(Mailing list information, including unsubscription instructions,
is located at the end of this message.)
__
Hi everyone!
Robert wants you all to know that Carol Queen (CSC's director) is up for SF Pride Grand Marshall this year, and you can vote for Grand Marshall whether or not you live in San Francisco. Here's the URL where you can print out a ballot -- they're due in by the end of March, which is next Monday, if you're counting: http://www.sfpride.org/parade/images/Ballot08-GM-eng.pdf ... and CQ says thanks for your support!
Another support need, if you can help with this: Our newest intern, Myrtille, needs a place to stay for about six weeks, from the beginning of the month to mid-May. Do you know anyone who can put her up or who needs a house-sit or sub-let? Please let us know!
xoxox--CQ and the Center for Sex & Culture crew
Events with a *star are new to this newsletter. How it works: the first listing is ours: CSC-sponsored events, events held at CSC, and events co-sponsored by or benefiting CSC. They are followed by brief save-the-date listings, then the second half is a list of other people's events and announcements which may be of interest to you. Both lists are boiled down to a table of contents, just below this note.
In this newsletter:
TONIGHT! Erotic Reading Circle -- 3/26
TOMORROW! Best Sex Writing Bookparty -- 3/27
Ask the Doctors: Cunnilingus (at Good Vibes) -- 3/29
Divas of San Francisco with David Steinberg -- 3/30
Sausage Ville: A Trouser Meat & Greet (at the Eagle -- benefits the Center for Sex & Culture) -- 3/30
Crafts and Collage Night -- 4/2
Body Heat: Femmes Write Porn -- 4/3
Advanced Nude Yogaplay for Men -- 4/7
Exploring Masculine Energy -- 4/12
Five-week class on Sex-Positivity -- begins 4/15
Save the date! Upcoming from CSC
Other cool events/announcements:
*Intercontinental Collaborations 3: The Symmetry Project
Strip Tease for lovers!
*Hot Draw!
*Supporting the trans body and spirit with Herbs and Nutrition workshop
*Unleash Your Fire workshop
*Call for Presenters: POLYAMORY CONFERENCE: SEPT 12-14: 2008
*"Pulling Back the Sheets: Sex, Work and Social Justice" July 2008 Chicago, IL
TONIGHT! Wednesday, 3/26, 7:30-9:30 -- EROTIC READING CIRCLE
Come read with us! Bring your newest story, one you're hoping to revise (respectful listening and helpful comments guaranteed), or your Happy Hour coicktail napkin with a new erotic haiku scribbled on it.
$5 donation, no one turned away for lack of funds. At CSC, 1519 Mission.
*****
Thursday, 3/27, 7 pm -- BEST SEX WRITING 2008 BOOKPARTY & READING
The Center for Sex and Culture presents the best in sex journalism! From dangerous dildos to professional submissives, the erotic appeal of twins, sex work, pornography and much more, these authors delve into the far reaches of eroticism. Probing stereotypes, truths, and the tricky areas in between, Best Sex Writing 2008 opens the bedroom door and explores the complexity of modern sexuality with thought-provoking, cutting-edge essays and articles. Authors Violet Blue, Paul Festa, Amy André, Greta Christina, Jen Cross and Melissa Gira will read and sign books afterwards.
Violet Blue ("Kink.com and Porn Hysteria: The Lie of Unbiased Reporting") is author and editor of nearly two dozen sexual health books and erotica collections. She is a professional sex educator, lecturer, podcaster, blogger, vlogger, porn/erotica reviewer and machine artist. She has written for outlets ranging from Forbes.com to O, The Oprah Magazine. Violet's website is tinynibbles.com.
Sex essays by Paul Festa ("How Insensitive") appear in Nerve, Salon, Best Sex Writing 2005 and Best Sex Writing 2006. His award-winning movie, Apparition of the Eternal Church, about the music of Olivier Messiaen, has its San Francisco premiere at Grace Cathedral on April 18. His related book, OH MY GOD: Messiaen in the Ear of the Unbeliever, was recently published. He can be found online at paulfesta.com and apparitionfilm.com.com.
Amy André ("The Study of Sex') has a master's degree in human sexuality studies from San Francisco State University. She works as a sex educator and writer.
Melissa Gira ("The Pink Ghetto [A Four-Part Series]) is the editor of Sexerati, the award-winning blog about smart sex, the co-founder of the sex worker group blog Bound, Not Gagged, and a reporter for Valleywag. Visit her at melissagira.com.
