Erotic Altruism On Cult Of Gracie

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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.

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!

Cult Of Gracie Radio With Shon Richards

On this week's Cult of Gracie Radio (on Wednesday, August 20th at 9 pm central), Gracie Passette talks with erotica author, smut collector, charming cad, & intriguing rogue, Shon Richards.

Factory worker by night, erotica author by day, Shon Richards has described himself as "a strange, tortured soul." Typically his adult stories combine use sensitivity & romance to deal with tough relationship issues ~ and of course, everyone screws like banshees too.

Isn't that how we all solve our tough relationship issues?

In fact, it might very well be banshees ~ or vampires, ninjas, or industrial espionage agents ~ screwing their way to relationship bliss in Richards' stories. Just as long as those females wear spandex. Or leather. Or chain mail. Some sort of kitschy erotic garb straight out of male (and female) fantasies.

Because that's partly what erotica is about, the escapist stuff. If we wanted to just read about relationship issues we'd get Mars & Venus or some Dr. Phil article in O; but we want erotica to be at least partly fantasy. It's through the combination of fantasy adventure and human emotion that we find ourselves getting our lust-thang on.

At least that's my take on it. We'll have to see if Shon Richards agrees.

You can add your two cents to the discussion too. Just call in during the show at 1.646.200.3136.

After the show you can also download the podcast here.

Cult Of Gracie Radio Presents One Of The Foremost Activists For Sexual Pleasure

I've got two words for you for this week's Cult of Gracie show: Nina Hartley.

If you don't know her from the 600+ videos and films she's made, two decades of dance tours, and thousands of personal appearances (including Oprah), then you must have been living under a rock to have missed the woman who is arguably the most enduringly popular star in the history of the adult entertainment industry.

A dedicated student of human sexuality for over thirty years, Nina Hartley is more than an entertainer. She's a sex educator, whose book, Nina Hartley's Guide to Total Sex, was called "the best book written about sex, ever" by Margaret Cho (and several other reviewers). Hartley also co-produces Nina Hartley's Guides, her own line of instructional videos for men and women. As Hartley says to women, "Sex isn't something men do to you. It isn't something men get out of you. Sex is something you dive into with gusto and like it every bit as much as he does."

Hartley wins my admiration and affection for being such a valiant public advocate for sexual self-awareness, sanity and literacy. A leader in sex positivity, during the "porn wars" of the 80's, Hartley became a founding member of the Feminist Anti-Censorship Task Force, and today, among other things, she is a member of the Board of Directors for the Woodhull Freedom Foundation, an organization that works to advance sexual freedom as a fundamental human right by protecting and advancing freedom of speech and sexual expression.

Here's one of my favorite quotes from Nina Hartley, activist for sexual pleasure:

I definitely think that sex is natural and healthy, and that people have the absolute right to pursue their sexual preferences with other consenting adults without government or church intervention. I can do what I do to share my enjoyment of sex with all my viewers out there. If I can help any person or persons have a great sex session, then I've done a good job! I believe that society changes and that we can take what is good from the world's religions and leave behind what isn't so good, and forge a new day. I'm one of the forgers, I like to think!

I know she is ~ and I can't wait to speak with her.

If you'd like to speak with Nina Hartley, live on-air calls will be taken, as always, at 1.646.200.3136.

You can listen to the show live here. (If you missed the show, the same link will let you listen to the archived show & download the podcast.)

Mark Pickering Interview On Cult Of Gracie

Today, Wednesday, August 6th, on Cult of Gracie Radio at 9/10 PM Central/Eastern, Gracie Passette talks with Mark Pickering, author of Story of the Sand, a novel which delves into the world of post-traumatic stress disorder and the often overlooked struggles that face veterans upon their return home.

Told from the point of view of an Iraq war veteran, Pickering says his novel is "a raw and truthful account of how deeply soldiers are affected by their tours of duty overseas". To prepare for his novel, Pickering conducted in-depth interviews with real-life American war veterans from WWII, Vietnam, the Gulf War, and newly-returned soldiers from the current conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.

While Story of the Sand is a novel, we'll also be using this time to discuss what happens to veterans when they return as well as the issues, concerns, & policies surrounding their return.

On-air callers are welcome at 1.646.200.3136.

You can listen to the show live, online here; and if you miss the show, the same link is where you can listen to the archived show &/or download a podcast.