"She wears short skirts/I wear t-shirts..." Remember when Rakesh Satyal sang Taylor Swift?

Remember when Rakesh Satyal sang us a Taylor Swift song? If not, you can relive it below, and make sure you come hear him again where he will sing more fun pop songs! What will they be? You have to show up on December 16th to find out!



There is no RSVP requirement, but if you'd like to RSVP and/or spread the word on Facebook, click here for the Last In The Flesh event listing. Note early start time of 7:30. See also the In The Flesh Reading Series fan page on Facebook.

IN THE FLESH EROTIC READING SERIES
LAST IN THE FLESH
December 16, 2010, 7:30 pm - 10 pm
AT HAPPY ENDING LOUNGE, 302 BROOME STREET, NYC
(B/D to Grand, J/M/Z to Bowery, F to Delancey or F/V to 2nd Avenue, http://www.happyendinglounge.com)
Between Forsyth & Eldridge. Look for the hot pink awning that says "XIE HE Health Club."
Admission: Free
Happy Ending Lounge: 212-334-9676
http://www.inthefleshreadingseries.com

Both floors of Happy Ending Lounge will be open for this event. We recommend arriving when the doors open at 7 for a good seat.

After 5+ years, over 200 readers, countless cupcakes and sexy moments, In The Flesh Reading Series is ending. Join us for a free, festive, sexy, cupcake-filled last hurrah, with erotica, memoir, burlesque and 500 free cupcakes to celebrate! Featuring erotic writer Laura Antoniou (The Marketplace series), memoirists Nancy Balbirer (Take Your Shirt Off and Cry), and Michele Carlo (Fish Out of Agua), burlesque performers GiGi La Femme (Revealed, Wassabasco) and Stormy Leather (Webster Hall, The Box), photographer and photocomic CulutrePOP creator Seth Kushner, memoirist Stephen Markley (Publish This Book), In The Flesh alum and famed letter writer Samara O'Shea (Note to Self, For the Love of Letters), Lambda Literary Award winner Rakesh Satyal (Blue Boy) and romance novelist Kama Spice (Sehra's Honor). Hosted and curated by Rachel Kramer Bussel (Best Bondage Erotica 2011, Passion, Orgasmic, Fast Girls). Prizes include sex toys from EdenFantasys, vibrator We-Vibe, porn DVDs from director Tristan Taormino Rough Sex 2 and Expert Guide to Advanced Fellatio, books Oysters & Chocolate: Erotic Stories of Every Flavor, Mastering Your Man from Head to Head and Sexy Slang's Bedroom Challenges: 69 Ways to Spice up Your Sex Life and free Sliquid lube giveaways, including Sliquid Swirl in Green Apple and Pink Lemonade, 120 pillow packs of Sliquids Organics Natural, plus sex toys the Sqweel and the Pin-Up. Hosted and curated by Rachel Kramer Bussel (Best Bondage Erotica 2011, Passion, Orgasmic, Fast Girls). Giveaways include copies of SexIs Magazine and 500 cupcakes by Baked by Melissa.

5 free sex toys from EdenFantasys 12/16, including candy cane vibrator and ducky ornament vibe

Sponsor EdenFantasys has donated these and two other sex toys as giveaways - get in the holiday season! There will also be 100 copies of the print edition of SexIs Magazine!








In The Flesh logo by Molly Crabapple

There is no RSVP requirement, but if you'd like to RSVP and/or spread the word on Facebook, click here for the Last In The Flesh event listing. Note early start time of 7:30. See also the In The Flesh Reading Series fan page on Facebook.

IN THE FLESH EROTIC READING SERIES
LAST IN THE FLESH
December 16, 2010, 7:30 pm - 10 pm
AT HAPPY ENDING LOUNGE, 302 BROOME STREET, NYC
(B/D to Grand, J/M/Z to Bowery, F to Delancey or F/V to 2nd Avenue, http://www.happyendinglounge.com)
Between Forsyth & Eldridge. Look for the hot pink awning that says "XIE HE Health Club."
Admission: Free
Happy Ending Lounge: 212-334-9676
http://www.inthefleshreadingseries.com

Both floors of Happy Ending Lounge will be open for this event. We recommend arriving when the doors open at 7 for a good seat.

After 5+ years, over 200 readers, countless cupcakes and sexy moments, In The Flesh Reading Series is ending. Join us for a free, festive, sexy, cupcake-filled last hurrah, with erotica, memoir, burlesque and 500 free cupcakes to celebrate! Featuring erotic writer Laura Antoniou (The Marketplace series), memoirists Nancy Balbirer (Take Your Shirt Off and Cry), and Michele Carlo (Fish Out of Agua), burlesque performers GiGi La Femme (Revealed, Wassabasco) and Stormy Leather (Webster Hall, The Box), photographer and photocomic CulutrePOP creator Seth Kushner, memoirist Stephen Markley (Publish This Book), In The Flesh alum and famed letter writer Samara O'Shea (Note to Self, For the Love of Letters), Lambda Literary Award winner Rakesh Satyal (Blue Boy) and romance novelist Kama Spice (Sehra's Honor). Hosted and curated by Rachel Kramer Bussel (Best Bondage Erotica 2011, Passion, Orgasmic, Fast Girls). Prizes include sex toys from EdenFantasys, vibrator We-Vibe, porn DVDs from director Tristan Taormino Rough Sex 2 and Expert Guide to Advanced Fellatio, books Oysters & Chocolate: Erotic Stories of Every Flavor, Mastering Your Man from Head to Head and Sexy Slang's Bedroom Challenges: 69 Ways to Spice up Your Sex Life and free Sliquid lube giveaways, including Sliquid Swirl in Green Apple and Pink Lemonade, 120 pillow packs of Sliquids Organics Natural, plus sex toys the Sqweel and the Pin-Up. Hosted and curated by Rachel Kramer Bussel (Best Bondage Erotica 2011, Passion, Orgasmic, Fast Girls). Giveaways include copies of SexIs Magazine and 500 cupcakes by Baked by Melissa.

Penis and vulva candle giveaway at In The Flesh Reading Series December 16th

In The Flesh host Rachel Kramer Bussel is donating these penis and vulva candles, purchased at Coco de Mer, from her personal collection as prizes on December 16th!




