It’s a question I get asked a lot and it’s a fairly simple answer: Yes, many close family members know that I do porn, and they support me. And some of them don’t know yet because I want to come out to them when the time is right.

Simple enough on the surface, but there’s much more.

Without getting into too much specifics, because I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to speak on behalf of someone else with such a personal topic, I’ll share some of thoughts I’ve had since coming out a few years ago.

1. Coming out about porn can mean coming out about other things.
In my case, my porn involves a lot of aspects of my personal life. This means incorporating queer and kinky sex with many of my lovers, my gender expression, and this very website with my blog describing how I enjoy sex work and think it’s fun and healthy. That sentence alone incorporates at least five things to come out about, besides porn itself: My 1) queer sexuality; 2) Kink; 3) polyamorous lifestyle; 4) genderqueer/trans* identity; and, 5) sex work as sex-positive pleasure.

It can difficult to come out as just one of these things, so the fact that they’re wrapped up in one another adds complications. Since my teenage years, I’ve come out as gay, then poly, and the last three all together.

2. You don’t just come out once.
As I’ve come out over the years about different things, I’ve come to understand that the act of coming out is not a one-time event. It’s not like once you’ve come out, it’s over and things are either fine or they’re not. There are the on-going discussions that come up and there’s further outings that happen (either by you or other people, sometimes accidentally). It takes an open heart to commit to being honest about the fears and anger that can arise, and to communicate these feelings in a healthy way.

I’m blessed to have a lot of love in my family. And that love is there even when there is fear or confusion.

3. There’s very few resources.
Books have been written for parents of transgender youth, for teens on coming out as queer, and BDSM lifestyles such as ”When Someone You Love is Kinky“. When one of my partners and I were first exploring non-monogamy, we found “The Ethical Slut” and “Opening Up” full of helpful information. And while there are books about sex work and sex & culture, there’s not much specific to pornography. Of the sex educators and sexologists I’ve asked, it seems that this book has yet to be written.

For a brief history on the beginnings of the porn industry as we know it, check out Michael Stabile’s documentary “SMUT CAPITAL OF AMERICA“.  A strange fact is that the very people I’m coming out to have been alive longer than the industry itself. Porn — at least the kind that’s sold online and in stores for personal viewing — hasn’t been around for very long. Perhaps the fact that it’s still so new is one reason why there’s not a lot published on the subject.

Another reason of course, is the subject itself.

4. Porn is a four-letter word.
One of the reasons it took me so long to come out was my fear that I would be judged and I would lose my family’s love. No matter how brilliant and loving someone is, I still am afraid that coming out to them will cause them to think poorly of me, pulling from society’s stereotypes of sex workers being naive or damaged victims, powerless or coerced. There’s so much shame around sex in our culture, that even though it’s legal and very common, there’s stigma around P-O-R-N. (On a side note, many of the people I’ve worked with refuse to call their work “porn” because of these terrible associations. For myself though, I think that breaking down the stereotypes is part of the process. While much of the work I do can be described as erotic, sexual documentary and adult cinema, and my intentions can gravitate towards sex-positive representation and alternative views of healthy sexuality through working primarily with people whom I’ve loved… at the end of the day: I did porn.

5. The Internet is Forever.
Part of my organic, “self-agent process” entails my decisions to meet directors and co-stars before agreeing to on a project. And if that can’t happen for whatever reason, they must come with strong references or recommendation from people I know. When you perform in porn, you sign the rights of your image over to a producer. When a sexual image of you is published online, it’s there forever. It’s downloaded to user’s computers, it’s shared on Tumblr, and as much as you might try to control it… once it’s done, it’s done. This is the reason I try to work with directors and producers who I feel understand and respect me and my identity. The process of putting myself out there in ways I have some control over, establishing my identity and creating representations of people like me, outweigh the dangers of people behaving with malicious or exploitative intentions. It’s a known risk, and one I’m willing to take even though it can be frightening, especially for loved ones.  It can also mean that you can be outed through an image online at any given time… regardless if it’s flattering or not.

So where am I now?

