Jul 172013
 

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In June I gave a speech at the Guelph Sexuality Conference. You can read more about my appearance in this article by The Record.

“I’m here to tell you no one is having normal sex,” New York-based sexuality educator and author Tristan Taormino told scores of people attending her frank but well-received plenary speech.

 

And in case you missed it, Cosmo Magazine did an interview online with me about feminist porn! I’m so glad mainstream media is started to hear the buzz of feminist porn. The Feminist Porn Book is about to go into it’s second printing!

I have no interest in policing or judging anyone’s desires, fantasies, and porn preferences, and I know that plenty of women have fantasies of dominance and submission. Images of dominance and submission are not anti-feminist in and of themselves, but one of the reasons feminists critique them is because consent is not always explicit and because of the repetition of men dominating women, making it the main type of power exchange we see in a lot of mainstream pornography. I think there is a stereotype that women want kinder, gentler, more romantic porn; some women do, but not all women. Feminist pornographers don’t want to do away with sexual power dynamics; many of us want to explore them in an explicitly consensual and more diverse, nuanced, non-stereotypical way.

May 212013
 

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  • After my appearance at University of Maryland, The Diamondback did a great write-up:

The BDSM culture is not only applicable to kinky people, Taormino said, as some of the principles of consent and communication could be readily applied to “vanilla,” or nonkinky, relationships. Any couple looking to improve their sexual relationship could do so by putting these ideas into practice, she said.

Read it all here: Students talk BDSM in Fifty Shades of Grey dialogues

Apr 042013
 

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Author, educator, and feminist pornographer Tristan Taormino visited with Joy Behar to discuss THE FEMINIST PORN BOOK (Feminist Press), a new anthology co-edited by Taormino, Constance Penley, Celine Parreñas Shimizu, and Mireille Miller-Young.

During the two-segment interview, Tristan and Joy engaged in a lively discussion about the growing field of feminist pornography. They also talked about porn in academia, ethical porn making, sex education, the antiporn crusades, and current hot topics including Fifty Shades of Grey and Todd Akin. “I love how sharp and funny Joy is, but I also really appreciate how genuinely curious she was about feminist porn. She took the time to have a real conversation about it, which can be rare on TV these days,” said Taormino.

The program aired on Thursday, April 4, 2013 at 9pm ET on Current TV and you can watch a clip of it here.  THE FEMINIST PORN BOOK: The Politics of Producing Pleasure is available now at feministpress.org, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and your favorite local bookstore.

About Joy Behar: Say Anything!

Emmy® award winning talk show host Joy Behar is back with Joy Behar: Say Anything!, airing Mon-Thurs evenings 9pm ET (8pm CT, 7pm MT, 6pm PT) on Current TV. One of TV’s most irreverent and outspoken personalities, Joy takes on social issues and relevant topics that impact the American zeitgeist.

Media Contact: Elizabeth Koke: ekoke@gc.cuny.edu

Mar 172013
 

 

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I’ve been talking feminist porn all over! In case you missed any of my recent appearances, you can catch up.

Salon: In “The Feminist Pornographer”, Tracy Clark-Flory interviews me about how the book came into being.

HuffPo Live: Iceland recently passed a ban on violent porn and I discussed this issue in the context of feminist porn on HuffPo Live along with Cindy Gallop and Kelly Bourdet.

Fucking While Feminist podcast: I was thrilled to be back on Jaclyn Friedman‘s podcast along with my co-editors, discussing The Feminist Porn Book.

San Francisco Bay Guardian published a great writeup called “Frankie Says Feminist Pornography”. An excerpt:

The book is a big deal, a first-time conglomeration of viewpoints from across the pro-sex feminist landscape. Its introduction alone was the most comprehensive history of feminist pornography I’ve ever seen (how appropriate that we’re in the middle of Women’s History Month 2013.) The next time anyone has a question about whether porn can really be anti-sexist, I will direct them to The Feminist Porn Book‘s neon glow.