In The Flesh logo by Molly Crabapple

There is no RSVP requirement, but if you'd like to RSVP and/or spread the word on Facebook, click here for the Last In The Flesh event listing. Note early start time of 7:30. See also the In The Flesh Reading Series fan page on Facebook.

IN THE FLESH EROTIC READING SERIES
LAST IN THE FLESH
December 16, 2010, 7:30 pm - 10 pm
AT HAPPY ENDING LOUNGE, 302 BROOME STREET, NYC
(B/D to Grand, J/M/Z to Bowery, F to Delancey or F/V to 2nd Avenue, http://www.happyendinglounge.com)
Between Forsyth & Eldridge. Look for the hot pink awning that says "XIE HE Health Club."
Admission: Free
Happy Ending Lounge: 212-334-9676
http://www.inthefleshreadingseries.com

Both floors of Happy Ending Lounge will be open for this event. We recommend arriving when the doors open at 7 for a good seat.

After 5+ years, over 200 readers, countless cupcakes and sexy moments, In The Flesh Reading Series is ending. Join us for a free, festive, sexy, cupcake-filled last hurrah, with erotica, memoir, burlesque and 500 free cupcakes to celebrate! Featuring erotic writer Laura Antoniou (The Marketplace series), memoirists Nancy Balbirer (Take Your Shirt Off and Cry), and Michele Carlo (Fish Out of Agua), burlesque performers GiGi La Femme (Revealed, Wassabasco) and Stormy Leather (Webster Hall, The Box), photographer and photocomic CulutrePOP creator Seth Kushner, memoirist Stephen Markley (Publish This Book), In The Flesh alum and famed letter writer Samara O'Shea (Note to Self, For the Love of Letters), Lambda Literary Award winner Rakesh Satyal (Blue Boy) and romance novelist Kama Spice (Sehra's Honor). Hosted and curated by Rachel Kramer Bussel (Best Bondage Erotica 2011, Passion, Orgasmic, Fast Girls). Prizes include sex toys from EdenFantasys, vibrator We-Vibe, porn DVDs from director Tristan Taormino Rough Sex 2 and Expert Guide to Advanced Fellatio, books Oysters & Chocolate: Erotic Stories of Every Flavor, Mastering Your Man from Head to Head and Sexy Slang's Bedroom Challenges: 69 Ways to Spice up Your Sex Life and free Sliquid lube giveaways, including Sliquid Swirl in Green Apple and Pink Lemonade, 120 pillow packs of Sliquids Organics Natural, plus sex toys the Sqweel and the Pin-Up. Hosted and curated by Rachel Kramer Bussel (Best Bondage Erotica 2011, Passion, Orgasmic, Fast Girls). Giveaways include copies of SexIs Magazine and 500 cupcakes by Baked by Melissa.

XXX porn DVD giveaways 12/16 from Tristan Taormino: Rough Sex and Expert Guide to Advanced Fellatio

Courtesy of porn director and author Tristan Taormino are these 2 DVDs we'll be giving away, along with a slew of other fabulous prizes, on December 16th (see below for full event listing and author bios)! Visit her site to find out more about these DVDs and many others. Thank you, Tristan!


Tristan Taormino's The Expert Guide to Advanced Fellatio


Tristan Taormino's Rough Sex 2 stars Madison Young, who famously read at In The Flesh earlier this year. Watch the video from Madison reading at BDSM Night.


Madison Young; photo by Anya Garrett; see more here


In The Flesh logo by Molly Crabapple

There is no RSVP requirement, but if you'd like to RSVP and/or spread the word on Facebook, click here for the Last In The Flesh event listing. Note early start time of 7:30. See also the In The Flesh Reading Series fan page on Facebook.

IN THE FLESH EROTIC READING SERIES
LAST IN THE FLESH
December 16, 2010, 7:30 pm - 10 pm
AT HAPPY ENDING LOUNGE, 302 BROOME STREET, NYC
(B/D to Grand, J/M/Z to Bowery, F to Delancey or F/V to 2nd Avenue, http://www.happyendinglounge.com)
Between Forsyth & Eldridge. Look for the hot pink awning that says "XIE HE Health Club."
Admission: Free
Happy Ending Lounge: 212-334-9676
http://www.inthefleshreadingseries.com

Both floors of Happy Ending Lounge will be open for this event. We recommend arriving when the doors open at 7 for a good seat.

After 5+ years, over 200 readers, countless cupcakes and sexy moments, In The Flesh Reading Series is ending. Join us for a free, festive, sexy, cupcake-filled last hurrah, with erotica, memoir, burlesque and 500 free cupcakes to celebrate! Featuring erotic writer Laura Antoniou (The Marketplace series), memoirists Nancy Balbirer (Take Your Shirt Off and Cry), and Michele Carlo (Fish Out of Agua), burlesque performers GiGi La Femme (Revealed, Wassabasco) and Stormy Leather (Webster Hall, The Box), photographer and photocomic CulutrePOP creator Seth Kushner, memoirist Stephen Markley (Publish This Book), In The Flesh alum and famed letter writer Samara O'Shea (Note to Self, For the Love of Letters), Lambda Literary Award winner Rakesh Satyal (Blue Boy) and romance novelist Kama Spice (Sehra's Honor). Hosted and curated by Rachel Kramer Bussel (Best Bondage Erotica 2011, Passion, Orgasmic, Fast Girls). Prizes include sex toys from EdenFantasys, vibrator We-Vibe, porn DVDs from director Tristan Taormino Rough Sex 2 and Expert Guide to Advanced Fellatio, books Oysters & Chocolate: Erotic Stories of Every Flavor, Mastering Your Man from Head to Head and Sexy Slang's Bedroom Challenges: 69 Ways to Spice up Your Sex Life and free Sliquid lube samples. Hosted and curated by Rachel Kramer Bussel (Best Bondage Erotica 2011, Passion, Orgasmic, Fast Girls). Giveaways include copies of SexIs Magazine and 500 cupcakes by Baked by Melissa.

Check in to In The Flesh on Foursquare

If you use Foursquare, you can now check in to In The Flesh Reading Series as its own venue! Look for "In The Flesh Erotic Reading Series" if you can't find it. Who will be the mayor? There will be a special prize for the mayor at the last reading on December 16th!

Free rabbit vibrator, blindfold and bondage cuffs and chocolate body paint kit from EdenFantasys on October 21st!