Honestly, I think I’m still the same place I was before I first came out, only now I can share my excitement and pride in my accomplishments. How GOOD it feels to not have to tell white lies about my trips abroad, traveling half-way around the world to “visit friends”. I hate lying. I feel more shame in the fact that I lied to my family, than I ever will about the sex I had on film.

And coming out hasn’t changed my decisions about doing porn. (Although knowing that my family can read my blog means I’ll try to remember to proofread.) As always, I’ll continue to do projects which I think are satisfying to me while exploring the genre — in a way that is safe and sustainable, and teaches me and others about sex and pleasure. From the beginning, each project I do is a choice. Even though I can’t claim that they’ve all been brilliant, shining examples of my sex-positive philosophy, and that sometimes I work with a production that probably wasn’t the best fit, each project has been lesson in helping me define and articulate the power I have of my own sexuality and autonomy.

So, I feel proud about all this. And, I want to ask for your help.

I wrote this blog post in hopes that it will help me form my thoughts about coming out, and maybe it can offer something to you. But I need more resources. Do you know a good book or blog post I can use to create a “syllabus” of supporting materials to help other performers, families and friends find the information and validation they need to come out? (This information will help me and my own family too, that’s for certain!)

In addition to books and links, I’d like personal stories.

To be truthful, I’m not sure what I will do with these stories yet. That might be determined by how many of you share them with me. I might want to publish them in an eBook. Or simply share them on this blog. Or on Tumblr. As far as I know, this book has not been written, despite how helpful I think it might be. I know performers who have had beautiful coming out stories with their families, and some who have not. I know performers who are parents themselves, and so coming out involves age appropriate information for youth.  I also have youth in my life who I will someday decide to share some level of information about what I do. I’d rather they hear it from me than their friends. So, what was your experience like? Or what information do you withhold? If you or someone in your family hasn’t done porn, do you talk about watching it? Or do you protect your files? Are there other coming out stories you think are relevant? I want very much to hear about experiences other than my own, so I’m putting out a call for submissions.

Coming Out About Porn

Please send me your porn coming out story. You can write anonymously, you can share your book or other resources with me.

Submissions should be approximately 1000 words.

Email word documents to jiz@jizlee.com.

Feel free to submit work you’ve already published, or work you’re planning to publish.

I will reply to everyone by the end of March.  Feel free to repost.

Thank you everyone, for the support you’ve given to me through your emails and messages, for purchasing my work, for respecting my gender pronouns and sexuality, for inspiring me to write and share my experiences, and more. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

Please repost this call for submissions below — and if anyone would like to interview me for their research or submission, please let me know!

- – -

Call for Submissions: New Views on Pornography: Sexuality, Politics, and the Law, 2 Volumes

Edited by Lynn Comella, PhD and Shira Tarrant, PhD
Deadline: July 30, 2012

Co-editors Lynn Comella (University of Las Vegas, Nevada) and Shira Tarrant (California State University, Long Beach) are seeking submissions for a two-volume edited collection under contract with Praeger.

Description: New Views on Pornography is a two-volume collection of the most current scholarship on pornography. This edited series presents empirical research on a range of contemporary issues regarding pornography’s politics, psychology, cultural and legal debates, providing a comprehensive and multidisciplinary overview of the field of porn studies in one convenient location for students, researchers, and professors across related fields. Our goal as editors is to showcase new and innovative research that examines the culture and politics of pornography in a global context, including but not limited to, questions of production, audiences, market niches, technological innovations, political debates and controversies, obscenity, free speech, public policy and the law. The editors seek well-researched facts and data in order to provide readers with a comprehensive overview of issues on the subject.

Author Guidelines: For consideration, please submit full chapters (5,000-7,000 words), a brief abstract, bio (75-100 words), and complete contact information. Submissions must include endnotes and bibliography, and adhere to Chicago Manual of Style, 16th edition. Send submissions in .doc or .docx format to both contact emails below. Submissions not conforming to these guidelines will not be considered.

