In the past few days, a number of cool podcast interviews I’ve done have gone live, and you should totally give them a listen!
In Bed With Susie Bright on Audible, Episode #345: This was live, in studio in Santa Cruz, CA, and we had a blast. Susie blogged about it here.
Polyamory Weekly with Cunning Minx: Part 2 of 2. So, if you missed Part 1, start with that!
Ropecast with Graydancer: he actually asked me a question at the end that stumped me!
After St. Louis, we took a little detour up to Indiana, near Michigan City, to see some relatives. It was a relaxing two days; we went out on Lake Michigan and a nearby river. Then we drove down to Yellow Springs, Ohio to visit Lorna, Phil, and Basil. Lorna treated us to amazing home cooked meals as I toiled away on the laptop, finishing my talk for PornoPunkFeminism: Queer Micro-politics and Subaltern Pornographies, the conference I am going to in Spain next week. In the process, I brushed up on my PowerPoint skills and created a presentation that looks really cool! Tonight, we go to Columbus, where I will read at Borders on Sawmill Road. I can’t wait to see all our Columbus friends!
Chris from STL Poly Community was kind enough to send an email and follow up with me after my reading, and now here is the revised, updated list of polyamory resources in St. Louis and Missouri:
Bi State Poly List (Yahoo Group)
St. Louis Poly Community (Yahoo Group)
note: this a restricted-access group, but anyone who mentions coming from openingup.net will be granted
immediate access.
St. Louis Regional Polyamory (SLURP)
These three groups also meet together offline/in real life: there is a Poly Munch the 2nd Saturday of each month from 2:00-4:00 pm at Cici’s Pizza, 9745 Manchester Avenue.
PoDGE St. Louis meets the 3rd Tuesday of each month and the location varies. However, the next meeting is Tuesday, June 24 at 7:30 pm at Gelateria del Leone, 3197 South Grand Avenue.
And:
CoMo Poly Yahoo Group (Columbia, MO)
St. Louis Polyamory on LiveJournal
Thanks, Chris!
I slept late for the first time in a very long time, then Kendyl, Mary, Colten, and I went to a crepe place for breakfast/lunch. Then, we went to the St. Louis Zoo in Forest Park. We wandered around and checked out all the animals. Here are some of my favorites (Colten took all the photos):
The Malayan Sun Bear
Mary and I with the elephant exhibit behind us
The Cheetah
We came home and decided to barbeque while Colten and Mary worked on a yard project and I played with their dog Emma.
After dinner, we sampled cupcakes from Kendyl’s favorite bakery, The Cupcakery. I got to try bites of several different kinds. The confetti (yellow cake with buttercream icing) was surprisingly angel foody. The lemon drop (a special that’s not on the usual menu) was amazing, especially the lemon cake. The peanut butter cup (chocolate cake with peanut buttercream frosting) was heavenly! In addition, Kendyl insisted we also try another dessert (from a different place), a special treat called sticky toffee pudding (which is actually like a cake not a pudding) that she loves. It was super sweet, but I admit I was distracted by the cupcakes.
We arrived in St. Louis about an hour before the reading, so it was a quick hello to our friend Kendyl, who we were staying with, and then it was off to the Central West End. When I got to the store, the staff was super nice and welcoming, but I admit I was worried about the turn out. Kendyl promised she had recruited several friends to come, but still, I don’t know very many people in St. Louis! As it approached 7 pm, all the chairs were filled and they started to put out more. Then, those were filled too and so was the room. People began standing in the next room over!
Shane Signorino, who works at the store, said he planned to introduce me. When he got up there, he gave a brief history of Left Bank Books, then began his introduction of me, which he generously agreed to let me reprint (here’s a portion):
What better spearhead could one find for spreading the knowledge of truly open unions than a sexually empowered woman with literary, performance, and artistic acumen. Miss Taormino is a virtual decorated veteran daughter of the sexual revolution…How lucky we are to have the Siddharta, the Gaia, the Rockefeller, the Oprah of psycho-sexual pleasure with us this evening.
In Opening Up, Tristan addresses the archaic mainstream, television spoonfed, traditional monogamous relationship’s loss of vitality, joy, and exploration. With the divorce rate resting at an astounding 75%, it is fairly obvious to the discerning mind that something is not working. Why are sexless/loveless marriages rampant? Why has the evolution of the typical union been considered by many to be “the big fade”? Can we not re-examine our suppositions, superstitions, and insecurities to find a more profound way to love and lust. Miss Taormino screams an emphatic Billy Idol rebel yell of a “Fuck Yes!” She takes her rightful place among other visionaries who continually challenge human beings to realize and revel in tyheir potentialities. In the tumultuous 60s, civil rights advocates, sexual revolution acolytes, psychedelic mind-expansion gurus, and all who sought radical change, were pushing for the next step in human evolution. And these ideals have been resuscitated in recent years as we find ourselves part of a great human epoch where our natural resources have almost dissipated and out ways of life must be examined and created anew. So Tristan brings to her readers the most precious of boons: hope for the long-overdue loving human evolution.
Not only had he read the entire book in anticipation of my reading at the store, his introduction was so thoughtful and eloquent, I was overwhelmed! Plus, his delivery was so amazing, he was actually a hard act to follow. I think I managed. I read a section of the introduction plus two of the profiles of people featured in the book.
The reading went really well, with lots of questions from the audience. One person asked about how she could meet other people into open relationships in the area. Several people from one of the local polyamorous groups in St. Louis offered to share the info, which I agreed to post about. So here goes for all you interested Missourians:
St. Louis Polyamory on LiveJournal
Bi State Poly List (Yahoo Group)
St. Louis Poly Community (Yahoo Group)
At least two of these three groups also meet together offline/in real life: there is a Poly Munch the 2nd Saturday of each month from 2:00-4:00 pm at Cici’s Pizza, 9745 Manchester Avenue.