Rabbit vibrator, leopard print faux fur blindfold, wrist & ankle bondage cuffs and chocolate body paint giveaways on October 21st, courtesy of EdenFantasys! Click on each item to be taken to EdenFantasys to find out more.








IN THE FLESH EROTIC READING SERIES
ORGASM NIGHT
October 21, 2010, 7:30 pm - 10 pm
AT HAPPY ENDING LOUNGE, 302 BROOME STREET, NYC
(B/D to Grand, J/M/Z to Bowery, F to Delancey or F/V to 2nd Avenue, http://www.happyendinglounge.com)
Between Forsyth & Eldridge. Look for the hot pink awning that says "XIE HE Health Club."
Admission: Free
Happy Ending Lounge: 212-334-9676
http://www.inthefleshreadingseries.com

Orgasms all around! In The Flesh turns 5 and celebrates orgasms with readings from host Rachel Kramer Bussel's Orgasmic: Erotic Stories for Women, an insider look at boudoir photography and more. Featuring boudoir photographer Laura Boyd (ownyoursexy.com), Graydancer (Ropecast), novelist Daniel Allen Cox (Krakow Melt), gambling memoir author Beth Raymer (Lay the Favorite) and Orgasmic contributors Neve Black, Heidi Champa, Lana Fox, Dusty Horn and Velvet Moore. Hosted by Rachel Kramer Bussel (Fast Girls, Orgasmic). Giveaways include Astroglide lube samples, rabbit vibrator, leopard print blindfold and wrist and ankle cuffs, and chocolate body paint kit from EdenFantasys, plus 100 free copies of SexIs Magazine. Free Baked by Melissa cupcakes, candy and chips will be served. This is the countdown to the final In The Flesh December 16th so don't miss a very special night!

What's your favorite In The Flesh memory?

We've had over 200 amazing readers, from Susie Bright to Zane (click to see an almost complete list!) at In The Flesh, countless cupcakes, and so many wonderful treats. You can watch some of them on YouTube and the last 3 readings October 21st (Orgasm Night), November 18 (Comedy Sex), and December 16 (all star lineup, burlesque by GiGi LaFemme and 500 free cupcakes) are going to be pretty damn amazing, if I do say so myself. After that, I'm still trying to figure out what to do. Full disclosure: I love working with and hosting events at Happy Ending Lounge, am just burned out and cannot financially or energy/timewise afford to keep running a monthly event. But I do hope to do events in 2011 and beyond with the same spirit.

So I'd love to hear from you in the comments: What's your favorite In The Flesh memory?

And readers, if you'd like to give me a blurb about the series, I'd really appreciate that. You can write me at rachelkb at gmail.com with "In The Flesh" in the subject. Thank you to EVERYONE who has made In The Flesh so much fun for the last five years!

5 Orgasm night excerpts from Orgasmic: Erotic Stories for Women

Below are excerpts from Orgasmic: Erotic Stories for Women (click to read introduction) by the five authors reading October 21st at Orgasm Night. They're in alphabetical order by author. Click here to read excerpts from all 25 authors featuring 25 orgasms.

"Belted" by Rachel Kramer Bussel

Is it the belt that makes you come? The leather, the thrash, the pain, the jolt? Is it the force behind it? Is it the noises he makes as he does it, the hitches of breath that are nothing like your shuddering sobs but are music to your ears nonetheless--is that what makes you finally go over the edge? Is it him holding you down, him promising you pain that may or may not come?

Maybe it’s all of it, all the forces combining to make the orgasm nothing like what you were expecting, the kind where your body bonds with the belt, giving back some of its life force, only to have it beaten back into you. Though you know that logically, rationally, it’s impossible, you hope the belt has absorbed some of your tears, has taken them and held on to them for next time, has put the pain that you mostly wanted, but kind of didn’t, somewhere for safekeeping, somewhere he can hold next to his skin any time he desires.

Oh, it’s not like you really have time to think all that or think anything, not then. The belt is reminding you, lash by lash, that you must stay open, stay ready, stay through the moments when you don’t know how you will get through it, stay through the times you don’t have a chance to take a bracing breath or perform any other magic tricks to turn the pain into something else. By now even the light touches, the strokes of the belt’s rough edge against your fleshy inner thigh, the dance of the musky leather against your cheek, are enough to make you shudder, like when he raises his hand to smack you but stops right before his fingers reach the finish line. The effect is the same.

"Rise and Shine" by Heidi Champa

“Come on, open your eyes. It’s time to wake up.”

His breath was hot on my ear, but not as hot as the tongue sliding over my earlobe. With it caught between his teeth, he pulled at my skin, urging me to finally look at him. I moaned but kept my eyes shut. I wanted just a few more moments. I wasn’t ready to wake up yet. His teeth sank into my neck, a sucking bite a bit lower, a bit harder. My hands dug into the hard muscle of his shoulders, my nipples tightening against his chest.

“I won’t fuck you until you open your eyes.”

He moaned the ultimatum into my mouth, before plunging his tongue back inside. I made one last effort to ease his cock inside me, but he remained elusive. He had left me no choice but to abandon the misty miasma and join the real world. I let my eyelids flutter open, seeing his straining blue eyes above me for the first time.

“Good morning.”

The words left his throat in a gasp as he slid inside me.

"Frosting First" by Lana Fox

He scoops up some of the glaze on his knife then holds it up so you can lick along the blade. You do so, knowing how he loves it when you use your mouth. As the lemon icing tingles, tart on your tongue, he gives a jerky sigh, raises his jaw, and you let the frosting dribble from your lips so it slowly trails your throat. From there, it runs across your breast and he watches its path with a breathy moan. The way his lip seems to snarl at the corner says this won’t be tame. “I’ll make a cupcake of your pussy,” he tells you.

In the next room, you can hear Rose disapproving of her sister’s miniskirt, so you wink at your man and ask him how much cupcake he can handle.

But his finger’s in the bowl and next thing you know, he’s holding it toward you. “Swallow,” he tells you.

You suckle his fingertip, lips rubbing round the joint, as your tongue flicks the sweet-sharp sugar from his nail. Then, with your free hand, you reach between his thighs, pressing his hard-on. He drops his head back, half shuts his eyes. “So dirty,” he groans, pushing against you, as you massage his perfect length. You long to unzip him, take him in your mouth.

Then again, you also want him in control.