Mar 012013
 

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Tristan Taormino will be on “To The Best of Our Knowledge,” as part of a show called ‘After the Romance‘, which airs this weekend on NPR stations. Tristan talks with host Steve Paulson about her book Opening Up: A Guide to Creating and Sustaining Open Relationships, open relationships, swinging, polyamory, and more. You can hear it during the following times on local NPR stations:

openupcover-finalhighresAtlanta, GA: Monday and Tuesday 11:00 am on 91.7 WUGA-FM

Columbus, OH: Sunday 3:00 pm on 89.7 WOSU-FM

Eugene, OR: Sunday 8:00 am on 1280 KRVM-AM

Los Angeles, CA: Sunday 9:00 pm on 88.3 KCLU-FM

Milwaukee, WI: Sunday 12:00 pm on 90.7 WHAD-FM

San Francisco, CA: Sunday, 8:00 am on 91.7 KALW-FM and
Sunday, 7:00 pm on 88.5 KQED-FM

Seattle, WA: Friday (3/8) 8:00 pm on 94.9 KUOW-FM

Springfield, MA: Sunday, 8:00 am on 640 WNNZ-AM

For other local areas, click here to search by state.

You can also stream or download the mp3 of the entire show featuring Tristan Taormino, Esther Perel, Kate Bolick, Brian Kaufman and Martin Swinger, and more or listen to and download Tristan’s segment here.

Feb 212013
 

The Ultimate Guide to Kink

In case you missed it, I was quoted in the New York Time on Valentine’s Day in their article “An Arresting Trend in Intimate Wear“, an article on new trends in lingerie because of the 50 Shades phenomenon.

“It’s just a matter of upping the luxury factor and packaging it in a way that really speaks to a different woman who might be intimidated by something more blatant or something with a harder edge, or who might not go into a store like The Leather Man on Christopher Street,” said Tristan Taormino, who has written many books on sexuality and is the editor of “The Ultimate Guide to Kink.”

Nashville Scene also wrote a Valentine’s Day post on Thirteen Alternatives to 50 Shades of Grey, and my erotica collections were one of them!

My work is also mentioned in this Huffington Post UK article, “Vive la Révolution! The Superheroines of Porn Domination.” Thanks to Liesbet of Dusk! TV for tipping me off to it.

Jan 212013
 

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UPDATE! The show is currently re-airing, here is a full schedule:

January 22, 9:00 pm; January 26 at 3:00 am; January 28 at 8:00 am; January 31 at 9:00 pm; February 3 at 3:00 pm; and February 5 at 9:00 am

Bestselling author and sex educator Tristan Taormino is a featured expert in “The Real 50 Shades of Grey,” the latest edition of the E! Special series, which premieres on E! Entertainment Television on January 22 at 9:00 pm. This documentary special looks at the lives and relationships of real dominants and submissives and features commentary from BDSM experts. Taormino is a sought-after speaker and commentator on a range of sexuality issues, including alternative sexual practices and communities. Her groundbreaking collection The Ultimate Guide to Kink: BDSM, Role Play and the Erotic Edge published by Cleis Press in 2012 features the work of leading kink experts from around the country. Dan Savage calls it “more than just a guide to kink, more than just a sex manual…everyone can learn from this collection.” Her latest book (also from Cleis Press), 50 Shades of Kink: An Introduction to BDSM, offers readers practical advice and techniques based on real world experience about how to eroticize power, cultivate deeper connections and incorporate kink into your sex life.

Here’s the full show description:

Whether shock, excitement or simply curiosity, it seems that everyone has a strong reaction to the bestselling erotic book trilogy that includes Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed. Having sold more than 60 million copies worldwide, the series set the record as the fastest-selling paperback of all time. What is it about the provocative lifestyle of the protagonists that has readers throughout the world riveted? Is it the non-traditional sex, the excitement of the unknown, or simply the story of love between two people expressed in a unique way? Hosted by E!’s Alicia Quarles, this one-hour special features commentary from therapists, authors and other experts about the practice, and also profiles the real-life experiences of couples who follow this lifestyle. Don’t miss a fascinating look at what used to be a very secret world in the E! Special “The Real 50 Shades of Grey” premiering Tuesday, January 22 at 9:00pm ET/PT, only on E!

