sexy Stories of Submission, 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. The class will also cover branding yourself as a writer, using and selecting a good pseudonym, and using social media to promote your work and do outreach. She’ll also talk about submitting your work and keeping up with the thriving erotica market, including anthologies, ebooks, magazines and websites. Please bring paper and writing implements or a laptop to use for in class writing exercises. A bibliography with erotica resources will be provided.
This class will take place on Friday, April 1, 2016 at the CatalystCon host hotel. You must purchase a ticket to this workshop separately from CatalystCon on the registration page and do not have to attend CatalystCon to take the workshop. $45/person. Register here.
Hyatt Regency O'Hare, 9300 Bryn Mawr Avenue, Rosemont, IL 60018

April 1, 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Sex Writing 101 (nonfiction) workshop, Chicago
In this three hour workshop, writer and editor Rachel Kramer Bussel will cover all you need to know about writing about sex, including blogging, first-person essays and journalism. You’ll learn how to ethically write about your love life, what editors are looking for, where to find experts on sexuality topics, and how to stay abreast of current sex news. Whether you’re looking to write a sex blog, column, articles or books, you’ll find out how to pitch, how much money you can expect to make, and how to maximize your editorial opportunities. The class will also cover branding yourself as a writer, using and selecting a good pseudonym, using social media to promote your work and do outreach, and how to pitch stories. Rachel is the author of Sex & Cupcakes: A Juicy Collection of Essays, a sex columnist for DAME, and was a sex columnist for The Village Voice, Penthouse, Philadelphia City Paper and The Frisky, and has written about sexuality for Cosmopolitan, The Daily Beast, Elle.com, Glamour, Inked, Marie Claire, O, The Oprah Magazine, Salon, Slate, Time.com, xoJane and many other publications. A resource list covering markets for sex-related pieces, including editors who are actively looking for pitches, will be provided.
This class will take place on Friday, April 1, 2016 at the CatalystCon host hotel. You must purchase a ticket to this workshop separately from CatalystCon on the registration page and do not have to attend CatalystCon to take the workshop. $45/person. Register here.
Hyatt Regency O'Hare, 9300 Bryn Mawr Avenue, Rosemont, IL 60018

April 2 or 3
Moderating panel, Sharing Your Sex Life on the Page and the Stage
I'll be moderating this CatalystCon panel featuring Eric Barry, Lola and Suzy Spencer. Open to CatalystCon attendees. Use code RACHEL for $10 off.
CatalystCon, Hyatt Regency O'Hare, 9300 Bryn Mawr Avenue, Rosemont, IL 60018

Hey Brooklyn, come see me Monday and get Best Bondage Erotica 2015 at BookCourt

I forgot a very important bookstore in my list of stores stocking Best Bondage Erotica 2015 and that's BookCourt at 163 Court Street in Brooklyn, where I'm doing a free reading on Monday night, February 16th at 7 p.m. with Melissa Petro and members of the New York Writers Coalition! I lived in Brooklyn for 13 years but don't get there too often now that I'm a Jersey girl, so I'm looking forward to this. I'll be bringing some of these bookmarks and postcards and giving them out free. Excited to do my first reading of 2015 and see my new book in a store for the first time. That is always a wonderful feeling. If you're not in New York but know someone who is who might like a free reading all about sex, please let them know! You can take the F/G to Bergen Street and if you want to share the news on Facebook (no RSVP required), here's the official event listing there. Want to know more about Best Bondage Erotica 2015? The introduction and table of contents are on the official Tumblr.

Come get these Monday night!

5 sexy excerpts of what you'll hear tomorrow at She Bop in Portland, Oregon

Please join me, Tiffany Reisz, Stella Harris, Emily Bingham and Laurel Isaac tomorrow, September 10th at 7:30 for a free erotica reading from 4 of my books at She Bop, 909 N. Beech Street, Portland, Oregon, and if you can't make it, tell your friends (that's easy to do on Facebook). Here's 5 snippets of what you'll be hearing, and if there's time I may sneak in a bonus reader favorite story from The Big Book of Orgasms. Can't make the reading? Order online from She Bop.




(not pictured: Laurel Isaac)


Hungry for More

A tiny bit of "Bringing the Heat" by Tiffany Reisz - read more at her website.

They stepped into the room right across from the shower stalls. Through the other side of the curtain, Jada could peer in and see everything. It seemed to be some kind of therapy room. A padded leather table only about four feet high constituted the only furniture in the room. A plaque on the door read “Evan Christopher, Sports Therapist.”

Flak started to strip out of his uniform. Jada winced at the black bruise that covered the left side of his back where the fastball had struck him. Other than the bruise, however, Flak’s body was flawless—broad shoulders, well-muscled and sturdy, and yet not an ounce of fat on him. A young man’s body. The trainer, Evan, was sexy in his own right too. Slightly taller and about five years older, Evan wore wire-rimmed glasses on his handsome, intelligent face and had a seductive five o’clock shadow on his sculpted lower jaw.

The Big Book of Orgasms: 69 Sexy Stories

Here's an excerpt from "The Jeffrey Factor" by Stella Harris:

Jeff let him adjust to the sensation for a moment, sliding the vibrator in and out slowly, twisting and rubbing it against his inside walls, but only teasing the spot where he really wanted it.

The vibrator switched on and Shane moaned around the gag in his mouth; even on the lowest setting the sensations lit up his nerves. His nipples peaked and tightened and he thrust his hips upward, hoping against hope for friction he didn’t find.

Jeff laughed again. He claimed not to have a sadistic side, said he didn’t enjoy dishing out pain, but Shane considered this cruelty all the same.

The Big Book of Submission: 69 Kinky Tales (read 69 excerpts, one from each story, right here)

Here's a little bit of "How to Fail" by Laurel Isaac:

All I could think was how I must be doing something wrong. I must have forgotten some technique I usually use, or there must be something wrong with my body that the feeling good wasn’t kicking in. Maybe if I waited a little longer it would start to. Maybe this was how it always was in the beginning? If only he’d slow down I might be able to figure it out, but the paddle abruptly landed squarely in the middle of my right cheek. The throbbing felt like it had shocked me right in half. I let out a sob. And there it was again, and again. If only I had a minute, I might be able to…but the strokes kept landing, bludgeoning, deafening.