"Share" Dusty Horn

I spread my fingers wide, place my hand on your ass and lift the skin tightening across your muscles, and the flap of your labia pulls reluctantly away; an anomaly, a novelty in a body and personality that is so uncommonly masculine. My love for you is located in your pussy as you swallow your pride, arch your back and offer yourself to me. The contrast between your boyish charms and this intoxicating sticky elegant peach is more beautiful than anything that has ever corresponded. Fuck correspondence. The only things that should be corresponding are my dick and your cervix.

In my fantasy I slam you harder than you would allow me, and that is what fantasy is for, after all. I get the most wonderful show now; the show of you enjoying yourself, getting off, getting fucked. Whatever it is that fills us with the love of being penetrated, you are feeling it now and whatever inspires our fascination with watching others love to love the love that loves is washing over me now.

The side of your face is smushed against the sheet and your arms are flopped to the sides. You are wailing a single note, and too bad I don’t have perfect pitch or I would write you a song in that key. Our pussies have a tin-can telephone now.

"Chemistry" by Velvet Moore

Smell is the sense tied most closely to human memory. So when I sense any use of potassium chlorate; a white, crystalline compound well stocked in science laboratories and often used for combustion; I remember how it feels to have the fire of orgasm sizzle its way through my body and melt a liquid path down my legs. The chemical’s odor singes my nostrils and flashes me back to the sensation of a chilly, marble countertop pressed against my back, to the press of fingers digging into my supple thighs, to the slick pressure of rounded glass slipping in and out.

And it’s what I remember most about him.


In The Flesh logo by Molly Crabapple

There is no RSVP requirement, but if you'd like to RSVP and/or spread the word on Facebook, click here for the Orgasm Night event listing. Note early start time of 7:30. See also the In The Flesh Reading Series fan page on Facebook.

IN THE FLESH EROTIC READING SERIES
ORGASM NIGHT
October 21, 2010, 7:30 pm - 10 pm
AT HAPPY ENDING LOUNGE, 302 BROOME STREET, NYC
(B/D to Grand, J/M/Z to Bowery, F to Delancey or F/V to 2nd Avenue, http://www.happyendinglounge.com)
Between Forsyth & Eldridge. Look for the hot pink awning that says "XIE HE Health Club."
Admission: Free
Happy Ending Lounge: 212-334-9676
http://www.inthefleshreadingseries.com

Orgasms all around! In The Flesh turns 5 and celebrates orgasms with readings from host Rachel Kramer Bussel's Orgasmic: Erotic Stories for Women, an insider look at boudoir photography and more. Featuring boudoir photographer Laura Boyd (ownyoursexy.com), Graydancer (Ropecast), novelist Daniel Allen Cox (Krakow Melt), gambling memoir author Beth Raymer (Lay the Favorite) and Orgasmic contributors Neve Black, Heidi Champa, Lana Fox, Dusty Horn and Velvet Moore. Hosted by Rachel Kramer Bussel (Fast Girls, Orgasmic). Giveaways include Astroglide lube samples, rabbit vibrator, leopard print blindfold and wrist and ankle cuffs, and chocolate body paint kit from EdenFantasys, plus 100 free copies of SexIs Magazine.Free Baked by Melissa cupcakes, candy and chips will be served. This is the countdown to the final In The Flesh December 16th so don't miss a very special night!


Purchase Orgasmic from:

Amazon.com.

Kindle edition

Barnes & Noble (Bn.com)

Borders

IndieBound (search for your local independent bookstore!)

Cleis Press

200 free cupcakes plus chips, cookies, candy & more

Escape the rain for some FREE cupcakes, plus chips, cookies, candy, sex toy giveaways and all these amazing readers! 7:30-10 pm.




In The Flesh logo by Molly Crabapple

There is no RSVP requirement, but if you'd like to RSVP and/or spread the word on Facebook, click here for the September 16th In The Flesh event listing. See also the In The Flesh Reading Series fan page on Facebook. Note early start time. I'm calling this Virgin Night since everyone but Marcy is a first-time reader, and many are first-time authors.

IN THE FLESH EROTIC READING SERIES
VIRGIN NIGHT
September 16, 2010, 7:30 pm - 10 pm
AT HAPPY ENDING LOUNGE, 302 BROOME STREET, NYC
(B/D to Grand, J/M/Z to Bowery, F to Delancey or F/V to 2nd Avenue, http://www.happyendinglounge.com)
Between Forsyth & Eldridge. Look for the hot pink awning that says "XIE HE Health Club."
Admission: Free
Happy Ending Lounge: 212-334-9676
http://www.inthefleshreadingseries.com

Featuring African-American erotica, a mystery writer, a burlesque romance writer, a novelist and more! Featuring Logan Belle, author of a forthcoming burlesque romance series, erotica writer Megan Butcher (contributor, Best Bondage Erotica 2011), novelist Marcy Dermansky (Bad Marie), novelist Lee Houck (Yield), Greg Olear (Totally Killer), Moshe Shulman ("The Wise One") and Can't Help the Way That I Feel: Sultry Stories of African American Love, Lust and Fantasy editor Lori Bryant-Woolridge and contributors Sasha James and Erika J. Kendrick (Appetites, Confessions of a Rookie Cheerleader). Hosted by Rachel Kramer Bussel (Fast Girls, Please, Sir, Please, Ma’am). 100 free copies of Sexis Magazine will be distributed. Free Baked by Melissa cupcakes, candy and chips will be served. This is the countdown to the final In The Flesh December 16th so don't miss a very special night!

In the Flesh is a monthly reading series hosted at the appropriately named
Happy Ending Lounge, and features the country's best erotic writers sharing stories to get you hot and bothered, hosted and curated by acclaimed erotic writer and editor Rachel Kramer Bussel. The series was named Best Reading Series by New York Press in 2009. From erotic poetry to down and dirty smut, these authors get naked on the page and will make you lust after them and their words. Since its debut in October 2005, In the Flesh has featured such authors as Mike Albo, Laura Antoniou, Mo Beasley, Susie Bright, Lily Burana, Jessica Cutler, Mike Daisey, Stephen Elliott, Valerie Frankel, Polly Frost, Gael Greene, Andy Horwitz, Debra Hyde, Maxim Jakubowski, Emily Scarlet Kramer of CAKE, Josh Kilmer-Purcell, Edith Layton, Logan Levkoff, Suzanne Portnoy, Julie Powell, Sofia Quintero, M.J. Rose, Lauren Sanders, Danyel Smith, Grant Stoddard, Cecilia Tan, Carol Taylor, Dana Vachon, Veronica Vera, Susan Wright, Zane and many others. The series has gotten press attention from the New York Times’s UrbanEye, Daily Candy, Escape (Hong Kong), Flavorpill, The L Magazine, New York Magazine, NBC New York, New York Post, New York Observer, Philadelphia City Paper, Time Out New York, Flavorwire, Fork in the Road, Gawker, Gothamist, Jezebel.com, Nerve.com, Serious Eats, Tasting Table and Wonkette, and has been praised by Dr. Ruth.