The Editors are specifically interested in submissions on the following:

Foundations and Controversies in Pornography
Defining Pornography
The History of Pornography
Pornography and the Law: Historical Highlights
Cultural Trends and Changing Ideas about Pornography
Key Resources in Media and Cultural Studies of Pornography
Consumption Practices: Who Is Using Porn?
Global Porn Production: Practices and Revenue
Sources of Porn: The Marketplace and Changing Supply Patterns
The Porn Wars in Historical and Contemporary Perspective
The Politics of Porn Literacy and Social Control
Issues of Race, Ethnicity, and Pornography
Impacts of the Industry: Interviews with Porn Actors and Industry Workers
Studying Pornography: Research Methods and Methodologies
Impacts and Effects of Pornography
Defining the Terms: Problems with Content Analysis and Ideological Bias
Women Watching Porn: Issues in Data Collection and Self-Reporting
Pornography and Global Sex Trafficking: Separating Myths from the Facts
Pathologizing Porn: Questions about Addiction
The Impacts of Pornography on Intimate Relationships
Technology and Porn
Obscenity, Surveillance and Free Speech: Current Issues in the Law
Varieties and Genres of Pornography
How the Adult Industry is Organized: Issues of Production and Revenue
Masculinity, Violence, and Pornography: Correcting the Data
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Queer Porn
Porn Studies in Global Context
Porn Use and Sexual Satisfaction

Send To: Please send cc’d submissions to Lynn Comella at lynn.comella@unlv.edu and Shira Tarrant at Shira_Tarrant@yahoo.com. Include Praeger NVOP Submission in the subject line. Submission queries should be directed to the above.

1. ROWDY BAUBLES: Adornment with Attitude

Sweet jewelry that’s “so queer it’s over the rainbow” by teukie jae.
I got a metal mini-bowtie resin pendant with a black glitter background. Love it, and Teukie’s mission: “I am a geeky glamdrogynous queer disabled Korean adoptee, mixed media artist and anti-oppression worker. Although I have been designing jewelry since 2004, Rowdy Baubles is my first attempt to create jewelry specifically for queer folks. I’m incredibly excited to be taking on this venture and hope to make many beautiful things for my community! I am joined in this venture by my partner Sky (you’ll see them modeling, they also help with production and shipping!) and the long-distance support of my friends. All items are handmade with love (& revolution) in my Seattle home.”

[Buy it]

2. Freeing Ourselves: A Guide to Health and Self Love for Brown Bois

This is a fantastic health and sexuality guide created by Brown Boi Project.
While this guide is a great resource for everyone, it’s specifically created for people of color whose gender expression/identity are masculine-of-center, encompassing a wide range of experiences, and focusing on things such as testosterone and transition, mental health, surviving sexual abuse, parenting, and whole-body health needs. I love that it includes nutritional and exercise guides, as well as explicit sexual health info, including a shout out to Shine Louise Houston! Beautiful images, intimate personal stories, and invaluable information.

[Order it]

3. Emilyn Brodsky’s Greatest Tits

It’s no secret that I crush out on ukulele players.
I think it has to do with my roots, coming from Hawai`i where in 4th grade everyone and their dog played ukes, and if you were cool you could perform “Feliz Navidad” behind your back. Being a portable reminder of home, I bought one a few years ago, but I think I play even worse now than I did when I was ten. Anyway, put a charming person with ukulele skills and a witty mouth in front of me and fuck I melt into a puddle. Which is exactly what happened when I met Emilyn at the Fleshbot Awards last November and she gave me her CD. When I listen to it, I tap my feet to crafty songs that are the perfect percentage of everything that make music good.

[Buy her Tits!]

4. Hella Brown: Real Sex in the City

Nenna‘s carved an impressive niche in the world of queer POC sex — in the Bay Area and cities beyond!
After the huge success of Tight Places: A Drop of Color, she’s produced her own next film, once again employing a cast of hot queer POC (cis)women and transmen from Oakland and Los Angeles in Hella Brown: Real Sex in the City. Following the good format of her last film, you get a lot of action out of a small fearless cast, as well as community interviews about porn. I love seeing Brookyn Sky from Nenna’s first film, and some familiar CrashPadSeries.com faces too! You can find the DVD online at sex-positive retailers.

[Watch it]

5. Vagina Dentata Glow-in-the-Dark Underwear

Not wearing underwear is pretty hot, but so is wearing cool undies.