And here's a little from a male POV story I wrote called "Reverse Psychology:"

See, I’m not a sadist by nature—I wouldn’t hurt a fly. Really—I’m the kind of guy who goes out of my way to give directions or help little old ladies across the street. I’m a service sub, the worshipping sort, but I I fell madly in love with a woman who happens to be a masochistic domme. Sasha likes pain, but for her it has nothing to do with being a “bad girl” or any of that. If I dared to call her names like slut or whore during sex, she’d lock up my cock for a week.

For her, it’s about the sensation, the intensity, the feeling. She says getting flogged is cathartic, being spanked releases endorphins, having her nipples bitten makes her blood boil. And because I love her and want to please her, I do as she says. It’s a different kind of submission than any I’ve ever known, but I like obeying her, and knowing how turned on she gets. It’s like reverse psychology, where you tell someone to do something and hope they do the opposite. With us, though, I do the opposite of my impulses, for her. Sasha makes sure to show me appreciation—when she’s not ordering me around.

Best Bondage Erotica 2014

Here's an excerpt of "Pegged" by Emily Bingham:

“Do you trust me?” I ask, straddling his lap.

He looks at me with the dark pools of his eyes over the rim of his thick glasses, the hint of a shy grin on his lips. Slowly, he nods, almost as if it pains him to admit it. I take his curly head in my hands and lean in to kiss him. The boy is talented with his tongue, his mouth so inviting that at times it’s easy to get lost in. Part of me wants to be greedy; roll over and let him have his way, splay me open and worship the folds between my legs as long as he likes.

I resist the urge, wanting tonight to be about him and taking him where he wants to go. It’s his turn to be small and defenseless for an evening. I want to be so kind to him that it becomes cruel.

Reader bios and Twitter handles, so you can Tweet to them how much you liked their stories, and She Bop is @SheBopTheShop:

Rachel Kramer Bussel is a writer, editor, event organizer and consultant. She's edited over 50 anthologies, including Hungry for More, The Big Book of Submission, The Big Book of Orgasms, Cheeky Spanking Stories, Fast Girls and edits the Best Bondage Erotica series. She writes widely about sex, dating, books, pop culture and hoarding, teaches erotic writing workshops at colleges, conferences and sex toy stores and Tweets @raquelita.

Emily Bingham is an ethical slut, story teller, consent activist, and rope instructor, she writes smut so she can have an excuse to say filthy words on stage. The only thing she loves more than words is rope. Her stories appear in a number of Cleis Press anthologies. @RopeQuean

Stella Harris is an erotica writer, BDSM educator, and sex & intimacy coach. She teaches for a variety of sex-positive organizations in Portland in addition to leading and organizing her own public classes and offering private instruction. Publication highlights include several anthologies by Cleis Press and a series of tantalizing and informative articles on kinkly.com. @stellaerotica

Laurel Isaac is a queer writer of sex stories and personal essays. She’s currently exploring small-town queer life in Southern Oregon.

Tiffany Reisz is the international bestselling author of the darkly comic Gothic erotica series The Original Sinners, a genre she made up entirely on her own. Tiffany lives in Portland, Oregon, with her boyfriend, her cats and her delusions of grandeur. @TiffanyReisz

Greetings from Seattle, where I'm in bed with books and a cookie

I'm savoring the chilly air while wearing the hoodie my boyfriend got me in my hotel bed in sunny Seattle. It looks like it'll be a gorgeous day out and I'm excited about today's 3 pm reading (see below), the first of my month of events. But first, I'm taking a little time to enjoy the quiet in the room and my head. It's been a stressful and hectic few weeks, with new opportunities dangling before me but not finalized yet, and the logistics of coordinating flights, train rides, events, hotels, housing, but now that I'm here, I feel more focused and ready.

I'm on a working vacation, and want to make sure I do justice to both parts of that. I may not do everything I'd get to if I were purely on vacation, but for me little pleasures can go a long way. Last night my flight out of JFK was delayed for over an hour because a sick passenger had to disembark after we'd pulled away from the gate, but before we took off. So I landed at 10 p.m. instead of 8:30 p.m. and then was keyed up when I sank into my hotel bed. The Doubletree gave me a warm chocolate chip cookie on checkin, and I savored half of it, the chocolate melting onto my tongue. I ate it in little pieces, then ate the rest this morning. I don't have a photo of the cookie because I was too intent on getting it in my mouth, but it was delicious.



I just listened to a wonderful podcast by the Pleasure Mechanics on "Overcoming Distraction For Better Sex". I have ADD and have had prescriptions at various times, but haven't taken anything for it for about two years. I go back and forth in terms of whether it's worth the effort to try to get back on meds while I look into various ways to streamline my attention naturally. I think this podcast offers lots of useful advice both regarding sex and ADD and other areas of your life.

I'm deciding which of these 4 books I'm reading (I'm a book juggler) to pick up right now:



I've been reading blog posts by Evoë Thorne at Whole Sex Life, who I'm reading with today at 3, and have been so immensely impressed with the honesty with which she writes about so many sex and relationship topics, from married sex to difficult conversations in long-term relationships. Here's the details about today:

September 6, 3:30-4 pm
Free erotica reading in Seattle Readings from The Big Book of Submission, The Big Book of Orgasms and Hungry for More with me and local contributors, including Evoë Thorne, Brandy Fox and others.

Center for Sex Positive Culture Annex, 1608 15th Ave W, Seattle, WA 98119



I better go get ready so I have time to talk to the reading from downtown Seattle. See you at 3, and here's the handy link for all my upcoming events, including Tuesday night's Seattle erotica writing workshop, the SheBop reading extravaganza, my classes and panels at CatalystCon, reading with Rose Caraway, Portland Public Library Banned Books Week talk and more.

Why free time is never wasted, or why I'm excited to fly to Seattle today

When I set out to plan a West Coast book tour around sexuality and activism conference CatalystCon in Los Angeles, where next Friday September 12th I'm teaching two three-hour writing workshops, I had assumed I'd do an event a day and be home in a week, or maybe 8-9 days. Instead I fly to Seattle today, September 5th, and with a redeye home from Portland, Oregon, will get back to New Jersey on September 20th (then leave again soon after for Maine). That's how the event scheduling worked out.

I had a few people I wanted to see in Seattle, but mostly I planned to write and catch up on work I'm in various stages of finishing. I have a few fiction ideas I want to get to and am pretty sure the atmosphere of a new cafe and environment will help me, especially for the call for coffee-themed erotic romance stories. I don't mind the free time, but the whole extended trip has been making me a little nervous in terms of all the logistics.