Logan Belle is the pen name of a publishing insider who went to her first burlesque show on her birthday two years ago and has been following and writing about the scene ever since. Her debut erotic novel, The Blue Angel, will be published by Kensington in May 2011. Logan Belle lives in New York City.
www.loganbelle.com

Lori Bryant-Woolridge, editor of Can't Help the Way That I Feel, is an Emmy award-winning writer and the author of three Essence best-selling novels, including Weapons of Mass Seduction, Hitts & Mrs., and Read Between the Lies. She has contributed to several award-winning anthologies including, A Celebration of African-American Fiction, Brown Sugar #3: Opposites Attract, and Best Black Women’s Erotica. Lori is also a sensuality coach and founder of Stiletto U, a virtual university that advocates healthy, sensuous lifestyles.
http://www.canthelpthewaythatifeel.blogspot.com/



Rachel Kramer Bussel is an author, editor, blogger and reading series host. She is Senior Editor at Penthouse Variations and a former sex columnist for The Village Voice. She’s edited over 30 anthologies, including the kink-themed Spanked, Bottoms Up, Yes, Sir, Yes, Ma'am, He's on Top, She's on Top, Rubber Sex as well as Fast Girls, Orgasmic, Peep Show, The Mile High Club: Plane Sex Stories, Do Not Disturb: Hotel Sex Stories, Tasting Him, Tasting Her, and the non-fiction Best Sex Writing series. Her books won 3 2009 Independent Publisher Awards. Her writing been published in publications such as Clean Sheets, Cosmopolitan, The Daily Beast, Fresh Yarn, Huffington Post, Mediabistro, Newsday, New York Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Tango, The Village Voice, and Time Out New York, and in over 100 anthologies, including Best American Erotica 2004 and 2006. Rachel conducts nationwide readings and erotic writing workshops. She has hosted In The Flesh since October 2005.
www.rachelkramerbussel.com


photo by Anya Garrett

Megan Butcher is a librarian, sex educator and writer who lives in Ottawa, Ontario with her slightly demented tabby. Co-author of the zine A Guide to the Mannerly Wooing and Winning of the Object of Your Affection, her work has also appeared in several Canadian publications. Look for her forthcoming story in Best Bondage Erotica 2011 due out later this year or check out her smut blog at meganbutcher.com/weeklydose.



Marcy Dermansky is the author of the novels Bad Marie and Twins. Hailed by The Nervous Breakdown’s Gina Frangello as “genuinely sexy, dark and subversive but also freaking weirdly hilarious,” Bad Marie has been selected as a Barnes and Noble Fall 2010 Discover Great New Writers pick. Time magazine pronounced Bad Marie “irresistible.” She serves as a board member of the online literary community Fictionaut and is a film critic for About.com.
www.marcydermansky.com



Lee Houck was born in Chattanooga, TN and now lives in Brooklyn, NY. His first novel, Yield, was the winner of Project Queerlit 2008 and is forthcoming from Kensington Books in September 2010. His other writing appears in numerous anthologies including two volumes of Best Gay Erotica, two volumes of the literary journal Ganymede, the Australian art book Hair, and two limited-edition chapbooks. He has also worked with Jennifer Miller's Circus Amok for many, many seasons.
www.leehouck.com



Sasha James is a prolific writer, who paints pictures with her words. She’s the author of One+One=Two and Two+One=Ecstasy. Previously, she has penned four steamy novels, and is hard at work on the fifth. Sasha divides her time between New York and Chicago.

Erika J. Kendrick, a Chicago native who holds a Stanford degree and an MBA in marketing and international business, is an acclaimed author/writer/producer...on love! Previously an NBA cheerleader for the Chicago Bulls, her first novel, Confessions of a Rookie Cheerleader (Random House) was released in 2007 and the second title in the series, Appetite (Random House) in 2009. Her erotica short story, "The Accidental Escort, is part of the anthology Can’t Help The Way That I Feel (Cleis Press, 2010)." A quintessential mover and maker, Erika has been a guest of The Wendy Williams Experience, BETJ's My Two Cents, V-103, AOL BV and a host of other media outlets. She’s been featured in several publications, including Page Six of The New York Post, The Chicago Tribune, SET (Sports and Entertainment Today), Ebony, Upscale, Black Beat, Uptown, NV, Honey Magazine and several others.
www.erikakendrick.com



Greg Olear is the senior editor of the online literary magazine The Nervous
Breakdown and the author of the novels Totally Killer (Harper, 2009) and
the forthcoming Fathermucker (Harper, 2012). A longtime resident of New
York, he now lives with his wife and two children in his hometown in the
Jersey suburbs.
www.totallykiller.com



Moshe Schulman is a writer and musician living in New York City. His essays have been published in WORDS. His essay, "The Wise One," was featured in Sweet: Actors Read Writers reading series in New York City. He was the recipient of a 2009 Waiter Scholarship from the Bread Loaf Writers Conference. He is currently at work on a memoir about leaving the Ultra Orthodox Jewish community of Monsey, NY.
www.mosheschulman.com



You will hear from the following books:


Can't Help The Way That I Feel edited by Lori Bryant-Woolridge


Please, Ma'am: Erotic Stories of Male Submission edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel


Bad Marie by Marcy Dermansky


Yield by Lee Houck


Totally Killer by Greg Olear

Free copy of Sick City by Tony O'Neill will be given away August 19th!