Jen Cross ("Surface Tensions") is a smut writer and writing workshop facilitator, and is co-collaborator in the dyke erotica collective Dirty Ink. Her writing has appeared in a plethora of anthologies, including Nobody Passes, Best Women's Erotica 2007, and Naughty Spanking Stories from A to Z 2. As a queer incest survivor, Jen writes to release, transform and create space for as much unspoken erotic as possible. For more information, visit www.writingourselveswhole.org.
No charge -- but we will ask for donations if you're able to contribute. At The Center for Sex & Culture: 1519 Mission near 11th St. CSC can take checks, Visa, M/C and Discover.r.
*****
Saturday, 3/29, ASK THE DOCTORS: CUNNILINGUS
Saturday, March 29th: Ask the Doctors: Cunnilingus (repeats at the Valencia Street GV on 4/5)
Join Dr. Carol Queen and Dr. Robert Lawrence as they explore the wonders and mysteries of cunnilingus! Learn everything you ever wanted to know, and enjoy 15% off Me Bath & Body products!
When: Saturday, March 29th
Time: 7:00 – 8:00 pm
Where: Good Vibrations Berkeley Store
2504 San Pablo Avenue (at Dwight Way)
Berkeley, CA 94702
(415) 345-0400
Free
*****
Sunday afternoon, March 30, 2-4 pm -- DIVAS OF SAN FRANCISCO: PORTRAITS OF TRANSSEXUAL WOMEN
For over five years, David Steinberg has been photographing transsexual women who frequent Divas Nightclub and Bar in San Francisco, the premier transgender club in the U.S. This February, he published Divas of San Francisco: Portraits of Transsexual Women, a collection of 59 intimate, revealing photographs portraying the individuality, diversity, and fierce integrity of a group of people who are alternately ignored and fetishized, but rarely acknowledged and appreciated for who they really are.
In this presentation, David will show images from his book, talk about the subculture that revolves around Divas, and discuss the dynamics of photographing the transsexual women he has met there. He will also offer details and backstories that give a realistic and appreciative sense of the lives of an exceptional and much misunderstood group of individuals. Signed copies of Divas of San Francisco will be available for purchase at special discount.
David Steinberg is a photographer, author, editor, and publisher. His previous books include Photo Sex: Fine Art Sexual Photography Comes of Age; Erotic by Nature: A Celebration of Life, of Love, and of Our Wonderful Bodies; and The Erotic Impulse: Honoring the Sensual Self. He is currently working on two books of couples photography, This Thing We Call Sex, and Sex and Disability. He lives in San Francisco.
$20 -- CSC can take checks, Visa, M/C and Discover. No one turned away for lack of funds -- David especially wants to make this presentation available to members of the trans community.
At The Center for Sex & Culture: 1519 Mission near 11th St.
AND! also Sunday afternoon:
*Sunday March 30th, 2008, 3-6 pm -- SAUSAGE-VILLE: A Trouser Meat & Greet
at the Eagle - 12th & Harrison -- www.SFEagle.com
featuring our porn star rafflers:
* Derrick Hanson
* Wolf Hudson
* Ross Hurston
* Tristan Jaxx
* Kyle King
* Tom Orr
* Tristan Phoenix
* Robert Thorn
Special guests: Sexologist Dr. Carol Queen
Emcees:
Sister Roma!
Sister Kitty Catalyst OCP
Event details:
Sausage Ville: A Trouser Meat & Greet
* benefiting:
The Center For Sex & Culture & AIDS Candlelight Vigil
(The San Francisco AIDS Candlelight Vigil, taking place in May is the local observance of the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial held in over 3000 communities in over 150 countries. The vigil began in San Francisco and New York in 1983 and was led and organized by people with AIDS to publicly empower themselves and was the world's first public demonstration of solidarity for people whose illness made them the target of fear and discrimination. Since then, the Vigil has become the world's oldest & largest annual grassroots event.)
*****
Wednesday, 4/2, 7 pm -- CRAFTS AND COLLAGE AT CSC!
Join us at CSC for an evening of making stuff, gossip and quasi-intellectual discussion! All small handicrafts are welcomed; collage, knitting, crocheting, quilting etc. We meet at 7 pm on the first Wednesday evening of the month starting March 5th. Chocolate, luscious yarn and witty repertoire are all encouraged. If you have particular collage or craft materials you wish to work with, please bring them; we don't yet have a big stash for you to play with.
At the Center for Sex & Culture, 1519 Mission near 11th. $5 donation, no one turned away for lack of funds. At CSC, 1519 Mission.
