Perspectives

Do People Read About Sex?

by Jon Pressick

Most people are not reached by the many talented, knowledgeable writers, artists, educators, bloggers and facilitators who work hard to create and inform about sex.

Do people read about sex?

This might be an odd question for Kinkly regulars, but think about your friends who might not be as attuned to the wonderful, wild, wicked and sometimes downright weird world of sex and all of the amazing personalities who wander this wonderland. What sex-related content do they read?

Scandals?

Sex crimes?

Regurgitated how-to guides of bland sex tips?

Between front-page headlines of the latest political or celebrity indiscretion, reports of unspeakable assaults and murders, and supermarket rack magazines, most people are not reached by the many talented, knowledgeable writers, artists, educators, bloggers and facilitators who work hard to create and inform about sex.

The conversations are there to be had, but I am not sure we are all speaking the same language.
"Best Sex Writing 2015" is going to be a departure for the venerable and beloved "Best Sex Writing" series. Surely it will still resonate with all of those people within the sex community. We will still continue to learn from each other, surprise each other - and disagree with passion on occasion.

Past editions of the collection have featured great works by the best of the best in the sex community. But as with all communities where there is comfort and experience, those who are in the know can navigate the language, terminology and nuance of that community. These specifics about the wide-ranging world of sex were sometimes more directed to people who are studying sex, sociology or other academic pursuits. And that bubble can be hard to pop.

So, this coming edition will also engage people outside of that bubble. It will present topics and themes that will ignite the passions of both those who are experienced in the sex community as well as those who are expanding beyond traditional, mainstream depictions of sex and sex culture.

What might those topics be? Well, that is to be determined by what people are writing about. While sex may only reach the mainstream press in the most scurrilous ways, there are fantastic publications and blogs out there that are pursuing challenging, heartening and insightful work. Writers are making a world of difference in the shifting portrayal and attitudes toward sex. And the continuing democratization of publishing makes their work easier to find.

"Best Sex Writing" will lead the way for them.

Check out past editions:

Submit your favorite stories here.

Jon Pressick

Jon Pressick is a sex-related media gadabout. For more than 20 years, Jon has been putting sex into our daily conversations at his long-running site SexInWords—as a writer, editor, publisher, sex toy reviewer, radio host, workshop facilitator, event producer and more. These days, he focuses on writing for Kinkly, GetMeGiddy, The Buzz and PinkPlayMags and editing Jason Armstrong's series of Solosexual books. In 2015, Jon edited Cleis Press' Best Sex Writing of the...

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