But then last night I discovered that Elissa Washuta/, author of the memoir that's packed and waiting for me to finish reading on the plane, My Body Is a Book of Rules (remember my list of 3 books I want to read? It's now grown, but that's at the top) is reading Monday night at 7 at Elliott Bay Books. What a wonderful coincidence! I don't get to readings much these days other than my own, although my local bookstore River Road Books does host them occasionally. So this is perfect and I'll get to meet some other writers attending who I wouldn't have met otherwise. I'll post more about the book when I'm finished; I can tell you now that if you see it in a bookstore you should pick it up and hold it and look at it. From the size to the paper to the text, it's a little different than your average book, and that's before you even start reading it.



It feels like fate that the free day I'd already set aside for writing now will culminate in hearing a writer I've wanted to meet, which seems like a good sign that this book tour will be a positive one. I almost said a "success" but I'm not really sure how you measure that. My goals? Professionally, to have successful events, remember to get the authors at my readings to sign my books, to inspire the students attending my workshops to finish and send out their stories, and to get inspired. Personally? To walk a lot, to explore, to see old friends and make new ones, and hopefully come home a slightly better person than I was when I left.

I'll take this last moment to ask that if you know anyone in Seattle, you let them know about my two upcoming events:

Tomorrow's free erotica reading, September 6th, 3-4:30 p.m.

With me, Brandy Fox ("Organically Grown"), Evoë Thorne ("Squirt") and others. Books will be available for sale and signing.
Center for Sex Positive Culture Annex, 1608 15th Ave W, Seattle, WA 98119

September 9th, 7-9 pm, 18 and older
Erotica Writing 101 Workshop This is also at Center for Sex Positive Culture Annex, 1608 15th Ave W in Seattle and it's $23 in advance (with fees it's $25.42) and $30 at the door, so if you are interested, it's best to sign up ahead of time. Click on the ticketing link above for a fuller description. I'm fresh from BDSM Writers Con and have been doing lots of research so I've got lots of great new information to share with you about places to send your writing as well as lots of wonderful writing exercises. Looking forward to my first Seattle writing workshop!

I'm honored to partner with the Center for Sex Positive Culture and Foundation for Sex Positive Culture and am looking forward to meeting contributors to my books and students who I hope will be future contributors! Questions about my events? Email me at rachelkramerbussel at gmail.com with "Tour" in the subject line.

Why I have so much respect for event planners

As I get ready to hop on a plane and start my biggest book tour ever, which will take me to Seattle, Portland (Oregon), Los Angeles, San Francisco, back to Portland (Oregon), then home before hitting Portland, Maine, home again and then Chicago and Milwaukee, totaling 7 writing workshops, 3 free readings, 2 panels and 1 library talk, I'm realizing how much respect I have for event planners. There is so much behind the scenes work that goes into planning these events, from booking them to promoting them online and via traditional media and social media, which is a daily, seemingly neverending part of it, to coordinating speakers, and then the day of last minute logistics, all without knowing if anyone will show up. Yes, I can see from Fetlife, for example, that 18 people say they're going to my free September 10th reading at She Bop in Portland, Oregon (and 44 have RSVPed on Facebook, including me, but I won't know until I get there how many of them actually do.

It's one of those things where you have to trust that you've done everything you can, then let go. I'm a control freak pretty much all the time, which is probably in part why I'm also a submissive when it comes to sex. I have a lot of trouble with the letting go thing, with not running an endless loop in my mind of "why didn't you..." It's also tough because some of these events (the workshops and library talk) I'll be paid for, but the others I won't make any money directly, though some have a book sale component (any sales of my books this quarter, I will receive royalties for in April 2015). So there's that element too. Plus weather, plus other events at the same time, plus...all the factors that go into whether someone stays home and binge watches Orange is the New Black, as I've been doing, or goes out for an evening of erotica.

I've been booking and promoting and hosting and organizing readings since the very first time I was published, for a Best Lesbian Erotica 2001 reading at Bluestockings in New York City. I believe I did another one for a book called Faster Pussycats that we had to reschedule just after 9/11, and I met people through those I'm still friends with. I've gotten at least one book deal because an editor saw me do a reading. I think audiences are truly hungry for erotica and so many new opportunities are open to writers that I want to share them at my workshops. I also think there's a momentum that builds from doing multiple events in a row, rather than just one-offs, both for me as the presenter and for potential audience members. But for the professional event planners like those at Save The Date, my hat's off to you! I'm still learning and growing and trying to do the very best I can do. Hope to see you on tour, and even if you can't make it, if you know anyone on the West Coast or who's attending CatalystCon or anyone near Portland, Maine, where my September 24th library talk is free, or Chicago or Milwaukee, please pass on the link to my website (note that I'm in the process of updating it, but the Portland Public Library event is now slated for 6:#0-8:30 pm on the 24th).

On sexy librarians and book nerds

I'm honored that my story "Book Swap," about strangers who swap books on an airplane and what happens afterward, opens Rose Caraway's debut anthology The Sexy Librarian's Big Book of Erotica, out now in print and coming soon as an audiobook recorded by Rose and, I believe, Kindle and Nook versions. The book has card catalog images before each story, and the one for mine has it tagged Cougar, Airplane, Spanking. That pretty much sums it up. I'll be reading the story alongside Rose, whose story in the book is called "The Mating Chamber" (tags: Shackles, Breeding, Matriarchal) and sharing other erotica tidbits live at our free event on Monday, September 15th at 7 p.m. at The Booksmith, 1644 Haight Street, San Francisco. They haven't put it on their site yet, but it's confirmed, and I will also be signing copies of my two new summer books The Big Book of Submission and Hungry for More. See you there! You can also check out Rose's sexy librarian blog and Sexy Librarian podcast as well as her The Kiss Me Quick's podcast

Upcoming events in NYC, Seattle, Portland (Oregon), Los Angeles, San Francisco, Maine, Chicago, Milwaukee and online

I'm posting this as much for myself as for all of you - I have more events this September than possibly any other month ever, and there may be 1-2 more added in New England, which I hope to know for sure about this coming week. Needless to say, this will probably be my last extensive tour for a good long while, since they are pricey and I hope to be digging in to new writing projects this winter. So please come out if you can and whether you can or can't, I greatly appreciate you spreading the word. I try to canvas at my events and see where people have heard about them from, and it's always a mix: from a store, via Twitter or Fetlife or Yelp or any number of random places. So I'll be working hard this August to get the word out, since events only work if there's an audience. You'll find the official link beneath the date and time for each event in bold.