*****
Thursday, 4/3 -- BODY HEAT: FEMMES WRITE PORN
Come to the Center for Sex and Culture for the inaugural performance of the Body Heat: Femme Porn Tour on Thursday, April 3. This will be an evening of fierce, decadent performances/readings by Vixen Noir/Veronica Combs, Celestina Pearl, kathleen delaney and Jen Cross-- with, we're hoping, a couple special SF-area guests!
7pm, $10 & up (to help us pay for gas, for goodness' sake), no one turned away...
FMI: http://www.myspace.com/femmeporntour
BODY HEAT MANIFESTO: Body Heat is a collective of fierce, sassy, irreverent Femme artists setting ablaze performance art communities and smashing Femme stereotypes. Porn, Kink, Smut, Erotica - Body Heat is not reclaiming our sex so much as OWNING it.
We will turn you on.
We will challenge all of your Gender, Sex, Feminist, Social, & Political boundaries & assumptions.
We will entertain the hell out of you.
Mostly we will leave you panting, begging, dripping for more.
About the performers:
kathleen delaney is a High Femme who performs Queer Hard-Core Porn Spoken Word, full-time slave, definite DIVA, whose provocative performances ignite, shock, challenge, and eroticize Butch/Femme, Queer, and BDSM dynamics! kathleen has been performing her special brand of Queer Southern Kink & Porn for several years in the Atlanta area. She has toured both coasts, sharing the stage with such acts as Margaret Cho, Shar Rednour, Amber Dawn, Athens Boys Choir, Michelle Tea, Ian Harvie, Meliza Banales, Amy Ray, Scott Turner Schofield, Bitch, and S. Bear Bergman. kathleen has graced the stages of Margaret Cho's Sensuous Woman, Cliterati, Homo-A-Gogo, Mother Tongue, Down 'n Dirty, K'vetsh, Ladyfest South, and was recently a key organizer for Atlanta's Mondohomo Dirty South 2007. kathleen's chapbook "Fierce" was published in 2005, and is a steamy collection of her most Erotic work. Her first CD, "Stiletto," is slated for release September 2007!!! www.myspace.com/stilettospokenword
Celestina Pearl was born and raised in the City of Angels, and moved to San Francisco from Eugene, Oregon in January 2000. She's a 33 year old Chicana Femme Dyke, performance and visual artist, poet, writer and bruja. She's performed sola at many venues up and down the West Coast. She founded and performed with the Fierce Pussy Posse Cabaret Theatre Company from 1997-2000, in Eugene, Oregon. In San Francisco, she performed in Liquid Fire 2000, 2001 & 2004, in several performances of "Wet", an erotic cabaret by Lesbians of Color from 2000-2004, in many shows at Lunasea Women's Theater from 2000-2003, with Debauchery, a queer performance group from 2001-2003, and in "Please Don't Stop" and "Voluptuous Vixens", two movies celebrating the erotic lives of Lesbians of Color. She directed and starred in "Dangerous Curves: The Femme Show" and painted her first large scale public mural at Lunasea Women's Theater in 2003. In 2006 she graduated from City College of San Francisco's Nursi
ng Program and participated in and performed for the the San Fransicso Femme Conference. Her movie, "Las Mañanitas" (The Little Tomorrows) about her relationship as a queer Chicana Femme Dyke with her Drag Queen Nana showed at the Queer Women of Color Film Festival and Frameline LGBTQ Int'l Film Festival in June of 2007. She is currently working on an autobiographical movie about a Queer Femme Dyke and her FTM wife who is transitioning while they are also trying to become pregnant.
Jen Cross is a femme dyke incest survivor and smut writer. Her erotica has appeared in a plethora of anthologies, including, most recently, Nobody Passes, Best Women's Erotica 2007, Naughty Spanking Stories A-Z 2, as well as on CleanSheets.com. Based in the Bay Area, she's featured at such lascivious events as Sizzle, Writers With Drinks, the National Queer Arts Festival, Queer Open Mic. She participated in the smutty part of 2006's LitQuake LitCrawl, pouring out porn for a capacity crowd at GoodVibes. She's is a co-collaborator in the dyke erotica collective Dirty Ink, and, because she cannot get enough dirty words, leads erotic writing workshops and co-facilitates (with Carol Queen) a monthly Erotic Reading Circle at the Center for Sex and Culture. Jen writes to release, transform, and create space for as much unspoken erotica as possible, and is a firm believer in the transformative power of smut.
