Archive for November, 2010
69 Stories and a Kitty on the Cover!
Rachel Kramer Bussel has announced the table of contents for her forthcoming short fiction anthology, Gotta Have It: 69 Stories of Sudden Sex, to be published by Cleis Press in February of 2011! Gotta Have It is comprised, as the title suggests, of 69 stories, and each is 1,200 words or fewer. The (extensive!) table of contents as well as the introduction are up now at Rachel’s blog.
I’m very excited that my story “Suggestion” will be included in this collection, giving me the opportunity to be alongside many authors I love and admire, some for the first time, and some with whom I’ve been delighted to be between covers (book covers!) before.
Gotta Have It is available for Amazon pre-order and is scheduled to be released next February. There will also, as Rachel notes on her blog, be postcards forthcoming for those who, like myself, are delighted by the cat on the cover! ; )
Love,
Emerald
-from “Suggestion”
Cleis Press’s Gratitude and Giving Holiday Special!
Publisher Cleis Press is having a year-end sale in the form of 20% off all their and Viva Editions books through December 31, 2010! Called the “Gratitude and Giving Holiday Special,” all that is required is to enter the code found here to receive the discount off all titles until the end of the year.
Cleis states that this special is an expression of their gratitude for their customers’ support, which I share. I also, in turn, feel much gratitude toward Cleis Press for publishing me in the books they have. I deeply appreciate and feel honored by the opportunity to have been represented in the following Cleis Press titles (all of which are of course included in the sale):
The Merry XXXmas Book of Erotica
Edited by Alison Tyler I mentioned this one here last year, but it was past Christmas by the time I did. Since its theme coincides with this time of year, I am excited to recommend it again now as one of my favorite overall erotica anthologies I have read.
Fast Girls
Edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel
Of course I already talked about Fast Girls in detail during my day on its virtual book tour, but in short, it is definitely a Cleis title I recommend!
Fairy Tale Lust
Edited by Kristina Wright
I have been working my way through Fairy Tale Lust, the debut-as-editor anthology of the magnificent Kristina Wright, since it came out. Though I am just short of finishing it, I have read enough to know I recommend it. :)
He’s on Top
Edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel
I found this, one of Rachel Kramer Bussel’s earlier anthologies of female submission (twin to She’s on Top), hot, intense, varied, and complex and recommend it to all interested in male dominance and female submission themes. To those celebrating it, happy Thanksgiving, and happy rest of the year (and always) to all!
Love,
Emerald
“The giver became the gift, all one…love, this day now, this day…I know that love will overcome…”
-Live “Sparkle”
Recommended Reading #22: Sex as Labor
“Why We ‘Run In Packs’” by Amanda at Harlot’s Parlour (Sex Work, Sex and Culture) 11/18/10
I appreciate this post from the perspectives of both having worked as a sex worker and having worked as a political professional. With the mainstream perception of sex work frequently seeming to view it as degrading, disheartening, undesirable, or a number of other adjectives related to why it should be criminalized or otherwise not allowed, it may seem very difficult for sex workers to express nuance and/or sincere lamentations around their professions. This is because such nuance may be also viewed in a skewed way so that seeming complaints may be used to reinforce the already-in-place perception of sex work as fundamentally “bad”somehow, and also because the aim to counter said entrenched perceptions may seem more supported by expressing only what have seemed “positive” experiences in order to combat the barrage of “negative” that has seemed directed and perceived around sex work. Sex work is, like other work (hence the title), a job. In such interactions around it, it may seem helpful for us all to consider the different ways we feel and have felt about our respective jobs.
“Taking a lesson from Southern Poverty Law Center” by Dr. Elizabeth Wood (Sex Work, Public Policy, Sex and Culture) 8/13/09
I love Elizabeth’s clear, sensible, and to me seemingly unarguable articulation about sex work in the context of labor and (sadly) other areas of work in which woeful exploitation and abuse have occured.
“A Flash of Northern Light” by Jean Roberta (Sex Work, Sex and Culture, Law) 11/2010
Jean’s exposition on laws and sex work addresses the implications from a livelihood/labor standpoint of certain laws that purport not to actually criminalize sex work, per se, but rather the advertising or professional support of it, as well as the perception that taking away the livelihood of sex workers somehow serves society.
December’s Philadelphia Erotic Literary Salon!
I am very excited to be scheduled to be December’s featured reader at the Philadephia Erotic Literary Salon on Tuesday, December 21! The official press release is here.