There’s a jizillion different designs and patterns you can put on a pair of underwear, and they automatically become a funny or poignant statement, simply because they’re on your crotch. Take for example, Melissa Dowell‘s brilliant Vagina Dentata Glow-in-the-Dark Underwear. When she posted this on Twitter, I hadn’t even clicked on the link yet and my fingers were already forming the word “WANT” on the keyboard. Best part, I’ve got a pair coming and you bet your privates I’m gonna wear them for something sexy soon! Ommn Nom Nom…!

[Wear it]

1. THIS IS LOVE Indie Porn

THIS is a punk as fuck independent production by Danny Wylde, who IS a seriously kickass porn hellion, and I LOVE it!

Tormented by an abusive partner, our star takes matters into his own hands and turns the camera on his own petite morte. It’s short, graphic, and I want more. Contact Danny directly to drop your pennies directly into the hands of the next porn is the new punk generation.

Best part? It was sent to me as in a thumb drive and felt like a piece of the storyline.

[Buy it]

2. Girlvert: a Porno Memoir

The porn memoir of Ashley Blue aka Ori Small, Girlvert is pretty much the opposite experience I’ve had in porn. Which might be why it is incredibly fascinating to me.

The adult industry stories I’ve seen usually come off like pity porn: based-on-a-true-story portrayals of voiceless female victims in situations fabricated beyond reality. So it’s refreshing to read an explicitly honest and almost candid, diary-like account by one of the biggest and dirtiest names in the biz, and have it actually sound human.

[Read it]

3. RodeoH Strap-on Harness

There’s many kinds of strap-on harnesses out there, but if you’re looking for comfort it’d be RodeoH’s underwear-styled creation. If there was one specifically built for snuggling and smoochy, under-the-covers loving, it’d be this underwear-styled creation. Lighter than it’s hardcore leather counterparts (which are best utilized in heavy cock-slinging and vigorous bucking), these undies are perfect for smaller dildos and closer grinding”big spoon” grinding.

And yes, that’s a rare home-shot pic of me wearing it (thanks MeE) with a black Silk 2 Dildo.

[Wear it]

4. SEXING THE TRANSMAN XXX

Kudos to Buck Angel on his latest release which is billed as “the most progressive sex education film ever made”, and I believe it. Buck interviews four charismatic guys (including queer porn’s James Darling!), then films their masturbation sessions with gonzo camerawork and a great soundtrack. The result is a sexy and accessible display of personal histories and solo sex techniques that is as revolutionary as it is hot. A bonus scene includes Buck with mega-hottie Fallen, who I NEED to see more of. I’m crossing my fingers for a sequel that might feature Fallen, other transguys of color, size, and more diversity within trans experiences (hint). With it’s documentary counterpart, SEXING THE TRANSMAN XXX is a porn whose time has come.

[Watch it]

5. Take Me There: Trans and GenderQueer Erotica

It feels so good to have an erotica book where genderqueer is the norm. Take Me There is an anthology of trans and genderqueer erotica, edited by Tristan Taormino and including beloved authors such as Kate Bornstein (Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation), Patrick Califia (Speaking Sex to Power), S. Bear Bergman (Butch is a Noun), Ivan Coyote (Missed Her), Julia Serrano (Whipping Girl), Laura Antoniou (The Marketplace), Rachel Kramer Bussel (Gotta Have It), Tobi Hill-Meyer, Sinclair Sexsmith, and more. I’m also very proud to have been an advanced praise reviewer, along with Mx Justin Vivian Bond, Susan Stryker, Buck Angel, and others. It’s a truly beautiful book.

[Go Here to Take Me There]

Quinn Valentine as Michelle Tea. Photo by Tristan Crane: See more photos from behind the scenes.

In this first chapter, Quinn Valentine (psssst sexy sexy) stars as Michelle, and Courtney herself as Petra (one of the first introductions I had as a reader, to safer sex, fisting, and knife play). If you’re interested in contributing to the cost of the production, here’s Valencia Chapter 1′s Kickstarter. You can also Like Valencia: The Movie/s on Facebook, read an interview with Michelle and Courtney about the project, and help spread the word in general. In the meantime, check out this teeny tiny sneak peek and consider digging into your money pocket (no, the other one…) to donate!

You can pre-order a signed copy of the book. Fleshbot also posted a nice write-up about it. Congrats Max!