I'm honored to be doing my first event at She Bop in Portland, Oregon with erotic romance superstar Tiffany Reisz, and to get to read with the wonderful Rose Caraway, whose crazy hot The Sexy Librarian's Big Book of Erotica just came out (it's shipping now from Amazon, and will be on bookstore shelves and, of course, Audible, narrated by Rose, very soon). So here are the details, and if I do book that New England event, I will update this post and my RSS calendar (which only showcases the upcoming 30 days). Attending a workshop and have a specific question? Email rachelkramerbussel at gmail.com with "Workshop" in the subject and your question and which workshop you're attending. Can't make the workshops but want your erotica (or nonfiction sex writing) critiqued? See my website for my rates, and contact me for longer projects. I'm excited to visit all these cities and see old friends and meet new people. I also am so grateful to be home most of August to spend time in my backyard and with my guy and to prepare for a whirlwind of planes, trains and sexy stories!

August 22, 11 am
BDSM Writers Con publishers panel
Publishers panel on Selling Your BDSM Fiction and Nonfiction. Join us for a panel discussion with various publishers, editors and literary agents on how to market your BDSM short stories, novellas and novels, as well as memoirs and how-to books to the growing erotica market. Discover what editors and publishers are buying as well as predictions for the future and how to make your manuscript worthy of publication. Self-published authors will benefit from this workshop as well as discover ways to expand their market and improve their manuscripts to enable them to complete with other small press and the bigger houses.

This workshop is being facilitated by Lori Perkins, Publisher of Riverdale Avenue Books and Samhain Publishing.

Presenters include: Lori Perkins of Riverdale Avenue Books; Christina Brashear, Samhain Publishing; Latoya C.Smith, editor at Grand Central Publishing; Treva Harte from Loose Id; Rachel Kramer Bussel; and Louise Fury of the Bent Agency.
The Roosevelt Hotel, 45 East 45th Street, NYC

September 6, 3:30-4 pm
Free erotica reading in Seattle
Readings from The Big Book of Submission, The Big Book of Orgasms and Hungry for More with me and local contributors.
Center for Sex Positive Culture Annex, 1608 15th Ave W, Seattle, WA 98119

September 9, 7-9 pm
Erotica 101 writing workshop, Seattle
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. 18+ with ID. $30 at the door/$23 in advance. Get tickets at Stranger Tickets.
Center for Sex Positive Culture Annex, 1608 15th Ave W, Seattle, WA 98119

September 10, 7:30-9 pm
Free erotica reading, Portland, Oregon
Come listen to erotica author and editor Rachel Kramer Bussel reading from her latest anthologies, Hungry for More: Romantic Fantasies for Women and The Big Book of Submission: 69 Kinky Tales. Joining her will be local contributors Tiffany Reisz, Stella Harris, Emily Bingham, Laurel Isaac and Marievie. Attendance is free, but it's requested that if you're attending you RSVP on Facebook.
She Bop, 909 N. Beech Street, Portland, Oregon, 503-473-8018

September 12, 9:15 am-12:15 pm
Erotica 101 writing workshop, Los Angeles before CatalystCon
In this three hour workshop Rachel Kramer Bussel, professional erotica author and editor of over 50 erotica anthologies, such as The Big Book of Orgasms, Cheeky Spanking Stories and Serving Him: Sexy Stories of Submission, 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. The class will also cover branding yourself as a writer, using and selecting a good pseudonym, and using social media to promote your work and do outreach. She’ll also talk about submitting your work and keeping up with the thriving erotica market, including anthologies, ebooks, magazines and websites. Please bring paper and writing implements or a laptop to use for in class writing exercises. A bibliography with erotica resources will be provided. $45 (or $79 with pre-CataystCon Sex Writing 101, see below).
The Westin Los Angeles Airport, 5400 West Century Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90045

September 12, 1:30-4:30 pm
Sex Writing 101 workshop, Los Angeles before CatalystCon
In this three hour workshop, writer and editor Rachel Kramer Bussel will cover all you need to know about writing about sex, including blogging, first-person essays and journalism. You’ll learn how to ethically write about your love life, what editors are looking for, where to find experts on sexuality topics, and how to stay abreast of current sex news. Whether you’re looking to write a sex blog, column, articles or books, you’ll find out how to pitch, how much money you can expect to make, and how to maximize your editorial opportunities. The class will also cover branding yourself as a writer, using and selecting a good pseudonym, using social media to promote your work and do outreach, and how to pitch stories. Rachel has been a sex columnist for The Village Voice, Penthouse and The Frisky, and has written about sexuality for Cosmopolitan, The Daily Beast, Glamour, Inked, Salon, xoJane and many other publications. A resource list covering markets for sex-related pieces will be provided. $45 (or $79 with pre-CatalystCon Erotica 101, see above)

**Attendees who would like the opportunity to get feedback from Rachel on one piece of their own writing (3,000 words or less), to be submitted prior to the workshop can purchase this as an add on to either of the above workshops. Fee: $20
The Westin Los Angeles Airport, 5400 West Century Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90045

September 13, 9:30-10:40 am
Shameless Self-Promotion: Marketing 101 for Activists panel, CatalystCon
With Charlie Glickman, Cunning Minx, Reid Mihalko and me (follow along with the hashtag #cconself on Twitter)
Got a sex-positive cause you want to promote but remain unsure how to market yourself, your group or your organization effectively? Got the passion and drive but missing the marketing degree and the communication plan? Join this panel of expert sex-positive educators and activists as they share marketing tips designed to help you gain credibility, generate content and promote your ideas effectively. Attendees will learn how to use basic marketing tools such as speaking, blogging, social media and ebooks to build a following and promote themselves effectively.
The Westin Los Angeles Airport, 5400 West Century Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90045