Vixen Noir (a.k.a. Veronica C. Combs) is a San Francisco-based erotic performance artist and burlesque dancer, actress, poetess, modern/jazz dancer, singer as well as director, producer, choreographer and filmmaker who has been wowing audiences in the San Francisco Bay Area and abroad with her sexy jaw-dropping performances for more than 12 years! Vixen integrates her extensive dance and theatre background to create performances that range from sublime to raucous, raunchy to seductive, titillating to beautiful, and that are artistically compelling and visually stimulating. Her work embodies a commitment to claiming erotic power, building bridges across racial, social and economic divides and celebrating the diversity of gender expression. Vixen’s work is unapologetically sexual, multicultural, and assists us all to revel in the ecstasy of our own divine power. During 2007, Vixen made her mark in Australia where she gave crowd-pleasing performances at Sydney’s world-famous Gur
lesque, a Lesbian Strip Club hosted by the divine Sex Intents and Glita Supernova. She also brought the house down at the Sly Fox’s Queer Central, Vanessa Wagner’s World Famous Amateur Strip Comp, and at Hellfire, Sydney’s premiere fetish club. In Melbourne, she was a Midsumma Festival favorite as she strutted her stuff in Tranzlesbian Gendermash and the sold-out raucous rock event, Rock Strip! One of Vixen’s most notable claims is as founder and former Artistic Director of liquidFIRE Productions, a San Francisco-based non-profit organization dedicated to the authentic representation of lesbians and queer women of color on stage (1997 – 2006). She is the mastermind behind the organization’s theatre company, The liquidFIRE Project, whose original productions explored and celebrated erotic power. Vixen is currently developing a one-woman show that explores the origin and evolution of her erotic power and her full-length narrative film, Unlikely Soul.
*****
Monday, 4/7, 7 pm -- ADVANCED NUDE YOGAPLAY FOR MEN
Advanced Nude YogaPlay is for men with yoga experience and is scheduled for Monday evenings in Room 1 at 7 pm at the CSC, 1519 Mission (at 11th) - MUNI/BART: Civic Center/Van Ness stations) in San Francisco the FIRST Monday of each month, holiday weekends excepted.
Sessions last approximately 80 minutes, and feature classic partner-oriented yoga poses with a focus on kundalini breath and intention..sessions are $20 each (NOTAFLOF), and mats are available
for rental, as well ($5). RSVPs are ESSENTIAL to gain entry into this class: thom@tgpraxis.net or 415.505.8980
Additional programs and events are scheduled during the year, and will be posted here and elsewhere.
*****
Saturday, 4/12, 9-5 -- EXPLORING MASCULINE ENERGY: Transforming our Connections as Men
Exploring Masculine Energy
What does it mean to be a man? Some is biology, yes. But what is masculine energy? How is it a positive force?
What lessons do we learn as boys and how do these lessons get in our way as we mature and develop meaningful relationships?
What does our culture and society teach us about being male? How do these lessons prevent us from being our true selves?
Spend a day with other men exploring our assumptions about being male and how these assumptions can get in our way of true intimacy with our friends, associates and partners.
Connect to your own masculinity
Experience your masculine energy with a group of men
Experience being in your body to find your true self
Explore assumptions we make about being male
Embrace authenticity in a safe and caring environment
Saturday April 12, 2008
9:00AM—5:00PM
The Center for Sex & Culture
1519 Mission Street
(Between S. Van Ness & 11th)
San Francisco, CA
To register or ask for additional information, e-mail ed@sacredtouchformen.com or simonge@gmail.com. You can also phone 415-503-0678.
$195
Register before March 31 for only $145!
A sliding scale is available. No one will be turned away due to lack of funds.
This workshop is open to all men regardless of age, partnership status or spiritual path. Being male is self-defined. Both Simon and Ed believe that all men share common experiences regardless of sexual orientation and we encourage all men to attend.
Ed Ehrgott is an Erotic Coach, Life Coach and Massage Therapist who lives and works in San Francisco. He’s been working with hundreds of men helping them experience new ways of being authentic and alive.
Simon Geoghegan is a Leadership Coach who works with leaders around the world in organizations such as Microsoft, Bell, and MSN. Simon lives outside Toronto with his wife and 3 boys.
Ed identifies as queer and Simon is straight. Both Ed and Simon believe that these issues transcend sexual orientation. In fact, they were amazed that they share so many common beliefs about the male experience other than sexual orientation!