About the Book
Power and vulnerability are central to The Blindfold Project. In this ongoing series of images, artist N Maxwell Lander confronts the photographer-photographed dynamic by mixing up the traditional ‘gaze’ and creative authority that is given to those holding a camera. When the project began, Lander herself was unsure of what to expect. She hoped to provide a safe space for models to explore relationships to their bodies, and encouraged them to let their guard down while the photographer’s (creative) eye was removed from the scenario. What she didn’t anticipate was her own vulnerability as she found herself pulled outside of her element.

Handing over setup and creative control to her models, Lander has spent each shoot sitting with a blindfold covering her eyes. Focus (and aim!) has been manual and intuitive, with only a voice or the occasional sound of movement as guidance. The results so far have been varied and wonderfully surprising: some shoots are funny and playful, some wild and artistic, some raunchy and intensely sexual. Everyone has taken the space in front of the camera to a new place.

Recall the March and April issue of AVN Magazine where my image in Njoy Toy‘s full page ad shows white cream running down my fingers. After I wrote a blog post about it and published the image to Facebook, I received several messages from people who told that they were amazed — and relieved — to learn that white cream during sex can be normal. A few of them had lovers tell them it was gross and because of this, actually stopped having sex because they were ashamed of it. Such a shame! It’s true that it’s rare to see cream in sexual images so I was glad to be able to represent this in such a public way, just as I am proud to show my body hair.

In our culture, porn is one of the few places to witness explicit sexuality, and because of this, we often base our sexual information from what we see in solely in pornography. With that in mind, it’s my belief that as an adult performer it’s important to me to show myself as authentically as possible, especially when the it seems that the expressions of vulvas are pretty limited. And socially… feared!

The clip of Stewie from “Family Guy” (gay as he may be) is a comedic but frightening example of the level of unease and fear around what should be a beautiful, normal, and celebrated part of our body.

Part of the reason I continue to perform in pornography is that it allows me to experience the beauty of sharing my sexuality with others, and using this privileged and empowered position to show that diverse sexual responses, desires, and expressions can be sexy — whether it’s made visible through myself in terms of white cream, female ejaculation, fisting, pubic hair, gender play, etc… or from that of what I share of my fellow sex-positive peers. The personal is political, professional, and powerful.

So when I saw Show Off Book’s new “I’ll Show You Mine“, I got very excited. Here’s a “non-porn” example of diversity in sexuality to join the ranks of previously published materials such as the fun Cunt Coloring Book by Tee Corinne and Joani Blank’s Femalia, though now out of print.

“I’ll Show You Mine” features 60 vulvas photographed from the front and head-on by Katie Huisman and edited by Wrenna Robertson. Each photo set is accompanied by participants’ short text entrée about their vulvas and participation in the project.

The texts range from poetic to journalistic and contextualize the importance of the project. Their addition to the book displays participants’ courage in modeling, self-consciousness about their appearance, pride in showing themselves in the photo, and experiences in their lives related to their sex including surviving sexual assault, becoming or helping others become orgasmic, and more.

Besides being a powerful product on its own, 128 page hard cover book sells for $30 (including shipping anywhere in North America) and 10% of all profits are donated to local and international women’s charities. Furthermore, free copies are available for educational and public use to qualifying charity organizations.

From the publishers:
We are committed to fostering empowerment through the educational use of our book. If you represent an organization or are an individual that would like to use the book for educational purposes or display the book in your work space for public viewing, we are happy to offer a copy of the book free of charge – you just pay the actual shipping cost! A few examples of individuals and organizations that qualify for this offer are: women’s, men’s, teen and family resource centres; all types of physician’s offices; STD and sexual health clinics; religious and spiritual centres; and wellness centres. We are also happy to offer a free copy to K-12 school counselors and college/university counseling and sexual resource centers. To receive a free copy, please use our Contact Us page with “Free Copy” in the Subject line. Please include your full organization name, a brief synopsis of your organization, your phone number(s) and your website.