September 14, 12:30-1:40 pm
Moderating Envelope-Pushing Erotica panel, CatalystCon
Envelope-Pushing Erotica: How Sexy Stories Can Change The World (follow along with the hasthag #cconerotica on Twitter)
Erotica can be more than just entertainment and titillation; it can help redefine what’s considered sexy, give readers an expanded way of looking at sexuality and reach readers in ways nonfiction may not. Each of the authors on this panel approaches the topic from a different angle: Shawna Kenney, as editor of Book Lovers: Sexy Stories from Under the Covers, explores the depths of literary erotica, senior sex expert Joan Price, as editor of Ageless Erotica, demystifies sex over 50, and Rebekah Weatherspoon, whose tagline is “Where The Happily Ever Afters are Always In Color,” as author of BDSM-themed erotic novels such as At Her Feet and Blacker Than Blue. We will discuss what it means to push the boundaries of erotic fiction, the marketplace for erotic books, incorporating diverse types of stories and characters and the meaning of erotica in readers’ lives. Moderated by Rachel Kramer Bussel, editor of over 50 anthologies including The Big Book of Orgasms and the Best Bondage Erotica series.
The Westin Los Angeles Airport, 5400 West Century Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90045

September 15, 7 pm
Free erotica reading with Rose Caraway
Join Rose Caraway, editor of The Sexy Librarian's Big Book of Erotica, and contributor Rachel Kramer Bussel (The Big Book of Submission, Hungry for More) for a reading, discussion and book signing.
The Booksmith, 1644 Haight Street, San Francisco, 415-863-8688

September 18, 6-8pm
Erotica 101 writing workshop, Portland, Oregon
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. The workshop is tailored to help get you published and highlight timely calls for submissions.

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. $25/person; register at Brown Paper Tickets.
Q Center, 4115 N. Mississippi Avenue, Portland, Oregon

September 23, 7:30 pm
Erotica 101 Writing Workshop, Portland, Maine
Rachel Kramer Bussel, professional erotica author and editor of over 50 erotica anthologies, such as The Big Book of Orgasms, Women in Lust, Please, Sir and Please, Ma'am, 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. $25/person. Seating is limited and we expect this workshop to fill up FAST! Call Nomia at 207-773-4774 or visit store to register.
Nomia, 24 Exchange Street, Suite 215, Portland, Maine, 207-773-4774.

September 24, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
The Guilty Pleasure of Erotic Literature, Portland, Maine
Join Gina O'Rourke, owner of Nomia, and Rachel Kramer Bussel, editor of several erotica anthologies for a conversation about 50 Shades and other titles; the lines between romance, erotica and pornography; and recommended reads. #bannedbookweek
Portland Public Library, Rines Auditorium, 5 Monument Way, Portland, Maine

September 28, 6:30-8 pm
Erotica 101 writing workshop, Chicago
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. $20/person or $35/two people. Register online.
Early to Bed, 5044 North Clark Street, Chicago, 773-271-1219

September 30, 8:30 pm
Erotica 101 writing workshop, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Professional erotica author and editor Rachel Kramer Bussel 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 learn 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. Paper and writing implements will be provided or you can use your own laptop. $20/person; register online. Doors open at 8:15 pm.
The Tool Shed, 2427 N. Murray Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 414-906-5304

October 24, 7:30-9 pm
Writing Erotica for Pleasure and Money, New York City (for New York Academy of Sex Education)
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.

You are sure to find growth with the very prolific, award winning erotica author and editor Rachel Kramer Bussel. She will take you through the ins and outs of modern erotic writing. Learn how to get started, find your voice, and write against type.

She will talk about incorporating everyday scenarios as well as outlandish fantasies into your writing. Rachel will teach you how to groom your writing to fit particular magazines and anthologies. And how to submit your work and keeping up with the thriving erotica market (including anthologies, ebooks, magazines and websites.) Materials needed: Please bring a laptop or paper and pen. $25/person. Advance registration required.
The Pleasure Chest, 1150 Second Avenue, New York City (Upper East Side, accessible by 4/5/6/N/R/F trains), 646-470-5129

Can't make any of these but want to learn more about erotica writing and start submitting stories?


I'm teaching this online erotica writing class with LitReactor for four weeks starting October 16. The great thing about it is that you can take it from anywhere in the world, on your schedule (it's not live), get feedback from me and other attendees, use any name you like as your username, letting you remain anonymous, and dive in-depth into the world of erotica. This is great for fiction writers who want to amp up their sex scenes, those who have an idea of what kind of erotica or erotic romance or sexy fiction they want to write but don't know where to submit it, and those just started out who want guidance as to how to make erotica come alive on the page. I've been asked often if I'm going to teach my erotica writing workshops in various cities, and since I can't travel everywhere, this class is a way that I can do so virtually.

See you at sex toy stores in Baltimore, Alexandria and Washington, DC in July

I'm doing my first ever events at sex toy stores in Baltimore, Maryland, Alexandria, Virginia and Washington, DC in July, and hope you can make it and/or let people nearby who may be interested know. All the details are below. Excited about all of these events and the very first The Big Book of Submission reading! I don't get the opportunity to do readings too often these days so they are extra special for me, and I welcome the chance to meet new readers and get to share these stories (and yes, that reading and my other upcoming ones, September 6th at the Foundation for Sex Positive Culture in Seattle and September 10th at She Bop in Portland, Oregon, to be added to their site soon, are all free!)

July 23, 6:30 pm
Erotica 101 writing workshop, Sugar, Baltimore, Maryland

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.

$25/person; register in store, by calling 410-467-2632 or online at Brown Paper Tickets
Sugar, 1001 West 36th Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 410-467-2632

July 24, 8-9:30 pm
Free reading from The Big Book of Orgasms and The Big Book of Submission, Lotus Blooms, Alexandria, Virginia
(free but registration is required)
Join me along with The Big Book of Orgasms contributors Emerald ("Payback") and Tess Danesi ("Steamy") and Bedded Bliss author and The Big Book of Submission contributor Kristina Wright ("The Test")! Calling all literary geeks! Join us on July 24th at Lotus Blooms in Old Town, Alexandria to welcome one of the biggest names in erotic fiction, Rachel Kramer Bussel. Boasting an impressive portfolio, Bussel is editor of over 50 anthologies, including The Big Book of Orgasms, Cheeky Spanking Stories, Best Bondage Erotica 2014, Flying High: Sexy Stories from the Mile High Club and more. In this 90 minute meet-and-greet, Rachel Kramer Bussel and three guest authors* will share excerpts from her highly anticipated new book, The Big Book of Submission: 69 Kinky Tales and one of her most popular compilations, The Big Book of Orgasms. There will be time at the end for a book signing and a short Q&A.

