Erotic Altruism On Cult Of Gracie

Tonight on Cult of Gracie, I'll be talking with Alessia Brio about the sexy humanitarian effort Coming Together, the series of erotica anthologies which raises funds along with libidos.

Coming Together is a series of anthologies containing short erotic stories which have been favorably compared to Susie Bright's Best American Erotica series ~ but the books do more than provide randy entertainment: All proceeds from the sales of Coming Together publications (paper copies & ebooks) are donated to charity, in what Ms. Brio calls "erotic altruism."

I recently interviewed Alessia for Sex-Kitten.Net, and since then, Sex-Kitten.Net has become a sponsor of this project which does so much for so many ~ including show the world that fans of erotica are more than just some dirty-minded selfish folks; they are proof that sex & arousal, even the solo acts, are indeed acts of love.

You can listen live tonight from 9-10 pm central. As always, you can also join in on chat in the chatroom and call in live at 646.200.3136.

Amorous Women On XXBN

Tonight on XXBN, I interview Donna George Storey, the Stanford Ph.D. who authored Amorous Woman.

Amorous Woman is the author's semi-autobiographical tale of an American woman's love affair with Japan.

I just finished the erotic novel ~ and while I can't say I know more about the Japanese language or Japanese sexual customs, Amorous Woman did have me thinking of a cultural exchange program for randy adults. *wink*

You can listen live to Gracie Passette interviewing Donna George Storey ~ and hear an excerpt from the novel read by the author ~ tonight from 9-10 pm central.

As always, you can also join in on chat in the chatroom and call in live at 646.200.3136.

Flox-ing A Dead Horse?

I've been half-dead from the flu (and the other half wishes I was dead) ~ maybe I shouldn't have had that phone sex with Ms Angela when she was so sick herself? Anyway, one person is worthy of crawling out of bed and taking a shower... The fabulous AV Flox of OMG. OMG! OMFG!

AV writes about the weird, complicated entanglements people get themselves into, from hook-ups to marriage, and how these connections are made easier or exacerbated by technology. She's currently working with fellow journo John Bowe on a collection of interviews about American views on love. AV champions understanding materiality, being polite on the internet, acknowledging the historical significance of pornography and erotica, and inviting gonzo back into journalism. She writes smut, overshares about her sex life on Twitter, and has been labeled by critics as a slut with low journalistic standards. She doesn't apologize about sex saying, "Anyway, wasn't Pulitzer also the father of yellow journalism?"

AV also describes herself as a huge information monger and story collector. "I don't think I have any real desire to do anything other than absorb information, lounge and write. Thank god for the internet, right?"

Amen, sister Flox.

Join AV Flox & I tonight, Wednesday November 19th, from 9 to 10 pm (central time).

Rachel, Rebecca & Jane Join The Cult

This Wednesday (November 12, from 9 to 10 PM Central time), the lovely Dr. Jane Vargas and her sex positive feminist daughters, Rebecca of Porn Perspectives and Rachel aka the Pop Feminist join The Cult for the ultimate Everybody Poos, Everybody Screws; Get Over It show.

We'll be discussing how to raise intelligent, talented, sex positive feminist daughters.

You can listen live to the show here, ask questions in chat, and you can join the show live at 646.200.3136.

(The same link can be used to listen/download a podcast of the show if you miss the live broadcast.)

CNBC's Dirty Money Special

I did watch Dirty Money: The Business of High-End Prostitution, which was far better than the witch-hunt Sawyer et all put on ~ CNBC even had my friend Amanda Brooks on. (She did a spectacular job!) We recorded the show, so I'm saving my official review for once we get clips transferred for web viewing.

Sunday Carnival Reading

Because blog carnivals are good for you:

The 11th edition of the Feminist Carnival of Sexual Freedom and Autonomy is up at Fetch Me My Axe.

The 77th edition of the Carnival of The Liberals is up at The Lay Scientist.

Of Cross Dressing & Crossed Lines

Dr. Jane Vargas and I continue the cross dressing discussion tonight next Wednesday, 11/05/08, one half hour earlier to try to pack in all that we were unable to get to on last week's ill-fated show. The show will begin at 8:30 pm central (9:30 pm eastern).

In attempts to alleviate any potential problems, please listen to the show, sign into chat, and await the announcement that the lines are open before calling in at 646.200.3136. We will do our very best to get to each & every caller!

XXBN's Election Night & Prop K Coverage

You are invited to attend XXBN's Election Night Coverage.

When: November 4th, from 10 p.m. to Midnight (Eastern)

Where: On XXBN ~ listen live, talk in the chat room, & even be on-air!

Why: There's this little thing called a presidential election, as well as lots of local elections going on that night and we'll be bringing you the news, results and (fingers-crossed!) the laughs and sighs of relief. (If not we'll be crying, ranting, barfing... possibly renting U-Hauls to cross a border...)