My personal reaction of the book was that it does exactly what it needs to do. The outside cover is discreet and the forward and texts are empowering. There are many different participants, including a transwoman and a few trans-masculine or non-gender specific models. While the book is dedicated “For Every Woman”, I think it’s important to remember that being a woman does not necessarily mean you have a vulva (and having a vulva does not necessarily mean you are a woman). Furthermore I think that anyone can benefit from the breadth of diverse images. And it should be said that projects like this can keep going in terms of representation showing more and more differences with each additional participant.

The book’s forward states that it is Wrenna’s way of combating the “pornified” image of vaginas. While I agree that much of porn presents a limited view of what a vulva can look like, I hesitate to place the blame on all of porn. In fact I would add that the porn that I participate in furthers the mission of “I’ll Show You Mine”, by not only showing our’s but showing our’s in action! (Check out CrashPadSeries.com for photographic images, sex videos and behind the scenes interviews of diverse queer people of many genders — it’s a great resource and is even shown in academic sexuality settings.)

Despite a somewhat understandable anti-mainstream porn stance, I think the book is extremely valuable and I hope it is picked up by not only charity organizations but also doctors offices. Having a heightened awareness of anatomy and sexual confidence is so important for our health and happiness. My personal favorite part of the book is pages 23-24, showing Phaedra, a body piercer whose profession put the model in contact with over 250 vulvas. In discussing the nature of the piercing with many clients, Phaedra also shared information about anatomy, and as shared in the book, one client’s piercing and education resulted in a new connection with the parts of her vulva that allowed, as Phaedra put it, her to “let go during intercourse” and achieve orgasm.

Though my own crotch has been filmed and photographed enough that I’m sure many of you have seen it by now, the book inspired me to add to the documentation. So in spirit of “I’ll Show You Mine”, here’s mine!

In keeping with the book, these are unedited images taken at approximately the same angles as the book’s images, with natural lighting taken this morning with my iPhone.

I’ll be joining Writers with Drinks this Saturday, March 19th.

What will I be reading?

I’ll be workshopping my essay for submission to the Feminist Porn Studies: Writing by Academics and Sex Industry Workers (edited by Constance Penley,Celine Parreñas Shimizu, Dr. Mireille Miller-Young, and Tristan Taormino). I’m striving to find a voice for this essay, and a flow that feels right. When Tristan asked me to submit a piece for the anthology, she suggested I combine the best of my blog and rework it as one piece.  Easy enough… yet also daunting because this blog chronicles virtually everything I’ve done in porn. No pressure! Can I merge my messages into a concise read that is sexy, smart, funny and creative? Join me at the Make Out Room to hear my first attempt. (Plus, check out who else is reading!? This is a crazy awesome line-up!)

What will I be drinking?

Maybe a Razberi Stoli, for old times sake.

The info

When: Saturday, March 19, 2011, 7:30 to 9:30 PM, doors open at 6:30 PM

Who: Jiz Lee, Chris Baty, Deborah Santana, Melissa Stein and Charles Kruger, hosted by Charlie Jane Anders

Where: The Make Out Room, 3225 22nd. St. between Mission and Valencia, San Francisco

How much: $5 to $10 sliding scale, all proceeds benefit the Center for Sex & Culture.

About the readers/performers:

Jiz Lee is a genderqueer porn star who is known for a gender-bending androgynous look, female ejaculation, vaginal fisting, strap-on performance, and fun sex-positive attitude about sex. The feminist award-winning performer, who prefers the pronouns “they/them” instead of “she/her” is an advocate for ethical empowerment of realistic bodies and equal gender agency in pornography. In their short years in the adult industry, Jiz has performed for celebrated directors and renown female pornographers, and has contributed as a writer to numerous print and online publications. With a background in arts management, Jiz is also a philanthropist and created the Karma Pervs membership paysite as a creative outlet benefiting sex-positive, queer and kink-friendly non-profit organizations. Ever fascinated by the radical potential of sex, love, and art, Jiz runs a personal blog that includes sex work as a medium for social activism at JizLee.com.