The kind folks over at publisher Harper Perennial have given us an extra copy of the novel Sick City by Tony O'Neill to give away August 19th, when he'll be joining us. Here's a description of the book:

Jeffrey has nowhere to go when Bill, his sugar-daddy boyfriend, croaks. But before he sets off into the bright glare of LA, he’s sure to grab a few parting mementos: cash, a gun, some drugs, and one ancient, metal film canister that contains a treasure greater than all the rest combined: a tape taken from the scene of the Sharon Tate murders that supposedly features a drug-fueled orgy. Jeffrey stashes the goods and promises himself to get clean before selling the merchandise.

Randal is the fallen scion of a great Hollywood family. His habit and his rehab bills have long been overlooked by his indulgent father, but with him now dead and gone, he’s left to the zealous sanctimony of his younger brother, who has enrolled him in Clean and Serene, a celebrity treatment center run by Dr. Mike, America’s TV doctor. It is there that Randal meets Jeffrey.

A plan is hatched by the new friends to unload the sex tape, but things do not go even remotely as planned. In the end, lives are lost, habits resumed, and careers squashed. It even snows in Las Vegas in this fast-paced, tightly plotted junkie page-turner from Tony O’Neill.

IN THE FLESH EROTIC READING SERIES
SUMMER SEX/SEX ON THE BEACH NIGHT
August 19, 2010, 8:00 pm - 10 pm
AT HAPPY ENDING LOUNGE, 302 BROOME STREET, NYC
(B/D to Grand, J/M/Z to Bowery, F to Delancey or F/V to 2nd Avenue, http://www.happyendinglounge.com)
Between Forsyth & Eldridge. Look for the hot pink awning that says "XIE HE Health Club."
Admission: Free
Happy Ending Lounge: 212-334-9676
http://www.inthefleshreadingseries.com

Get ready to get overheated at Summer Sex/Sex on the Beach night at In The Flesh! The summer's hottest fiction, a romance novelist, a documentarian, erotica and more. Featuring Abigail Ekue (The Darker Side of Lust), Eric, Hilary Thayer Hamann (Anthropology of an American Girl), Yona Zeldis McDonough (Breaking the Bank), Tony O’Neill (Sick City), Michelle Janine Robinson (Color Me Grey), filmmaker Therese Shechter (How To Lose Your Virginity) and Hope Tarr (The Tutor). Hosted by Rachel Kramer Bussel (Orgasmic, Fast Girls, Please, Sir). Mobile Libris will sell readers' books. 100 free copies of Sexis Magazine will be distributed. Free Baked by Melissa cupcakes, candy and chips will be served. This is the countdown to the final In The Flesh December 16th so don't miss a very special night!

Visit Tony O'Neill's website for more information, and the book is also for sale on Amazon and wherever books are sold:


Sick City by Tony O'Neill

Tony O'Neill is the author of the novels Digging the Vein and Down and Out on Murder Mile. He also coauthored the LA Times bestseller Neon Angel: Memoir of a Runaway (with Cherie Currie), and the New York Times bestseller Hero of the Underground (with Jason Peter), His new novel, Sick City (Harper Perennial) concerns the efforts of two heroin-addled schemers to sell a legendary sex tape starring Sharon Tate. Needless to say, things do not go according to plan...
www.tonyoneill.net

Photo highlights from Media Sex Night July 15th

I'm waiting for (hopefully!) someone to give me a good group shot, but here are some photos by Laura Boyd. See more in this Flickr set. Video TK. Thank you everyone who packed Happy Ending Lounge and made it a very special evening.


Books were for sale by Mobile Libris; I know Everything Is Going to Be Great by Rachel Shukert sold out!


Rachel Kramer Bussel (aka me!) read from "Espionage," which will be published in Best Women's Erotica 2011, edited by Violet Blue


New York Press Editor Jerry Portwood told a tale of sex in Spain and mangled Spanish.


Twanna A. Hines shared the story of losing her first vibrator.




The Burlesque Handbook author Jo Weldon shared her start as a stripper, her burlesque inspirations, and then gave her sexy assistant a lesson in pastie twirling and the big reveal.


Rachel Shukert made us cringe (in a good way) with a tale of sex and dentistry in Europe.


Paulie of Paulie & Pauline read from porn star photo and essay book Off The Set


Jillian Lauren read about being a sex worker in Brunei, from her New York Times-bestselling memoir Some Girls: My Life in a Harem


Kevin Allison closed the reading with a tale of a hookup, Converse sneakers, and balls. You'll have to wait for the video to make sense of that, but his expression does a little bit to convey the tone of the story!

Big thanks to Baked by Melissa, EdenFantasys and Happy Ending Lounge, plus Lauren and Gloria for all heir help!



This one's by my friend Steven; Jillian Lauren and Rachel Kramer Bussel.

Get Orgasmic with In The Flesh October 21st

There are only 5 nights of In The Flesh left, and a very special one on October 21st will feature contributors to Rachel Kramer Bussel's just-released anthology Orgasmic: Erotica for Women. Confirmed readers, in addition to Rachel, are Heidi Champa, Lana Fox and Velvet Moore, and the rest of the lineup will be finalized soon, but here's a little taste of female orgasm, erotica style.



Purchase Orgasmic from:

Amazon.com.

Kindle edition (coming soon)

Barnes & Noble (Bn.com)

Borders

IndieBound (search for your local independent bookstore!)

Cleis Press

Introduction: Let Me Count the Ways…

The Waiting Game Elizabeth Coldwell
What’s in a Name? Jacqueline Applebee
Chemistry Velvet Moore
The Chair Lolita Lopez
Fixing the Pipes Susie Hara
Share Dusty Horn
Hurdles Rowan Elizabeth
Seeing Stars Louisa Harte
Old Faithful Sylvia Lowry
Paying It Forward Kendra Wayne
The Big O Donna George Storey
Moon Tantra Teresa Noelle Roberts
Feet on the Dashboard Rachel Green
Frosting First Lana Fox
All She Wanted Andrea Dale
Making Shapes Lily Harlem
Rapture Angela Caperton
Belted Rachel Kramer Bussel
Rise and Shine Heidi Champa
Taking the Reins Vanessa Vaughn
First Date with the Dom Noelle Keely
Animal Inside Neve Black
The London O Justine Elyot
Fight Charlotte Stein
Switch Jade Melisande

Introduction

Let Me Count The Ways…

Orgasm: like sex, it’s one word that means many different things to many different people. For many women, it’s the center of their sexual life, a daily occurrence; something to look forward to, experiment with. For
some it means a gushing rush of pleasure, for others it’s a little wave they delight in cresting.

