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!

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.

Last night, I taught at Galleria Domain 2 to a packed crowd. There were something like 95 people there, with lots of newbies! It was a really impressive space: a smart layout, nice equipment including some unique pieces, a good social area, and an overall vibe that was comfortable, welcoming, sexy, and accessible. Bravo to the owners, managers, and members for maintaining such an awesome space and offering so much to the community! The class went really well, and I got to chat with a lot of people before and afterward. We sold out of our personal stash of copies of Opening Up, and took orders to ship some. I wanted to stay and take advantage of the space, but I was starving, so we took Femcar to dinner near where we are staying. Then we re-packed and fell into bed for an early breakfast. This morning, we ate with Jet, Amber, and Ray at a local diner (great French toast), then we loaded up the car and got on the road, headed to Milwaukee.

Check out my interview on Em and Lo’s Daily Bedpost blog!

Welcome to OpeningUp.net. I created this site as a resource for folks interested in all kinds of open relationships, including: nonmonogamy, partnered nonmonogamy, polyamory, solo polyamory, polyfidelity, swinging, open marriage, mixed orientation marriage, and mono/poly combinations. Check out the Resources section to see an up-to-date version of the Resource Guide in the book. The Open List is a list of professionals (therapists, psychologists, doctors, coaches, etc.) who are knowledgable and experienced with nonmonogamy. Check them out!