My darlings! I am still here, I promise! I’m in the midst working on deadlines for editing and writing projects, trying to get my taxes in, training interns, and getting a comics anthology to the printer. You know, the usual. With less blogging than I’d prefer.
In the meantime, I’ve had my first piece published at Allure.com, and have come across some AMAZING articles by other people. So here it is: a links-o-rama for you to enjoy over your weekend! Keep it sexy, sex-positive, and smart!
- A fun write-up of the best new (and a few established) sex toys I saw at the Adult Entertainment Expo and Adult Novelty Expo during AVN week in Vegas! I had a blast writing this because it meant I got to talk to a sex toy designers about their work. And I may have gone home with a few samples. Also, this is my first-ever article for Allure.com! I love my life.
- I’m skeptical about this article in the New York Times about What Teenagers Are Learning from Online Porn. Because it’s alarmist, and willing to disseminate false information in quotes. (See subject’s un-disputed claim that: “Most women do not have a G spot.” Ahem.) But still, an important read, if only for cultural context. Plus, it reinforces just how goddamn important it is to talk to young people about sex and pornography. Both. Not just one. And definitely not neither.
- I’m deeply heartened by this article from Time about how Sex Workers Say They’re Being Left Out of the #MeToo Movement. It’s an important issue that speaks to our cultural unwillingness to grant agency or legitimacy to sex workers. And also to our fingers-in-the-ears-while-shouting approach to actually learning about sex from people who have a lot to teach us.
- And, for an in-depth exploration of the same topic, reference this great interview with the fantastic Nikki Darling, a porn performer and private sex worker who’s one of my favorite humans. I’ll be keeping this new series—Brain-Throbs and Blowjobs—on my radar!
- Next up, an deep look into how The Repeal of Net-Neutrality Could Kill Independent Porn from Jezebel. I’m so glad somebody wrote about this! (My pitches on the topic were turned down. Harrumpf!) Folks, if your state hasn’t already vowed to uphold Net Neutrality, get on your state governments. You do not want your favorite indie porn makers to go out of business.
- And last but far from least, my favorite sex-and-porn writer, the fabulous Tina Horn, writes about this year’s AVN, ANE, and AEE with her usual panache for Rolling Stone. Her main takeaway? Porn is no longer run by companies, it’s run by performers and their gadgets: How Women and Tech Took Over Porn: Inside the 2018 AVNs.
Enjoy your link-o-rama, dearest readers! And send me your best don’t-procrastinate-on-your-taxes vibes, folks! I need them!