Today we arrived in Milwaukee for my reading at A Woman’s Touch in the afternoon. I changed out of my cargo shorts and t-shirt into a skirt and heels, and we headed to the store for my Opening Up reading and booksigning. It is in a strange building—I felt like I was walking into a doctor’s office—but once inside, I was impressed. It’s a really big space, with lots of different areas where people can browse for everything from lingerie to books to DVDs to sex toys. There is a separate room for readings and classes. The folks at AWT were concerned about having an event on Father’s Day, and I am happy to report that once again, it was standing room only!! It was a wonderful crowd, with lots of great questions and stimulating discussion. Laura and Brice, who we met when I came to speak at UWM, were there.

After the booksigning, Laura, Brice, Brice’s friend Mara, Colten and I went to a local favorite, Bella’s Fat Cat to sample some cheese curds.

They were actually deep friend cheese curds with special sauce and they were amazing. I also had frozen custard, which people recommended I try. Yummy all around.

Then we headed to Neeve’s place and met his unbelievable adorable pit bull Hannah Poplar. OMG, this dog is so sweet and lovable. We had dinner with Neeve’s parents, then went out for a drive. We ended up walking down by the Milwaukee Art Museum where we looked at the stars, the nearly-full moon, and heard Vanilla Ice blasting from speakers at an event in a nearby building. Ice, ice, baby.

I want to wish my father, who is no longer on this Earth, a Happy Father’s Day. I miss him every single day and wish I could share the smallest details of my life with him. I want to wish my adopted Daddy, Winston, a Happy Daddy’s Day. I love you, Daddy.

The book tour landed in a hot and muggy Chicago this week! I hit the ground running and first up was a podcast interview with Cunning Minx, who does the incredibly popular Polyamory Weekly show. It was great to finally get to meet this smart, sassy, and fearless poly podcaster! We squeezed into her home recording studio with a camera guy who is doing a documentary about her show. The room heated up quickly, but I wasn’t going to complain about being a little sweaty in close quarters with Minx!

After grabbing lunch with her and Phantom, I headed over to the see Marc and Fausto, the brilliant hosts of the Feast of Fools podcast. True to their iTunes ratings, they were indeed hilarious. They were also warm, generous with the swag, and we had lots of fun talking about open relationships. They played a wonderful song as the intro to our interview, and when I commented that I liked it, they gave me the CD! How awesome is that? It’s Shine by Sarah Bettens, and I love it. I will post links to both podcast interviews when they go live.

Then I headed to my reading at Women and Children First. W&CF is one of the largest feminist bookstores in the country and it was an honor to be able to do a reading there. I arrived about 10 minutes early and got to visit with a few friends before things kicked off. People continued to trickle in and I was amazed to be in front of a standing room only crowd! Thanks to everyone who came out for the reading, participated in the dialogue, and hung around afterwards to keep the discussion going. The store actually SOLD OUT of my book, so not everyone who wanted to buy it could. I actually sold my copy of the book which I read from and marked with all sorts of tags. That’s never happened to me, ever! Wow. Afterwards, I went to sushi with Jessica, Jet, Amber, and Ray, then we headed out for ice cream and cupcakes at Sweet Occasions. Yum!

I am doing a workshop this afternoon in Chicago, then we head to Milwaukee in the morning for a reading at A Woman’s Touch. I cannot wait to go get some fresh cheese!!!

Tristan Taormino Kicks Off Spring/Summer Tour Sponsored by Astroglide

Vista, CA—BioFilm, Inc., makers of Astroglide, announced today that Astroglide will be the official sponsor of Tristan Taormino’s spring/summer tour.

Taormino will be touring to support the publication of her new book, Opening Up: A Guide to Creating and Sustaining Open Relationships (published by Cleis Press) and the release of two new videos from Vivid Entertainment, The Expert Guide to the G-spot and Chemistry 4: The Orgy Edition. She will host two launch parties, give several booksignings and discussions, and teach sex and relationship workshops. She has confirmed events in New York, Tempe, Glendale, CO, San Francisco, Palm Springs, Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Madison, St. Louis, Columbus, and New Orleans; she has in-studio radio appearances booked in some of those cities as well. In addition, she is finalizing plans for Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, Boston, and Washington DC.