*****
Sex-Positivity
Tuesdays, April 15 – May 20
6:30pm – 9:30pm
The Center for Sex and Culture
1519 Mission Street at Van Ness
Growing up in a sex-negative culture affects each of us in different ways. Some of us internalize messages that sex is bad, while others discover the need to hide their sexual experiences or practices from family, friends or lovers. The impact that this has can be both subtle and far-reaching, especially when secrecy and shame rear their heads. In this six-week workshop, we'll explore some of the ways that we have absorbed erotophobic ideas and beliefs in order to begin to move through them and discover our authentic sexual desires. Through presentation, interactive discussion, individual and group exercises, and personal reflection, we'll shed some light on questions such as the differences between privacy and secrecy, how to support sexual well-being, ways to respond when challenging experiences arise, and how to identify what authentic sexuality means to each of us.
This workshop meets the requirements of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists and is Approved for 15 CE Credits. AASECT is approved to offer continuing education for LMFT and LCSW licensure requirements in California by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences and for psychologists by the California MCEP Accrediting Agency. If you would like CE credit, please let us know when you register.
Professionals requesting CE credits: $200 - $150
Community (no CE's): $150 - $100
Please email Charlie with questions, registration and payment at: charlie@charlieglickman.com
For a flyer listing the course objectives, use this link: http://tinyurl.com/28cjc2
***************************************************
SAVE THE DATE! More detail next time.
Ruby Pearl Art Workshops... we're still gonna schedule 'em!
Masculine Energy and Intimacy with Ed Ehrgott -- 4/12 all day
Perverts Put Out! --4/19
LAURA ANTONIOU (The Marketplace series) visit:
--4/29: Tell Me What You Want, What You Really Really Want
--5/1: Too Kinky for Words: Playing way off the edge
--5/4: The Revenge of the Middle Aged Guard
Don't Stop, Get It Get It women's party -- 5/24
May 25 (date change!!) -- the Masturbate-a-Thon!
*****OTHER EVENTS/ANNOUNCEMENTS OF INTEREST:*****
*Intercontinental Collaborations 3: The Symmetry Project
Strip Tease for lovers!
*Hot Draw!
*Supporting the trans body and spirit with Herbs and Nutrition workshop
*Unleash Your Fire workshop
*Call for Presenters: POLYAMORY CONFERENCE: SEPT 12-14: 2008
*"Pulling Back the Sheets: Sex, Work and Social Justice" July 2008 Chicago, IL
*Jess Curtis/Gravity presents:
Intercontinental Collaborations 3
The Symmetry Project
featuring two US premieres by Jess Curtis/Gravity at CounterPULSE
March 27-30, April 3-6, 8pm
www.jesscurtisgravity.org • www.counterpulse.org
Symmetry Study #7 (U.S. Premiere)
“...erotic and acrobatic... with equal parts grace and furiosity....a predatory mating ritual....in a variety of remarkable balancing acts.”
A.J. Goldmann, The New York Feuillelton
Symmetry Study #7 is a journey through perception. Two naked bodies interact through a highly structured improvisational score, constricted in a specific physical habit; that of moving symmetrically, relative to themselves or to each other. In this space of temporary “habitus”, the two bodies are constantly tuning, reformulating the perception of the self and of the other. In the sharing of a central axis, spine, mouth, genitals, face, and anus reveal their interconnectedness and centrality in embodied experience. Limbs entangle and intertwine creating an inter-corporeal kaleidoscope of flesh. A kind of uber-intimacy develops, going far beyond sexuality into a kind of communal biology, a symbiotic sensory field. Blending, merging, and then again differentiating, the two become “unfinished entities” - improvising new habits, “perceiving the possible”. Exploring and manipulating our perception, they reveal the body’s awkwardness, it’s monstrosity, its potential failure and fini
teness, they create space for the possibility of the unknown, the wondrous, the ecstatic, and the infinite.
Conceived and Performed by: Maria Francesca Scaroni and Jess Curtis
Original Score and Musical Direction by: Klaus Janek
With Video by: Regina Teichs
Tickets: www.brownpapertickets.com - Th./Sun. $18 Fri./Sat. $20
And
Asymmetrical Tendencies (World Premiere)
A world premiere directed by Jess Curtis, created and performed by the Croi Glan Integrated Dance company from Cork, Ireland. Two extremely different dancers explore each other's bodies and their own, giving us insight into our own physicality. Difference creates identity yet we search for commonality to find connection. How do our differences allow us to find connection as well? How can our sameness keep us apart? Asymmetrical Tendencies explores the idiosyncrasies of these two unique dancers and weaves their movement into a two-part harmony ranging from the classically beautiful to the intriguingly odd.