In this special, real-life practitioners open up about the BDSM lifestyle. Viewers find out how they got involved, what the challenges of this lifestyle are and what they tell their families and friends about their choices. The show also looks into a high-profile case in which the sex game turned dangerous for the players, and experts weigh in on the risks and dangers of the lifestyle, and what participants must do in order to remain safe, both physically and psychologically. Find out how the “business” of bondage is growing too, as an instructor discusses the popular classes that are filling up with individuals and couples eager to enter this sexually-charged world. E! Entertainment Specials explore the hottest trends, the biggest stars and breaking stories, and “The Real 50 Shades of Grey” is part of its White Hot Winter programming in January.

Jan 152013
 

Sometimes She Lets Me: Best Butch/Femme Erotica
I am so thrilled to announce the release of the audio book version of my Lambda Literary Award-winning anthology Sometimes She Lets Me: Best Butch/Femme Erotica. It’s available on Amazon and Audible (you can even listen to a sample at Audible). First, I am just excited that the audio book market has really exploded recently, and audio book versions of several of my books have already been produced, including Best Lesbian Erotica 2007, Best Lesbian Erotica 2009, Best of the Best Lesbian Erotica, Hot Lesbian Erotica, and Opening Up: A Guide to Creating and Sustaining Open Relationships (and coming soon: Down and Dirty Sex Secrets!). I think erotica books make especially good material for audio (of course) and queer erotica is where I got my start so it’s close to my heart. But what makes this one extra special is that I co-produced and narrated it! That’s right, here’s your chance to hear more than 7 hours of me talking dirty to you, reading smutty stories by folks like S. Bear Bergman, Toni Amato, D. Alexandria, Peggy Munson, Sinclair Sexsmith, Elaine Miller, Amie M. Evans, Alison Smith, and more. You’ll hear tales of the new femme in town and the butch pastry chef, the cop who passes as a guy and picks up straight girls at hip hop clubs, porn-watching butches who can’t keep their hands off each other, a sexy game of hide and seek in the woods, what happens when a femme trolls the personals for a date, one girl’s revenge on sweet-talking butches, a threesome with a power couple, girl-on-girl lipstick smearing, poetic public sex and some particularly incendiary roleplay. The stories are filled with dominant Daddies, butches with swagger, fierce femmes, strippers and sex workers, longtime lovers, femme tops, and plenty more. I promise you: it’s a good time! My producer and engineer on this project is a superstar in his own right: Dylan Keefe. Dylan is part of the team of geniuses who work on public radio show Radiolab and the bass player for Marcy Playground, an awesome 90s band famous for the song “Sex and Candy.” Dylan and I had so much fun in the studio together recording this, and we hope to collaborate on more projects together. I hope you’ll check it out, tell your friends, and enjoy this porn for your ears!

Jan 012013
 

Fleshbot posted a great review of my latest DVD, The Expert Guide to Female Ejaculation.

You may be aware that many squirt porn movies just fake the whole thing; rest assured that Tristan Taormino engages in none of those shenanigans. The female cast of this film is made up of bona fide squirters–and it’s fascinating to see the many different ways that they squirt (and the different things that make them squirt).

You can read the whole thing here: http://straight.fleshbot.com/5942175/so-you-want-to-squirt-tristan-taorminos-expert-guide-to-female-ejaculation

And if you didn’t get exactly what you wanted for the holidays, check out About.com and Corey Silverberg’s list of Sex Book Gifts and use a giftcard to buy exactly what you need for yourself! He included my collection, Take Me There, on the list, which I appreciate.

Nov 212012
 

On November 14th, I appeared on the radio show Seven Second Delay which broadcasts on WFMU. You can listen to the show here – it’s free, and they have several different options to stream or download. Check out the photos by John Dalton from the event as well, you’ll feel just like you were in the audience watching!

I was also thrilled to join Jaclyn Friedman for an episode of her new podcast, Fucking While Feminist. We discussed ‘’affaire Petraeus, why cheating violates consent, and what makes porn feminist. And for more of me and Jaclyn talking fucking, feminism, and porn, you should also check out her appearance on Sex Out Loud as well as both of us appearing on Melissa Harris Perry‘s show last summer.