As exclusive sponsor, Astroglide will provide product samples and literature for Tristan to distribute at her events. She will also introduce consumers to their newest product, Astroglide X silicone lubricant. “This was a natural fit for both of us,” says Tristan. “I think Astroglide Gel is the best lube on the market for anal penetration, and I love their new glycerin-free, paraben-free lube. I’m excited they’ve come out with a new silicone lube. I already recommend Astroglide products to people and feature them in my videos.”

Lisa O’Carroll, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at BioFilm, says, “We are thrilled to be working with such a well-respected woman in both sex education and the adult industry. Tristan’s passion for her work and her commitment to helping people achieve better intimacy in their lives is right in line with Astroglide’s mission.”

Tristan’s tour begins May 16 with an anal sex workshop at Fascinations in Tempe, Arizona. She will appear on John Holmberg’s “Morning Sickness” show on 98 KUPD to promote her appearance. “I cannot wait to introduce people to Astroglide products and giveaway some free lube. Everyone can use free lube!” says Tristan. Her complete tour schedule can be found on her website.

About Astroglide:
Astroglide is made by BioFilm, Inc. of Vista, California. Hormone free and water soluble, Astroglide is as close as you can get to natural moisture—only a little better. Astroglide Brand Products are designed for use with latex condoms and can be found at pharmacies, chain drug stores, and selected food stores. For more information or to receive free samples, please visit the website at www.astroglide.com.

 I am trying to catch up on blog posts, and I need to back track a bit. Last month, I went to Chicago where I spoke to a Human Sexuality class at Oakton Community College and taught Anal Sex 201 at Early To Bed (see photo above of me and store owner Searah Deysach). The college class was wonderful, taught by a professor I met at last year’s Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality conference in Indianapolis. I just loved the group I got at the Early To Bed class, they were so much fun. SerpentineLibertine and her friend came up to the front of the class to help me demonstrate anal sex positions, and they were so brilliant that I want to take them on the road with me so they can be models for all my classes. The Q&A period was lots of fun, with very advanced questions from “What’s the best position to have anal sex in when my legs are tied together?” to “Why do I always have to go to the chiropractor for an adjustment after I get fisted?” Serious stuff. I am still researching that second question. Luckily, I have an awesome chiropractor who I have no qualms asking. Stayed tuned for some insight.

The party was a great success! Before 7 pm, when it was supposed to start, there was actually a line around the block. We were all amazed, and the turn out exceeded our expectations. Both floors of Happy Ending Lounge were packed. There were so many people there that I felt like I had like one half of a 30 second conversation with over 400 people, which was a little overwhelming. The literati and sexerati were out in full force. I got to see one of my idols, Esther Perel, author of Mating in Captivity, who blurbed my book. Audacia Ray of the new Village Voice sex blog Naked City was there, Rachel Kramer Bussel, Helen and Betty, 2008 Penthouse Pet of the Year Runner Up and burlesque performer Justine Joli. I also spotted Jefferson, Tracie of Jezebel, Barbara Carrellas and Kate Bornstein, adult performers Alexandra Silk and Luc Wylder, Sirius radio host Diana Cage, Wil and Papi of Morty Diamond’s new movie Trans-Entities, Jacq from Sugar in Baltimore, Lolita Wolf, Lux from Fleshbot and Boinkology, Funky Brown Chick who blogs for Nerve, Scott Brown from Entertainment Weekly Viviane, and many more!

Due to the size of the crowd, we were unable to show the preview of Chemistry 4: The Orgy Edition, my reality porn series for Vivid in which Mark and Patricia make a guest appearance. The club managers were concerned that we would be creating a fire hazard if we played the clip and everyone came upstairs. They didn’t want a riot on their hands! I am working on getting it up online so you can still see it. Obviously, it’s been a week since the party, and I have lots to catch up on, so more later, I promise.

We are frantically getting ready for the New York launch party on May 13. There is a lot to coordinate: we’ve got to stuff all the gift bags, finish signage, get another folding table, figure out what to wear, find one more helper to work the door, finalize the RSVP list, and lots more. Will Mark and Patricia pick up the mini-bottles of liquor from our sponsor? Will the disk with the Chemistry 4 preview arrive at Happy Ending and work in their player? Will books arrive in time? Will PyreXion’s donation for the raffle door prize come in the mail? Will the gorgeous porn star/burlesque performer/Penthouse Pet of the Year Runner Up Justine Joli really come to the party (she RSVP’ed!)? As I said, lots to do!