Every woman who orgasms may describe it differently.

Yet there are many women, myself included, who find orgasm not so easy to achieve much of the time (yes, it’s trueæI love sex, and get turned on, but coming is a bit more complex for me). In “Hurdles,” Rowan Elizabeth writes of such a character: “I can’t win this. And it’s my hang-up, too. I feel like there’s something I’m just not doing right. Maybe if I tighten my legs a little more or squeeze my eyes shut harder, then we’d get there together.”

Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines orgasm as “intense or paroxysmal excitement; especially: an explosive discharge of neuromuscular tensions at the height of sexual arousal that is usually accompanied by the ejaculation of semen in the male and by vaginal contractions in the female.” It comes from the Latin and Greek (orgasmus/orgasmos), from organ “to grow ripe, be lustful.” I like that description, though what it leaves out is that for women, orgasm can stretch beyond the boundaries of ejaculation, can continue on and on, can be drawn out for as long as the woman (or her partner) wants to indulge in the experience.

In Lolita Lopez’s perfectly kinky story, “The Chair,” sex toys and submission go hand in hand with orgasm for the protagonist. “Lily’s orgasms changed from separate events to one long and unending oscillation of bliss.” Her “punishment” at the hands of Cal is one she’s very, very happy to absorb.

There are countless articles and books telling you how to have a bigger, better orgasm. I don’t want to add to the clamor of the voices saying, You must orgasm now. Instead, I want Orgasmic to be a fictional showcase of some of the reasons, methods and delights women bring to their orgasms. I want these red-hot stories to help get you warmed up, primed, aroused. I want them to make you squirm with desire, identification, curiosity. I want you to read these stories aloud to a lover…or someone you wish were your lover.

I did my best to capture an array of big (and little) Os, moments where the world feels like it’s exploding in your body, orgasms that rock more than just your world. These stories capture the ferocity, intensity and power of women’s orgasms, however they’re achieved. I couldn’t include every way women come in this book, or it would be much longer than it is now, but I wanted to include a varied look at what gets women off, which means it’s not always a man or another woman, or even a machine that does the trick. Vanessa Vaughn taps into a classic route with “Taking the Reins:”

As I straddle the seat and slowly lower myself down, I feel a familiar tingle of excitement deep inside. I can sense the monstrous size of the body between my thighs, the large chest expanding and contracting broadly with each breath. The smell of fresh, conditioned leather smothers my sensesæwell, that, and also the slight musky tinge of sweat. It is a raw smell mixed with rich, dark dirt.

Speaking of orgasm how-tos, in “The Big O” by Donna George Storey, she both skewers the omnipresent women’s magazine sex advice and adds a saucy twist as her protagonist puts into practice “The Sexercise Prescription: A Stronger Secret You in Six Weeks.”

The women in Orgasmic climax from tantric sex, role-playing, piercing, G-spot play, sex toys and even chemistry--the scientific kind. They delight in food, God and handymen. They create their own objects of pleasure; they spy, tease, obey, command, argue, submit. Some are shy about their orgasms and some are bold as can be.

They come, and come and come again, and they do it in some of the hottest, most creative ways you can think of. Visit me at orgasmicbook.wordpress.com if you just can’t get enough…orgasms, that is.

Rachel Kramer Bussel
New York City

Media Sex Night tonight! Memoir, burlesque, erotica, cupcakes, chocolate-covered pretzels and more!

We have so much free food in addition to free copies of Off The Set being given away and a free vibrator and Kegel sex toy from EdenFantasys and more. Snacks include potato and tortilla chips (multiple kinds!), chocolate-covered peanut butter pretzels, chocolate-covered cranberries, 250 cupcakes in flavors like mint chocolate chip, red velvet and cookie dough from Baked by Melissa and so much more. Doors at 7 - see you there!


In The Flesh logo by Molly Crabapple

There is no RSVP requirement, but if you'd like to RSVP and/or spread the word on Facebook, click here for the Media Sex Night event listing. See also the In The Flesh Reading Series fan page on Facebook. Note early start time.

IN THE FLESH EROTIC READING SERIES
MEDIA SEX NIGHT
July 15, 2010, 7:30 pm - 10 pm
AT HAPPY ENDING LOUNGE, 302 BROOME STREET, NYC
(B/D to Grand, J/M/Z to Bowery, F to Delancey or F/V to 2nd Avenue, http://www.happyendinglounge.com)
Between Forsyth & Eldridge. Look for the hot pink awning that says "XIE HE Health Club."
Admission: Free
Happy Ending Lounge: 212-334-9676
http://www.inthefleshreadingseries.com

Media superstars invade In The Flesh. Featuring Kevin Allison (The State, RISK show), Penny Arcade (Bitch! Dyke! Faghag! Whore!), Twanna A. Hines (FunkyBrownChick.com), Jillian Lauren (New York Times bestselling author of Some Girls: My Life in a Harem), Paulie & Pauline (Off The Set), Jerry Portwood (New York Press), Rachel Shukert (Everything Is Going to Be Great) and reading plus performance from Jo Weldon (The Burlesque Handbook). Hosted by Rachel Kramer Bussel (Fast Girls, Please, Sir, Please, Ma’am). Sponsored by New York Press. Books will be available for sale by Mobile Libris. 100 free copies of Sexis Magazine will be distributed. Free Baked by Melissa cupcakes, candy and chips will be served. This is the countdown to the final In The Flesh December 16th so don't miss a very special night!

In the Flesh is a monthly reading series hosted at the appropriately named
Happy Ending Lounge, and features the country's best erotic writers sharing stories to get you hot and bothered, hosted and curated by acclaimed erotic writer and editor Rachel Kramer Bussel. The series was named Best Reading Series by New York Press in 2009. From erotic poetry to down and dirty smut, these authors get naked on the page and will make you lust after them and their words. Since its debut in October 2005, In the Flesh has featured such authors as Mike Albo, Laura Antoniou, Mo Beasley, Susie Bright, Lily Burana, Jessica Cutler, Mike Daisey, Stephen Elliott, Valerie Frankel, Polly Frost, Gael Greene, Andy Horwitz, Debra Hyde, Maxim Jakubowski, Emily Scarlet Kramer of CAKE, Josh Kilmer-Purcell, Edith Layton, Logan Levkoff, Suzanne Portnoy, Julie Powell, Sofia Quintero, M.J. Rose, Lauren Sanders, Danyel Smith, Grant Stoddard, Cecilia Tan, Carol Taylor, Dana Vachon, Veronica Vera, Susan Wright, Zane and many others. The series has gotten press attention from the New York Times’s UrbanEye, Daily Candy, Escape (Hong Kong), Flavorpill, The L Magazine, New York Magazine, NBC New York, New York Post, New York Observer, Philadelphia City Paper, Time Out New York, Flavorwire, Fork in the Road, Gawker, Gothamist, Jezebel.com, Nerve.com, Serious Eats, Tasting Table and Wonkette, and has been praised by Dr. Ruth.