The Salon’s gracious host, Susana Mayer, invited me last week to come up to November’s Salon as well, where I got to see Jeremy Edwards and Robin Sampson (Erobintica) as the featured readers for November. They were both (deservedly) huge hits, and it was an honor and pleasure to get to be there to see them! (Note: Jeremy has posted videos of his delightful readings here.) I did a five-minute reading (an edited version of “Play for Me”) at the mic as an audience member, and I very much look forward to returning to the Salon next month. Big thanks to Susana for inviting me to do so, and to Jeremy for affording our introduction. : )
So, if you’re in the Philadelphia area or will be on December 21 and would like to come join us, here are the details:
What: The Erotic Literary Salon
Where: TIME (The Bohemian Absinthe Lounge), 1315 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107
When: Tuesday, December 21 @ 8:00 p.m. (doors open 7:30)
Admission: $10 ($8 senior and student admission)
I’ll be reading “Power over Power,” my story from Please, Sir: Erotic Stories of Female Submission edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel. : )
Love,
Emerald
I wanted him to throw me down, ram his cock into me and fuck me hard, take full control of me, of him, of—everything. I tried to wiggle impatiently and realized that despite the calmness of his movements, the grip he had on me was like a clothespin on tissue paper. I felt his breath on my ear, steady in comparison to my almost frantic panting. Slowly he moved his hand from my breasts to the back of my neck again, sliding up through my hair and gripping into a fist. I caught my breath.
-from “Power over Power”
Recommended Reading #21: Expressions of Appreciation
“Bone Deep” by Kristina Wright (Memoir, Self-Awareness) 11/11/10
Moving, articulate, and beautiful is how I would describe this piece. I thank the author for expressing it.
“Rethinking The ‘Walk Of Shame’” (Sexual Culture) 10/21/10
I much appreciate (and agree with) the angle presented here that the idea of feeling shame around a desired, consensual sexual encounter seems absurd. I love the suggestion proposed as an alternative.
“To all of the kick ass, beautiful fierce femmes out there…” by Ivan Coyote (Recommended Watch, Relationship, Gender, Sexual Orientation) 4/10/10
I was rather blown away by this, both in content and presentation. Also, from a historically consistently cisgender, heterosexual female: she’s hot.
Philadelphia Tonight!
Even though I’m just back from my trip to New York for the Passion reading, I am headed right back to the train station today and excited to be attending The Erotic Literary Salon this evening to see Jeremy Edwards and Robin Elizabeth Sampson/Erobintica as the feature readers!
Jeremy will be reading from his comedic erotic novel Rock My Socks Off, which I, given how behind I am on my reading list, am still in the middle of reading (and laughing out loud at!). Robin will be reading a selection of her erotic poetry, including her two poems that were finalists at the 2010 Seattle Erotic Art Festival’s Literary Art Showcase. (I just recommended one of them a few weeks ago.)
I am delighted by the opportunity to support Jeremy and Robin tonight, and I will also be taking the opportunity to read as an audience member (audience members get the chance to read for five-minute increments). In addition, I am honored that The Erotic Literary Salon’s founder and host, Susana Mayer, has invited me to appear at next month’s Salon as the featured reader. More on that to come—in the meantime, if you’re in Philadelphia tonight and want to come out and see us, you can find all the detailshere!
Love,
Emerald
Best Bondage Erotica 2011 Is Out!
Best Bondage Erotica 2011 is the latest (coming right on the heels of Passion) anthology out edited by the extraordinary Rachel Kramer Bussel, and it includes my story “Relative Anonymity.” I am delighted to be featured alongside authors like Janine Ashbless, Andrea Dale, and Lisabet Sarai in this anthology, as well as Rachel herself.
The book’s introduction, table of contents, and a list of places where it may be found/ordered are right here on the Best Bondage Erotica website, and rumor has it excerpts and the book trailer may be found there soon. Rachel has spoken highly of this anthology, and in addition to being thrilled to be included in it, I really look forward to checking it out!
Love,
Emerald
Carly, entranced, suddenly realized she was looking at the cock of the man who used to be her husband. The cock that had been inside her countless times, that she had seen on a regular basis for almost a decade. It now hovered in front of another man’s mouth, one it was a safe bet it had been in before. Carly felt something stir in her, but she wasn’t sure what it was.
She wasn’t sure what she felt at all.
-from “Relative Anonymity” in Best Bondage Erotica 2011
NYC: Come Out Tonight for Passion!
This is just a quick reminder (has to be because I’m running behind already today!) that I’m reading tonight at Word bookstore in Brooklyn for Rachel Kramer Bussel’s Passion anthology reading! The event is from 7:00 to 8:30, and we’ll be not only reading from Passion but also helping Rachel celebrate her 35th birthday, which was yesterday!
If you’re in the area, we’d love to see you there! : )
Love,
Emerald
As we entered the formalwear store I held back a groan, suddenly realizing that if there was one thing I didn’t need the temptation of seeing Hayden in right now, it was a tuxedo. I looked around and tried to quell the simmering in my stomach as Sarah talked to the salesperson. After a brief interim of vest and tie collecting, Shawn and Hayden disappeared down the hallway to the changing rooms.
Moments later they both emerged in tuxedoes, and my insides melted a little bit.
-from “If,” my story in Passion