PoDGE St. Louis meets the 3rd Tuesday of each month and the location varies. The next meeting is Tuesday, June 24 at 7:30 pm at Gelateria del Leone, 3197 South Grand Avenue.
After I did some poking around online I also found:
I felt a tremendous amount of love from St. Louis. As I signed people’s books, I got several dinner offers, and wished I could go to all of them. But Kendyl, her partner Mary (who had an exam and came at the end of the reading) and a bunch of their friends planned to take Colten and I to dinner to one of Mary’s favorite spots, Bar Louie. It was way too loud in there, but their tater tots rock.
So much to say about St. Louis and Left Bank Books, but I am off to do some touristy things on my first day off in a while…So, stay tuned, come back, and I’ll post the lowdown shortly.
So, we got up early and hit the road. On the way to Madison, we made a brief stop at Carr Valley Cheese Factory in Mauston, which was nearly overwhelming to a cheese lover like me! They had already finished making cheese for the day, so there was nothing to see through the big glass window. We ate samples, chatted with the women who worked there and walked out with 6 different cheeses plus a cooler to keep them in!
We got a four year old cheddar, applewood smoked cheddar, spicy cranberry-chipotle cheese, aged sheep’s milk cheese, gouda, and garlic cheddar spread.
My cheese stash from Carr Valley. Mmmmmmm…
We arrived in Madison, checked into the hotel, munched on some new cheese, then I got dressed. Graydancer (bondage dude, rope artist, blogger, podcaster, and perv) arrived to interview me for his podcast, Ropecast. He had already listened to Cunning Minx’s interview with me on her podcast, and he was prepared with a unique set of questions so there wouldn’t be any overlap. He’s very bright, personable, and thoughtful, and we had a great conversation. Then, it was off to A Woman’s Touch. The store is really cool, and owner Ellen stayed to meet me even though she had a class to go to. I met her adorable dogs, too! I signed some copies of Opening Up for people and hung out until my class began. I presented my workshop Making Open Relationships Work to a diverse group and got great questions. Afterwards, Colten, Graydancer, his partner, and I went to dinner at a local place called Weary Traveler. How appropriate! Tomorrow, we head to St. Louis!
Me and Graydancer
Traveling is going well, but I must say, one of the toughest things about being on the road is that we are carting around clothes, supplies for workshops, books, Astroglide baskets and samples, and all our other necessities. This is what that looks likes:
Yesterday, we arrived in Minneapolis later than we wanted to because there was a major delay/detour on the way from Milwaukee on the 94. Even with the GPS, it was miserable! We got to our hotel, Chambers, and I was blown away. It’s a super hip, modern, awesome hotel in downtown, one of the nicest places we’ve been put up in a very long time. We headed over to The Smitten Kitten, and I was just amazed. The place was packed, and it just kept getting more crowded.
By the time the reading started, it was standing room only and I think there were 75 people there. The reading went well, followed by lots of smart questions and stimulating discussion. I hung around to talk to people and met some amazing Minnesotans, including one of my interviewees who I had only talked to on the phone. Just like at my other tour events, we had a raffle and the winner won a basket of goodies courtesy of Astroglide.
Astroglide raffle winner
By total coincidence, Deborah Sundahl was in town visiting family (she lives in New Mexico) and she came to my reading. Deborah Sundahl. She is just a legend in my eyes. She came to Wesleyan when I was a baby dyke and showed her movie, How to Female Ejaculate. It was amazing and had a very big impact on me. She was a founder of On Our Backs, which I went on to be editor of in the 90s, and she’s gone on to become a leading expert on the G-spot and female ejaculation. She’s truly a pioneer, a heroine, amazing.
Jessica, me, Deborah, and mommy-to-be Jennifer
Deborah, Colten, Davis, and Jessica, and I went out to the local lesbian bar and restaurant, Pi, for a late dinner. We had some intense conversations and my the time we got to bed I was totally exhausted.
Today, I caught up on email, worked on my new book, and returned phone calls. Then, I was interviewed on the podcast Sex is Fun! We talked about Opening Up, porn, anal sex, and, well, everything. From there, we drove to dinner with Jennifer, Jessica, and Davis at Cue at the Guthrie. I had a wonderful scallop dish, then we ordered all five desserts on the menu and passed them around. My Anal Pleasure 101 workshop was sold out, and we arrived just in time for it to start. Another wonderful crowd (including a few repeats from the night before), and lots of good conversation afterwards. Then, we took some photos, said our goodbyes, and headed back to our hotel.
Wow, Minneapolis really showed me lots of love. And the women of Smitten Kitten really, really know how to treat a girl and show her a good time. I have felt so pampered and valued by them. Seriously, their generosity, humor, and integrity is just so inspiring. Wow, I can’t wait to come back soon. And I don’t have to: I will be back in August for their 5th anniversary celebration (and I’m bringing some special guests with me)! Now, it’s off to bed for an early wake up call. Tomorrow: A Woman’s Touch in Madison: free booksigning at 6, followed by an open relationships workshop at 6:30. Hope to see some of you there!
Smitten Kitten’s cash register
Check out my interview with the wonderful Cunning Minx on her podcast Polyamory Weekly. It’s show #159. As you listen, picture the two of us crammed into the studio with a cameraman and his big camera. Sweaty!
Check out my interview on the Feast of Fools podcast, and let me know what you think!
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