Chris Baty is a writer best known for creating NaNoWriMo (or “National Novel Writing Month”), in 1999, wherein participants aim to write an entire novel during the thirty days of November. Participants who complete 50,000 words during this time are deemed to be “winners” in this non-competitive group endeavor, where quality of writing takes a distant second place to quantity. Baty has written at least 50,000 words during NaNoWriMo each year since 1999, when 21 people participated. It has since grown to include over forty thousand participants in 2004, and getting bigger each year. In 2005 fifty-nine thousand people participated and more than ten thousand succeeded. Apart from a series of “deeply mediocre” manuscripts, he has written a NaNoWriMo handbook, entitled No Plot? No Problem!, a guide aimed at high-speed novelists. In addition to founding NaNoWriMo, Baty has written music reviews and journalism for SF Weekly and the East Bay Express.

Deborah Santana is an author, philanthropist, activist for peace and social justice, and founder of Do A Little, a non-profit that serves women and girls in the areas of health, education and happiness. Her memoir, Space Between The Stars: My Journey to an Open Heart, was published in 2005. Ms. Santana has produced two documentary films with Emmy-award winning director Barbara Rick: Road to Ingwavuma. and Girls of Daraja., each film depicting the collaborative work of non-profit partners in South Africa and Kenya. Ms. Santana serves as a Board member for ANSA (Artists for a New South Africa), mentors girls and young women, and is a supporter of Marian Wright Edelman’s Freedom Schools in New Orleans.

Melissa Stein‘s poetry collection Rough Honey won the 2010 APR/Honickman First Book Prize, selected by Mark Doty, and was published by American Poetry Review in association with Copper Canyon Press. Her poems have appeared in The Southern Review, New England Review, Best New Poets 2009, Harvard Review, North American Review, and many other journals and anthologies. She has received residency fellowships from Yaddo, the MacDowell Colony, and the Djerassi Foundation, and her work has won awards from Spoon River Poetry Review, Literal Latte, and the Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Foundation, among others.

Charles Kruger is a painter, spoken word artist, poet and freelance writer working in Northern California by the San Francisco Bay. His paintings can be seen at charleskrugerart.com. He blogs at stormingbohemia.com, is a regular contributor to Litseen and reviews plays as the Bay Area Theatre Examiner.

About Writers With Drinks:

Writers With Drinks has won “Best Literary Night” from the SF Bay Guardian readers’ poll six years in a row and was named “Best Literary Drinking” by the SF Weekly. The spoken word “variety show” mixes genres to raise money for local worthy causes. The award-winning show includes poetry, stand-up comedy, science fiction, fantasy, romance, mystery, literary fiction, erotica, memoir, zines and blogs in a freewheeling format.

Pornsaints.org is the art side of porn and the porn side of art. It is an artistic approach to porn, a pornographic approach to art, a pornoartistic approach to religion.

Artworks are based upon the idea that porn stars may be “sanctified” by their performances.

Founded by the artist Francesco D’Isa in early 2007, Pornsaints is based in Italy, and made up of artists from around the world working in an array of mediums ranging from digital video to oil and canvas. The art group lives out of the web too, with exhibitions and parties through art galleries worldwide: in Firenze (Italy), Berlin (Germany), Philadelphia (USA), San Francisco (USA), London (UK) and Austin (USA), Zurich (Switzerland). If you’re in Zurich, check out the current exhibition at Porn in Art Museum!

To me, Pornsaints illustrates the importance of an intersection of art, pornography, and spiritualism to cultural inclusion. I see pornography as a way to educate, entertain, validate, and connect people; I think Pornsaints do this as well. My pornsaints image is by artist Jeff Faerber, and I love the angles, tones, and underlaying sensuality he painted.

Recently, Pornpope Francesco D’Isa announced the release of a catalog of the images, which features friends including April Flores, Syd Blakovich, Justine Joli, and many more. Today it was picked up by Good Vibrations. Check out the Pornsaints Catalog at GoodVibes.com!

This collection has been fantastic thus far. I have a love of vampires as I’ve blogged about in the past, and am also catching up on the popular series “True Blood” though I have to admit it’s not nearly as twisted as I’d like.

If you’d like to pick it up, here’s the link to Susie’s Amazon page of Bitten. Of course, you can also purchase it at other stores (like Chronicle Books, or your local bookstore), as Amazon.com has had a recent history of being particularly sex-negative and homo/trans-phobic. Anyhow, I’ll have the review done by the end of this month so look forward to seeing it up at CarnalNation.com soon!