If you are not familiar with Bussel’s books, come see why Publishers Weekly says that Bussel “proves less is more in this collection of nibble-size erotic stories that are just long enough to fuel the imagination” and get to know the stories that will be on your nightstand for many late nights to come.
Lotus Blooms, 1017 King Street, Alexandria, Virginia, 703-535-8225, free as long as you register online

July 26, 7-8:30 pm
Erotica 101 writing workshop, Secret Pleasures, Washington, DC
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.

$21.69 (includes service charge), register at Brown Paper Tickets
Secret Pleasures Boutique, 1510 U Street NW, Washington, DC, 202-664-1476

Greetings from San Francisco, where tonight's the big night for The Big Book of Orgasms at Good VIbrations

Greetings from San Francisco! I'm here for tonight's big reading from The Big Book of Orgasms, which is free at 6:30 at Good Vibrations, 1620 Polk Street. If you know anyone in the area, please let them know! Details (Crystal Jordan unfortunately cannot be with us):

November 6, 6:30 p.m., FREE
The Big Book of Orgasms: 69 Sexy Stories (Cleis Press) is editor Rachel Kramer Bussel's latest and greatest erotica anthology. This climactic collection of pansexual short shorts are perfect for bedtime reading to a lover or on your own. Whether getting off from exhibitionism, voyeurism, hot wax, dirty talk or a very special pair of blue jeans, the characters in The Big Book of Orgasms go all out for the Big O. From vanilla to kinky, and everything in between, there's something for all erotic readers here. At this special reading, Bussel will be joined by contributors Lily K. Cho, Malin James, Sinclair Sexsmith, Donna George Storey, B.D. Swain, Virgie Tovar, Jade A. Waters and Xan West for an evening of steamy stories that's sure to leave you hot and bothered. Time: 6:30 - 7:30 pm
Where: Good Vibrations, 1620 Polk Street (at Sacramento Street), San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 345-0400
http://events.goodvibes.com/

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of meeting Rose Caraway, The Kiss Me Quicks podcaster and narrator extraodinaire of the Gotta Have It audiobook (so thrilled she will also be narrating The Big Book of Orgasms). I can't even express how awed I am by Rose's energy, and it shows in the responses. The Gotta Have It audiobook has blazed far, far ahead of all my other audiobooks. Maybe it's because the stories are short and sweet, but I think it's because Rose has a sexy voice and takes care and attention with everything she works on. And she brought me these pretty flowers!

Free Friday night reading at Purple Passion in NYC

Purple Passion is a wonderful fetish clothing and BDSM shop in Chelsea and I'm reading there on Friday night for the new Cleis Press D.L. King anthology Under Her Thumb: Erotic Stories of Female Domination, along with Laura Antoniou (whose new BDSM mystery The Killer Wore Leather you should also check out), Anne Grip and Lawrence Westerman. Some of my books will be for sale and I'll be giving out free bookmarks, plus it looks like this is my last reading in NYC as a New Yorker. The reading is at 18+, 7 p.m. It's free, and Purple Passion is at 211 West 20th Street. Official details on D.L. King's blog. My story is about a dinner party turned kinky foreplay and what happens afteard, and is called "Subdar" and there's a brief snippet below. See you there!

From "Subdar" by me

Some people like to think they have gaydar; Quinn knew she had subdar. She could tell within a minute of meeting a guy whether he was less interested in sitting across from her, staring passionately into her eyes, or perhaps taking her across his knee for a sadistic spanking, than in kneeling at her feet, head lowered, ready to bend over and grant her access to his beautiful bottom, or bend further and kiss, lick and all-around worship her feet. She had a hunch for which men wanted to be blindfolded, bound, stripped bare in every sense of the word, handing over their autonomy to her to do with as she pleased. She could tell which were the types who wanted her to stop them in mid-sentence with a well-timed pinch of their arm; a warning hand resting on their cheek, threatening to slap it, in private or public; or fingers digging in to the back of their neck, sending them halfway to ecstasy. It was a game she played when she was bored, whether sitting in traffic, at the real estate office amongst her coworkers, shopping in the mall—it wasn’t hard to tell the subs amongst the men waiting with their wives’ purses next to them in the department stores—or, like tonight, at a dinner party she was wishing she hadn’t agreed to attend.

Subdar wasn’t a skill she could teach other women, and even if she could keep, she wasn’t interested in sharing her secrets. It was more of an innate talent, something honed by over twenty years as a practicing dominant woman, from her first lover, Martin, in college, who’d begged to eat her pussy for hours, who she loved to tease by tying him up and using all manner of vibrators while he watched, helpless with desire, to the other men who’d longed to suck the cock she loved to wear – wanted her to spank them hard and put collars around their beefy necks, and generally got off on giving in to her in every way. Something inside her, something more than just her pussy, lit up in the mere presence of such a man, even if he was already under orders from another woman. Seeing a man catering to a woman fed something in her soul, made her feel at home, no matter whether it was an elegant woman in heels towering over her husband or simply one who knew how to twist her man to get her way.

Dominant women aren’t always the bitch goddesses they seemed in pop culture; true dommes know there are infinite ways to get what you want, and sometimes all it takes is a wicked smile or a hint of a whisper. Quinn considered herself a spy when out and about in mixed company, always searching for her peers, or a single man aching for nothing more than a woman to put him in his place. There were few things in life that gave Quinn the same kind of satisfaction as surveying a room and making eye contact with a man who fit her profile, who could feel the energy passing from her body to his. It made her wet every single time.

Let the BEA book lovers madness begin: signings, readings and fun

This week is Book Expo America at the Javits Center, my favorite event of the year; I love the energy and excitement of being surrounded all over by books and book people, by people who read. I didn't go yesterday but downtown I did run into author Wendy McClure, Patrick Hughes, who is now with Central Recovery Press, who published the memoir Dopefiend by Best Sex Writing 2012 contributor Tim Elhajj, and someone from UK distributor Turnaround, and am excited to see lots of friends and possibly sneak in to the Natalie Merchant signing today. This year bookstores have been offering $45 Power Reader passes to shoppers and if you like books and can get to New York City, I cannot recommend BEA enough, triple or quadruple that if you're a writer. Seeing the sheer size of what's being published, getting catalogs, meeting authors and publicists and editors, all of it, for me, is energizing in its own unique way. It helps remind me that books are my favorite thing in the world and that I'm honored to be a part of it in a way I wasn't when I started going to BEA in, I believe 2002.

