I suppose I better post this while it’s still September, huh?
Even though I tried to be more conscientious about the media I was consuming this month so I could include it in this post, I’m having a difficult time remembering just what that was. I suppose this means I need to make more memos to myself!
Watching
One of the things that did leave an impression was a video I saw shared on BuzzFeed’s Facebook page about a black domme who teaches black feminist theory as part of her domination style. I shared it on social media, but it’s worth another mention. I just love the way she’s subverting power for her means. Unfortunately, it won’t let me display it directly, so you’ll need to click over to Facebook.
Reading
This month, I started two books about sex.
I’m not very far into either of them because of personal reading, but I enjoy them both. It’s interesting that they’re both about history — a bit of a departure for me.
They’re both less than a year old, so you may not be familiar with them. Fortunately, I will be reviewing both books here.. eventually.
This is also an unusual recommendation, but I highly enjoyed reading all of the social posts about Sex Out Loud, a sex conference that recently took place in Atlanta. The conference is especially supportive of southern people of color, but it seems welcoming to all. You can check out posts, including panel live tweets, at #SDSCon18. You can also follow the official Sex Down South Twitter account.
On a less positive note, recent CDC reports show that STIs are on the rise.
Listening
I really enjoyed a recent episode of Sex Out Loud where Tristan interviewed Andre Shakti about Sex Down South. Not only did I enjoy hearing about the conference as I did reading it, but it gave me food for thought as Andre reiterated that we cannot just promote voices in academia because of the barriers to academia. I have been thinking a lot about this (and my own contribution to the issue) since the post-Woodhull uproar).
As always, feel free to leave your own recommendations in the comments!
I read August McLaughlin’s GIRL BONER earlier in the month…while the repeated use of the phrase “girl boner” did pall on me quickly, it is actually a very thoughtful and useful guide in a lot of ways (the chapter on sex and religion was the most genuinely eye-opening to me). I read Lynn Comella’s VIBRATOR NATION last week, which I actually prefer to BUZZ (even though it covers a lot of the same ground)…the writing style is much less error-ridden, and it brings up a lot of points I hadn’t considered. Right now I’m reading Jaclyn Friedman’s WHAT YOU REALLY REALLY WANT: THE SMART GIRL’S GUIDE TO SEX AND SAFETY…it’s going to take a lot of effort to do all the exercises, but I can tell it’s a special book already.
Thanks for commenting! Vibrator Nation is one that I came across myself but have yet to read it. I hadn’t heard of What you Really Really Want. I’ll have to check it out!