Kevin Allison is a member of the legendary sketch comedy troupe The State, whose series on MTV in the mid-90s was influential for many of today's comics. He is the creator and host of RISK!, a popular live show and audio podcast where people tell true tales they never thought they'd dare to share. The live show won the ECNY Award for Best Variety Show in New York of 2009 and the podcast version of RISK! has been downloaded nearly 700,000 times now. Kevin's recent film and TV appearances include Reno 911!: Miami, The Ten, Wedding Daze, VH1’s Best Week Ever, Comedy Central’s Viva Variety and Stella, and HBO’s Flight of the Conchords. Behind the scenes, Kevin has written for Blue Man Group Productions and JibJab. In the print world, Kevin’s writing has appeared in The Village Voice, Giant, Premiere and Film Journal. He has served as the Artistic Director of The Peoples Improv Theater in New York and teaches comedy writing there, at New York University, at The Philly Improv Theater and online at www.filmlab.ca. He can be reached at Kevin at risk-show.com .



Penny Arcade aka Susana Ventura is an internationally acclaimed and respected performance, theater, video artist, as well as a writer, poet, essayist, and cultural icon. She is one of the few performance artists to gain international renown in the mainstream entertainment world. Bad Reputation [Semiotext(e)] is the first book about Penny Arcade and her work.


photo by Jasmine Hirst

Rachel Kramer Bussel is an author, editor, blogger and reading series host. She is Senior Editor at Penthouse Variations and a former sex columnist for The Village Voice. She’s edited over 30 anthologies, including the kink-themed Spanked, Bottoms Up, Yes, Sir, Yes, Ma'am, He's on Top, She's on Top, Rubber Sex as well as Fast Girls, Orgasmic, Peep Show, The Mile High Club: Plane Sex Stories, Do Not Disturb: Hotel Sex Stories, Tasting Him, Tasting Her, and the non-fiction Best Sex Writing series. Her books won 3 2009 Independent Publisher Awards. Her writing been published in publications such as Clean Sheets, Cosmopolitan, The Daily Beast, Fresh Yarn, Huffington Post, Mediabistro, Newsday, New York Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Tango, The Village Voice, and Time Out New York, and in over 100 anthologies, including Best American Erotica 2004 and 2006. Rachel conducts nationwide readings and erotic writing workshops. She has hosted In The Flesh since October 2005.
www.rachelkramerbussel.com


photo by Anya Garrett

Twanna A. Hines is a sex, dating and relationships writer. She has written for Huffington Post, Lifetime, Nerve, New York Press, Fast Company and others. She has appeared on CNN, NPR, Sirius Satellite Radio as well as CBC, and she has been quoted in the Village Voice, New York magazine, Gawker Media, The San Francisco Chronicle,
EbonyJet, The Baltimore Sun, Vibe and elsewhere. AOL recognized her award-winning site, FUNKY BROWN CHICK®. She attended New York University and other schools. Her B.S. and M.A. degrees are in sociology. Having lived in London, Chicago, Amsterdam, Los Angeles and The Hague, she speaks English and Dutch fluently as well as conversational French. She enjoys passionate love affairs with faraway lands and intelligent men. Get down with the funky brown! ™
www.funkybrownchick.com



Jillian Lauren’s is the author of the memoir Some Girls: My Life in a Harem, Plume 2010. She has an MFA from Antioch University and her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, Flaunt Magazine and Opium Magazine, among others. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and son. Her novel, Pretty, is scheduled to be released from Plume in Spring 2011.
www.jillianlauren.com



Paulie & Pauline seek out candid moments in the human experience with a curiosity that is heavily influenced by their backgrounds in journalism and sociology. Mostly, though, their photos reflect their voyeuristic fascination with people and their stories. Photos from Off the Set: Porn Stars and Their Partners have been published in print and online, appeared in several group exhibitions of fine-art photography, and are included in the permanent collections at the Museum of Sex in New York City and the art gallery at the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction.
www.paulieandpauline.com

Jerry Portwood is the editor-in-chief of New York Press. He is also the founding editor of CityArts, an arts-only newsweekly focused on arts and culture in NYC. His short fiction and essays have appeared in regional and international publications. He keeps saying he's working on a book.



Rachel Shukert is the author of Everything Is Going to Be Great and Have You No Shame? and Other Regrettable Stories. Her work has been featured on National Public Radio, as well as in Salon, McSweeny's, Slate, The Daily Beast, and Gawker, among others. She has contributed to several notable print anthologies, including Click: When We Knew We Were Feminists, Best Sex Writing (Rachel Kramer Bussel, ed.) and Best American Poetry. She is a contributing editor at Tablet Magazine. Her first feature screenplay is currently in development with Yarn Films.
rachelshukert.com



Jo Weldon is the Headmistress and Founder of the New York School of Burlesque. Internationally renowned as burlesque personality Jo Boobs, she's rounded her heels on stages from Coney Island to Las Vegas. She's the winner of such exotic titles as Best Bump N Grinder, Best Teacher and Mentor, and Biggest Cougar in Burlesque! She has worked with performers from Leonard Cohen to Spinal Tap, and has been featured on television shows from CBS Sunday Morning to Gossip Girl. Her book, The Burlesque Handbook: A Backstage Guide, featuring a foreword by Margaret Cho, was released by HarperCollins/ItBooks in June 2010.
www.schoolofburlesque.com



You will hear from the following books:


The Burlesque Handbook by Jo Weldon


Some Girls: My life in a Harem by Jillian Lauren


Everything Is Going to Be Great: An Underfunded and Overexposed European Grand Tour by Rachel Shukert


Off The Set: Porn Stars and Their Partners by Paulie & Pauline

(see Madison Young reading from Off the Set at In The Flesh here)