Here's what I'm up to this week:

June 5 - Book Expo America signing 11:30-12:30 in the autographing area, signing 1-2 at the PGW booth, Javits Center

June 6 - lesbian erotica reading, 7 pm, at Bluestockings, 72 Allen Street, NYC, featuring authors and editors from The Harder She Comes: Butch Femme Erotica, Say Please: Lesbian BDSM Erotica and Girl Fever: 69 Stories of Sudden Sex for Lesbians

June 7 - noon, speaking at Blog World YouSayToo Booth Speaker Series “Building Audience & Community Around Your Passion.” Javits Center.

June 8 - 7 pm, Suite Encounters: Hotel Sex Stories reading and free cupcakes! Bluestockings, 72 Allen Street, NYC

Housing Works Best Sex Writing 2012 reading

Housing Works is my very favorite bookstore I've ever been to. I love all the galleys they have, I love the atmosphere, I love that I often run into people I know, I love that it's a nonprofit and I'm very excited to be hosting such an amazing lineup. The official Facebook invitation is here if you want to let anyone know about this special event with free cupcakes and below the listing are the titles and links, where applicable, of what you'll be hearing, along with some probing questions by me and a Q&A by the audience. See you there!

Wednesday, April 25 at 7:00 pm Best Sex Writing 2012 reading Join Best Sex Writing 2012 editor Rachel Kramer Bussel and contributors Camille Dodero, Ellen Friedrichs, Lynn Harris, Amanda Marcotte, Joan Price, Abby Tallmer, and Rachel Rabbit White for readings from this year's collection of the best journalism and essays about sexuality and a Q&A on wide-ranging topics, include SlutWalks, aging and sexuality, teenagers and sex laws, dating sites for people with STDs, drag shows, men who prefer fat women, and the gentrification of the West Village. Free and free cupcakes. Housing Works Bookstore Cafe proceeds go toward the fight to end AIDS and homelessness. Housing Works Bookstore Cafe, 126 Crosby Street, NYC
B/D/F/M to Broadway/Lafayette
212-334-3324

What you'll hear from (though it's possible I may not be able to resist one last public reading of "Adrian’s Penis: Care and Handling" by Adrian Colesberry):

"Sluts, Walking" by Amanda Marcotte (original to Best Sex Writing 2012)

"Grief, Resilience, and My 66th Birthday Gift" by Joan Price (excerpted from her book Naked at Our Age)

"Latina Glitter" by Rachel Rabbit White

"Dating with an STD" by Lynn Harris

"Guys Who Like Fat Chicks" by Camille Dodero

"Losing the Meatpacking District: A Queer History of Leather Culture" by Abby Tallmer (original to Best Sex Writing 2012)

"Penis Gagging, BDSM, and Rape Fantasy: The Truth about Kinky Sexting" by Rachel Kramer Bussel

"The Continuing Criminalization of Teen Sex" by Ellen Friedrichs (original to Best Sex Writing 2012)

Free Best Sex Writing 2012 reading tonight: polyamory, why atheist sex is better, female orgasm and more

Tonight at 7:30 pm come enjoy free cupcakes and some of the smartest thinkers and writers about sex at the Best Sex Writing 2012 reading at Booksmith, 1644 Haight Street, San Francisco. Facebook invite here and below find excerpts from all of your readers: Susie Bright, Rachel Kramer Bussel, Greta Christina Tracy Clark-Flory and Thomas S. Roche. And yes, of course I want you to buy the book, and come to the reading, and get your book signed, but I am also linking to the pieces so you can read them in full (and then buy the book for all the pieces you can't read online and to support the series). If you like any/all of these, please let someone know about the reading, tweet about it (@bestsexwriting or I'm @raquelita), give it as a gift, let your San Francisco and Santa Cruz and NYC friends know about tonight, April 12th, April 25th; anything you can do to support this series is wonderful. And a reminder: I am in search of submissions for Best Sex Writing 2013. Original pieces, reprints, suggestions are all welcome as long as they arrive by May 1 and I will be announcing which San Francisco writer is our guest judge very soon! Thanks for reading and see you at Booksmith and Bookshop Santa Cruz and Housing Works. For my full event schedule, visit my website.



"Why Lying About Monogamy Matters" by Susie Bright

It must make Ross pout that unrelenting evidence proves abstinence programs are not only "ineffective," they actually cause higher pregnancy rates than in places where young people have info and access to birth control. Eww!

It can turn a smiley-face upside-down, if you're a Christian religious fanatic, but sometimes the truth is... proof-y.

As for women having an infantile essential nature, which desires innocence and vacuity above all other sexual traits, leading to an unparalleled state of happy brainlessness -- gosh, how do you even begin to document that, outside of scripture and tattered Catholic catechism pamphlets?

Douthat's faith is based on the tenets of unapologetic misogyny, sexism, gender determinism, and an all-around "Daddy Knows Best" approach. I'm sure you've heard how well the Catholic clergy has led in this regard.

In Christianity, men are the natural leaders, and must stand guard against their carnality. Grrr!

Women must follow man, doting on him, caring for the hearth. Women have a lot to atone for, because they're the reason human beans got tossed out of the Garden of Eden. That's where God created everything in Seven Days and there was a Magic Apple and it really tasted good... which was premature and ill-advised. To say the least

"Penis Gagging, BDSM, and Rape Fantasy: The Truth about Kinky Sexting" by Rachel Kramer Bussel

“You don’t want to gag a woman with your penis unless you have some serious issues with the way you see women.” So says Kirsten Powers, ex-girlfriend of sex-scandal star Congressman Anthony Weiner, in a piece for The Daily Beast. She is referencing his sexting relationship with a Las Vegas blackjack dealer. The transcript of their texts was posted by Radar Online, including one bit that prompted Powers’ musing: “You will gag on me before you c** with me in you” and “[I’m] thinking about gagging your hot mouth with my c***.”

This column is not about Weiner. I’m pretty over political sex scandals and am inclined to think that someone like Weiner wanted to get caught, consciously or unconsciously. The only positive thing I can say about such scandals is that they do help shed light on just how unenlightened we are about topics like monogamy and BDSM. Here we have an example of a woman making a blanket statement about something she clearly doesn’t know the first thing about, simply because it offends her.

You know the phrase, “Taken out of context, I must seem so strange?” That goes double for pulling random bits of erotic conversation, texted or otherwise, and analyzing them as if they told a whole story. Without the motivation of the person sending and receiving them, you really don’t know anything, and yet it seems that a default anti-BDSM reaction is acceptable. Our public squeamishness over the fact that some people can eroticize pain, degradation, and being ordered around, safely, consensually and pleasurably, is nothing more than a prejudice that needs to be eradicated.