Who: Along with you, of course, Gracie Passette & Jill Brenneman will play host to the always fabulous Nina Hartley, Jessie Daniels, and Prop K Proponent, Maxine Doogan ~ as well as a slew of other sex positive & liberal folks.

What: We'll be talking politics, propositions, and elections ~ on national and local levels.

Please join us ~ no need to RSVP, just be there.

Have something to say, pray, or, if you're really on a rant, spray? You can even join the show by calling in at 646.200.3136.

If you're looking for more info on Prop K, check out Amber Rhea's list of coverage & resources.

Image credits: Sadie Lune I Want You Poster Prop K Poster, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

Dr. Jane Vargas Returns To The Cult To Talk About Cross Dressing

Dr. Jane Vargas was my very first Cult of Gracie guest and she rejoins The Cult this week Wednesday, October 29 (from 9-10 pm, central time).

Jane and I will be discussing cross dressing: what it means, the distinctions between lingerie fetishists and cross dressers, how men who cross dress cope with self-image ~ and women's responses to cross dressing.

You can listen live to the cross dressing show here, as well as ask questions in chat. If you have questions or just want to join the show live, you are invited to call-in during the show at 646.200.3136.

The same link can be used to listen/download a podcast of the show if you miss the live broadcast.

UPDATE: Our apologies for the technical difficulties with tonight's (10/28/08) Cult of Gracie show with Dr. Jane Vargas. The show started late and I know that many of you were not able to get through on the air.

We will continue the cross dressing discussion with Jane next Wednesday, 11/05/08, a half hour earlier to try to accommodate you all. The show will begin at 8:30 pm central (9:30 pm eastern).

In attempts to alleviate any potential problems, please listen to the show, sign into chat, and await the announcement that the lines are open before calling in.

Again, we are very sorry for the issues with the show and hope you'll return next week to listen to & speak with Jane & I.

With much affection,
Gracie

The Art (Of Writing) For Art's Sake?

On last week's Cult of Gracie, part of the discussion returned to the issue of the value of writing, especially of adult writing on human sexuality. The lovely Rebecca sent a follow-up email about the talk:

Thanks for having me on the show last night and letting me stay and chat. That was so awesome. Pete listened to it as well, and here are some of our thoughts on writing for creativity vs writing to eat.

In no way am I a writer, so lets get that's straight. But I do consider myself an artist, and I live with an artist, so that's the perspective I am coming from.

Writing is an art form itself and is a creative field. And like most artistic ventures, the people that can support themselves strictly on their artistic vision is .5%. That means that 99.5% of people in that field make no money or not enough money to support themselves.

I think it has more to do with this, than it does the fact that it is the sex industry. Even in mainstream, the majority of writers, poets and painters cannot survive on their vision. And of the .5% that do, most of those people are financially able to carry themselves, but are in no way wealthy.

There are many people that tackle this by writing for commission, and leaving free time to write their passion. For those people, it can work great. Taking the financial stress off the table then allows them to write with clarity, not having to worry about paying the bills and having that interfere with their vision. They may not love the commission work, but it gets them by and relieves the pressure.

For those that choose the road of creating just their vision find that it is easier said than done. Sooner or later, life creeps in, and you find yourself creating for the market and losing the vision you originally set out to explore. How can this not happen? The artist who paints still lifes finds his still lifes with cats are a big hit. Being excited that people respond, he/she creates more paintings with cats. How soon until he loses site of his still lifes and finds himself just painting cats? The odd thing is that once he goes down that road, the cat paintings stop selling. He began to create for the marketplace, and his work lost the honesty and feeling behind it that people were connecting with.

This happens more often when financial milsetones are the road you are following. Money has a great way of pushing our heads in a different direction. To stay on the "honest" path, the milestones can't be financial, but "Is my message being heard?". You then have to trust that
financial gain will follow.

Remember too, that most great works of art were commissions, created within the confines of someone else. Michealangelo did not want to paint the Sistine Chapel. It wasn't his vision, but he needed to create it in order to get the jobs that were to come after. Within the confines of the commission, he was still able to use his talents and create a masterpiece. That I think is the realistic balance. Creating a masterpiece wherever you may be.

And the struggle itself is beautiful and is what I think keeps you honest. Without the struggle, you lose your passion.

I do think that much of the work I see from writers such as yourselves, as well as some erotic photographers is beginning to create new genres of intelligent erotica, intelligent porn and smarter content. I know people have been talking about it and working towards it, and I think it is beginning to grab hold.

Will it happen soon enough for everyone to capitalize on it? Maybe not, but that's the chance (and reward) you take when you attempt to break new ground. At the very least, instead of walking the beaten path, you are walking where there is no path, and leaving a trail.

Rebecca & Pete

I think there are more than a few solid gold points in here about supply & demand, art, and purpose. Add this to my talk about the value of writing (especially on the Internet) and then hit us with your thoughts!