Choreography/Direction: Jess Curtis
Created and Performed by: Rhona Coughlan, Tara Brandel
Original Score by: Sheldon Smith
About Croi Glan Dance Company
Croi Glan is a Physically Integrated dance company based in Cork, Ireland which performs works in a dance theatre style using both disabled and able-bodied dancers. Croi Glan (which means “Clear Heart” in Gaelic) was created in 2006, and is run by Tara Brandel and Rhona Coughlan, with support from Irish Arts Council and Cork County Arts. Croi Glan aims to promote the cutting edge artistic value of integrated dance by producing high caliber work that tours nationally and internationally.
Croi Glan has been awarded a Making Spaces commission by the Nuffield Theatre, University of Lancaster in England (with Wendy Hesketh's Wired Aerial Theatre); and Dance Ireland's International Exchange programme in Glasgow's new Dance House (with disabled dancer Claire Cunningham). Tara has received an Arts Council Travel Award ( to make connections with other Integrated Dance practitioners in San Francisco); and a Bursary Award to commission choreographer Jess Curtis to make work on the company). Their first piece Lean was recently performed at the Dublin Fringe festival.
Croi Glan also provides an educational program that promotes integrated dance to people with disabilities and able-bodied dancers through introductory workshops, ongoing classes, and vocational training in integrated dance. croiglan.com
CounterPULSE is wheelchair accessible and easily reached via public transportation. For more information please call 415-626-2060.
Intercontinental Collaborations 3
The Symmetry Project
March 27-30, April 3-6, 8pm
www.jesscurtisgravity.org • www.counterpulse.org
Tickets: www.brownpapertickets.com - Th./Sun. $18 Fri./Sat. $20
Gallery exhibition
From March 8th through April 5th the CounterPULSE gallery will present an exhibition of photographs made by Curtis and Scaroni in collaboration with Berlin photographer Sven Hagolani. Gallery hours are Tuesday-Friday, 12-6pm, and before performances. Entry Free.
Gallery Reception: Thursday March 27, 10pm (after the opening performance.)
Classes
Tuesdays in March, 6:30pm at CounterPULSE.
Jess Curtis teaches an introductory Contact Improvisation class. “The Phenomenology of Perception” (merci M.M-P.). Using the senses as a gateway to becoming dancing bodies. $12/$15 with the jam.
Tuesdays in April , 6:30 pm at CounterPULSE.
Maria Francesca Scaroni teaches an introductory Contact Improvisation class before the jam.
Upcoming
April 17-27
Berkeley, California,
Berkeley Dance Project
Symmetry Study#8, a new work created by Jess Curtis in collaboration with students in the Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies program at UC Berkeley.
April 27
CounterPULSE, San Francisco
CounterPULSE Anniversary show
Many of the Bay Area's most exciting performing artists gather to celebrate CounterPULSE’s third birthday.
Featuring AXIS Dance Company, Robert Moses Kin, Shinichi Ivoa-Koga, Joe Goode Performance Group, Jess Curtis/Gravity, Joanna Haigood/ Zaccho Dance Theatre, and many more;
plus food, beverages, and a silent auction to benefit CounterPULSE
www.counterpulse.org
*****
Friday, March 28th: Strip Tease for lovers!
Do you have a Striptease God or Goddess inside you just bursting to get out? Maybe you've tried to give a lap dance in the bedroom and felt silly. Well guess what? It is silly! That's what makes it fun and sexy. Come and practice putting on those bedroom eyes, channeling your seductive self, and learn the art of the tease! You don't have to be a trained ballerina to entrap the attention of your lover, it's all in the attitude. Join local local burlesque performer and Lusty Lady dancer, Tricksie Treat, in this fun and active workshop! All genders welcome! Come alone, or bring a friend! Held in the Polk Street gallery for added privacy.
When: Friday, March 28th
Time: 7:00 – 8:00 pm
Where: Good Vibrations Polk Street Store
1620 Polk Street @ Sacramento
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 345-0400
Free
*****
Friday, April 4th - 7:15pm-10:00pm - Hot Draw!
Friday, April 18th - 7:15pm-10:00pm - Hot Draw!
Hot Draw! is an erotic leather/fetish drawing group for gay men hosted by Mark I Chester at his studio at 1229 Folsom St. in SF. Open to sketchers of all skill levels. Friendly and non-competitive. Poses include fetish gear, leather, bondage and eroticism. Call 415-621-6294 to make a reservation. Suggested donation. <http://markichester.com/hotdraw>http://markichester.com/hotdraw
*****
TRANS NATURAL:
Supporting the trans body and spirit with Herbs and Nutrition
workshop with Kara Sigler and Dori Midnight
Sunday May 11, 2008, 1-5:30pm
Sliding scale donation: $20-$50 (no one turned away for lack of funds)
Topics covered: pre/post surgery, hormone maintenance/support
All Bodies Welcome!
For more information and to Register to secure your spot! $10 deposit
www.sfherbalist.com/upcoming
or email
dorimidnight@yahoo.com
at TRANS: Thrive
815 Hyde St. (btwn Sutter and Bush) 2nd floor
*****
Unleash Your Fire Weekend Workshop for Women
taught by Vixen Noir
Have you lost touch with your most passionate desires or simply pushed them aside?
Do you feel disconnected from your erotic, sexual self?
Do you want to feel more sensuality and passion in your life?
Do you want to wake up your playful creative side in a sexy, safe, women-only environment?
Unleash Your Fire is a sexy, fun, and sometimes challenging workshop for all women that uses theatre, dance-movement, storytelling, visualization, writing, trust and intimacy exercises to help you tap into, reclaim and celebrate erotic power as your rightful sensual legacy! Unleash Your Fire examines the idea that erotic power is not only connected to sexual pleasure, but it is also a creative and healing source that affects every aspect of our lives. UYF workshops provide the opportunity for you to explore erotic power with other women in a safe and supportive environment that cultivates community building and individual and collective healing.
What you can expect from the workshop:
· Wake up your erotic power, reconnect with it or deepen the relationship that you already have.
· Discover creative and sexual parts of yourself you never knew existed.
· Experience the power of creative expression as a means of transformation.
· Embrace your sensuality and feel more comfortable in your body.
· With reflection and support from other participants, take an honest inventory of your desires and begin a journey towards healing and empowerment.
What participants are saying about Unleash Your Fire and Vixen Noir:
“Excellent workshop! Very challenging but mixed in with lots of fun and support and love.”
--Participant, 2007 Sydney Australia
“You have shown me everyone has Erotic Power. You have helped me transform my dolly steps into flying leaps!”
--Participant, 2007 Sydney Australia
“You are a dynamic, charismatic teacher; you’re caring and skilled… I'm a lot freer and at home with my body and my sensuality. You taught me how to reclaim my inner erotic goddess, and I am forever grateful to you for that gift!”
--Ama, Participant 2006 San Francisco
“I couldn't have asked for a sexier, more supportive space to create and become the truest version of myself. It's an experience I will never forget and will always be grateful for."
--Mac, Participant 2006 San Francisco
Limited to 20 women! Register Early!
Where: The Garage, 975 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA (Civic Center BART)
When: Saturday, May 24, 2008, 9am – 5pm and Sunday, May 24, 2008, 10am – 5pm
Cost: Early Birds--Register by April 26, 2008 and pay only $200. That’s a 25% savings!!!
Standard Rate: $250
Scholarships available.
More Info/To Register: Visit www.myspace.com/unleashyourfire, or email vixen_noir@hotmail.com
*****
Call for Presenters: POLYAMORY CONFERENCE: SEPT 12-14: 2008
GREETINGS!
This year's WORLD POLYAMORY ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE will be happening September 12-14 at Harbin Hot Springs, in Middletown, California, (2 hours north of San Francisco).
This is our official call for presentation proposals. If you want to do a presentation, now is the time to let us know:
http://www.worldpolyamoryassociation.com
SHARE WITH OTHER POLYAMOROUS FOLKS:
What Works for You!
What's Fun for You!
What's New and Interesting in the Poly world!
Lead a discussion.
Present Tantra experiential exercises
Demonstrate communication techniques
Jealousy Management
Negotiation methods
Perform poly-oriented music or dance or artistry
Intimacy enhancement methods.
Polyactism
Explore what's worked and what hasn't...
...or whatever else your creative brilliant mind can come up with that other polys might find fun, illuminating, inspiring, uplifting, healing, fun, informative, instructive, entertaining or fun. (Did we mention FUN?)
Note: Generally speaking, academic lecture-style events or abstract/theoretical presentations do NOT go over well, while audience participation/interactive events are usually MUCH MORE popular.
All events MUST be directly related to polyamory, polyfidelity, open relationships or other forms of consensual non-monogamy. General topics not related to polyamory, even if "very interesting," will not be considered.
Please send in your application before June 1st, 2008. Selections will be made by our organizing committee within a few days of that closing date.
If you want view a two-minute video about the conference, click on the link below:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4213542623747936859&q=polyamory+conference&total=55&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=1
In case you've never been there before, you'll love Harbin. Harbin Hot Springs, CA near Middleton (two hours from both San Francisco), nestles on 1200 acres of beautiful canyon land. It offers natural healing waters (hot, warm and cold pools), miles of hiking trails. The Poly Conference's area is totally private within Harbin; in our area, we can be openly affectionate and even sexual. Harbin is a clothes-optional facility.
Presenters who wish are listed as Faculty of the World Polyamory Association. As one of our presenters, your listing on our web site links to a your description of the workshops you present for the WPA. Your presentation will be archived and permanently listed on the WPA. Your listing includes a link to your web site, your biography and a link to your products page on your site.
Presenters receive:
*A partial waiver of fees for the conference.
*Free space to sell their poly-related products and display promotional literature.
*Free World Polyamory Association Membership for one year.
Presentations are a minimum of 1 hour. Workshops are usually 90 minutes.
http://www.worldpolyamoryassociation.com
For more information call 808-244-4103
*****
~Desiree Alliance Presents~
In partnership with BAYSWAN, Sex Workers Outreach Project-USA, SWANK, H.I.P.S. Different Avenues, COYOTE, Best Practices Policy Project, $pread Magazine, St. James Infirmary, Harm Reduction Coalition, PONY, SWOP-Chicago, SWOP-Las Vegas, SWOP-Los Angeles, SWOP- Northern California, SWOP-Arizona, SWOP-Portland, & SWOP-EAST
"Pulling Back the Sheets: Sex, Work and Social Justice"
July 2008 Chicago, IL
Deadline for submissions: Friday March 21st, 2008
*Email submissions to: dasubmissions@yahoo.com or call: 1-866-525-7967 extension 702 for assistance.*
All presentations will be considered, and confirmation will be provided by April 11th for all submissions.
The Desiree Alliance is a diverse, volunteer-based, sex worker-led network of organizations, communities and individuals across the US working in harm reduction, direct services, political advocacy and health services for sex workers. We provide leadership development and create space for sex workers and supporters to come together to advocate for human, labor and civil rights for all workers in the sex industry.
This convergence will create space for dialogue between hundreds of sex workers and their allies to share their personal experience and skills, identify workers' most pressing needs, share training and networking skills for developing solutions, and to collaborate on strategies for social and political change on local, state, national and international levels.
We prioritize sex worker leadership in creating an informed, cooperative community. We invite proposals for workshops and presentations addressing social, cultural, economic, political and strategic issues related to sex work. All backgrounds, experiences, and genders are part of the social justice movement towards the human rights of sex workers, therefore we emphasize diversity among our organizers, presenters and participants. Your presentation is an opportunity to share your skills, as both a sex worker and an activist, so that we may bring together our collective knowledge and experience to empower our movement.
We come to this conference because we believe sex workers have the solutions. You are the expert. Come share it with others.
A Proposal should include:
* Title for your presentation
* Affiliation with an organization or social justice movement you'd like to have listed
* A short paragraph with your background and experience in sex work or the sex workers rights' movement
* A one paragraph summary of the workshop or presentation (four to eight sentences)
* The time frame needed to present, whether 15 minutes, half-hour or an hour.
* Please include whether or not you will need any technical support, such as a projector or AV, etc.
*We are accepting practical workshops from all genders and working backgrounds including, but not limited to the following subjects:*
Advocacy/Outreach, Court Support and Solidarity, Fundraising/Grant-writing, Self-Defense Training, Planning for Retirement, Protecting Our Families, Health & Safety Issues, How to Run a Business, Direct Services, Substances in the Workplace, Strategies for Alternatives to Criminalization, Policy Reform, Grassroots Organizing, Building Community, Labor Organizing, Lobbying, Media Training, Wellness Leadership from Sex Workers, Technical Training for the Web, Marketing Strategies for Organizing and Sex Work, Screening Clients, Policies related to Sex Work and, Bridging International Sex Work Communities, Workshops about Clients, Allyship with the Prison Reform Movement, Impacts of Criminalization and Incarceration on Our Community, John Schools, Impacts of End Demand and Anti-Trafficking Policies, Media Advocacy Toolkits, Federal Law and Sex Work, Issues Specific
to Trans Sex Work Communities, Resisting Oppression, How to be an Ally to.... Sex Workers.*
Desiree Alliance is a Project of Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs (SEE), a 501(c)(3) non-profit
Visit us at: http://www.DesireeAlliance.org
--
The following information is a reminder of your current mailing
list subscription:
If the above URL is inoperable, make sure that you have copied the
entire address. Some mail readers will wrap a long URL and thus break
this automatic unsubscribe mechanism.
You may also change your subscription by visiting this list's main screen:
http://www.sexandculture.org/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/list/qoh
If you're still having trouble, please contact the list owner at:
The following physical address is associated with this mailing list:
308 Fell St.
San Francisco, CA 94102-5143 |