"Atheists Do It Better: Why Leaving Religion Leads to Better" by Greta Christina

And sexual guilt doesn't just go up with more conservative religions. It goes up with more religiosity, period. The more religious your upbringing is, the worse your sexual guilt is likely to be. Of people raised in very religious homes, 22.5% said they were shamed or ridiculed for masturbating (to give just one example)... compared to only 5.5% of people brought up in the least religious homes. And of people raised in very religious homes, 79.9% felt guilty about a specific sexual activity or desire... while among people raised in the least religious and most secular homes, that number drops to 26.3%. That's a huge, huge difference.

But one of the most surprising conclusions of this research? Sexual guilt from religion doesn't wreck people's sex lives forever.

Guilt According to conventional wisdom -- and I will freely admit that I held this conventional wisdom myself -- religious guilt about sex continues to torment people long after the religion itself has lost its hold. But according to the "Sex and Secularism" report, that's rarely the case. Once people let go of religion, people's positive experiences of sex, and their relative lack of guilt, happen at about the same rate as people who were never religious in the first place.

Ray was surprised by this result as well. (Surprising results -- a sign of good science!) "We did think that religion would have residual effects in people after they left," he told me, "but our data did not show this. That was a very pleasant surprise. That is not to say that some people don't continue to experience problems, but the vast majority seem to shake it off and get on with their sexual lives pretty well." So letting go of religion means a rebound to a sex life that's as satisfying, and as guilt-free, as a sex life that was never touched by religion in the first place.

"The Worship of Female Pleasure" by Tracy Clark-Flory

Nicole Daedone pulls her long dirty-blond locks into a bun, rolls up the sleeves of her crisp white dress shirt and readies her lube. On the table in front of her there is a woman, naked only from the waist down, with her knees spread wide. The 40-something founder of OneTaste, a center dedicated to “mindful sexuality,” is about to give a live and impromptu demonstration of orgasmic meditation (“OMing” for short) in a conference room at the sophisticated Le Meridien hotel in San Francisco. She takes a long look between the volunteer’s legs and enthuses to the audience of roughly 40 women: “Oh my god, it’s beautiful. It’s an electric rose color. The swelling is already beginning.”

Before long, Daedone is hunched over and vigorously stroking the woman’s most sensitive “spot” — the “upper left quadrant” of the clitoris — with just her forefinger. The recipient moans wildly as though she is being taken over by a spirit and Daedone urges her on: “Good girl. Good, good. Reach, reach, reach, reach.” As the woman’s groans peak, Daedone lets out a throaty exhalation that sounds like it belongs in a Lamaze class. Two audience members overcome by the intensity of the performance are silently crying. The demonstration, which is part of a weekend-long women’s retreat, continues for 15 minutes.

It is both arousing and deeply bizarre.

It isn’t every weekend that I find myself watching a woman being repeatedly brought to orgasm in front of a live audience — but I hardly expected normality when I asked to sit in on the workshop.

"Men Who “Buy Sex” Commit More Crimes: Newsweek, Trafficking, and the Lie of Fabricated Sex Studies" by Thomas S. Roche

Are they joking? Buying sex is already illegal most places — and it also exists almost everywhere. But this group is actually claiming that it must be “criminalized”? How far out of the world we live in do you have to be before you can believe that prostitution hasn’t been criminalized?

The answer? You just have to be a radical anti-sex feminist, apparently…in which case male-dominated society looks like just one big blur…at least, that’s what I, as a man, take away. Equating a law enforcement structure that can’t manage to stamp out street prostitution with men who frequent call girls and politicians who don’t pass stronger laws is only possible if men aren’t people.

What’s more, places where sex work is most illegal (Saudi Arabia and other Sharia-governed states) are without exception where it’s most dysfunctional (e.g., trafficked women). The nations that have the harshest anti-prostitution laws are the places where there are the greatest social strictures against consensual sexual encounters between men and women. Those countries are also — and this isn’t an accident — the nations where there’s the greatest difference between rich and poor, and the places where women have the lowest status. Oppressive laws disproportionately affect the poor, women, and racial, ethnic and religious minorities, no matter what they’re passed to do.

But it gets way worse. The “hooker-free Utopia” Farley wants to see take root in the U.S. is even more extreme than she’d let you know. In the case of Arab countries like Saudi Arabia and Egypt, those nations have a documented constancy of homosexual rape in both social and penal circumstances, as well as anti-gay murders for anyone who isn’t “discreet” about same-sex contacts.

My new tiger lily tattoo and free cupcakes at tonight's Powell's reading

I'm in Portland, Oregon, lying in my cozy hotel bed, armed with to do lists but enjoying the quiet at 5:41 am. Yesterday I went to New Rose Tattoo and my friend Mikal inked these gorgeous tiger lilies on my shoulder:



Tonight I'm reading at legendary bookstore Powell's at 7:30 with Best Sex Writing 2012 contributors and legendary writers Tim Elhajj ("An Unfortunate Discharge Early in My Naval Career"), Kevin Sampsell ("Pottymouth") and Lidia Yuknavitch ("Love Grenade"). Join us for these compelling true sex stories and a Q&A and booksigning and, of course, free cupcakes! Here's the Facebook invite if you want to pass it along (no RSVP required). All have written memoirs of their own I recommend: Dopefiend by Tim Elhajj, A Common Pornography by Kevin Sampsell and The Chronology of Water by Lidia Yuknavitch. Tomorrow night at 7 Kevin, Lidia and I are reading at Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle (Capitol Hill), also with free mini cupcakes (by Cupcake Royale). If you know anyone in Portland or Seattle, please please please let them know about these readings! And yes, I know it's Passover...now. I didn't realize that when I booked these readings, and my apologies for those who will be at seders.

April 6, 7:30 pm
Best Sex Writing 2012 reading
Powell's, 1005 W. Burnside, Portland, Oregon
Free and free cupcakes! Reading and discussion featuring editor Rachel Kramer Bussel and contributors Tim Elhajj (author of Dopefiend, contributor to Guernica), Kevin Sampsell (author of A Common Pornography) and Lidia Yuknavitch (author of The Chronology of Water). 503-228-4651.



And as seen on the wall at New Rose Tattoo: