ALA presents MIDORI for Sex Week 2012

Get excited, Wash U!  Sex(ual Awareness) Week 2012 (Feb. 6-11) is here, and the Alternative Lifestyle Association is bringing you something steamy the likes of which you’ve never seen before!  Join us for any or all of Midori’s classes, the descriptions, times and locations of which are below.  For more information about Midori, check out her bio here.

Aural Sex: The Courtesan’s secrets of erotic voice and stories
Tuesday, Feb. 7, 5-7 PM, DUC 234
Collaboration with the Student Forum on Sexuality, Pride Alliance, SHAC

The Geishas and Courtesans were masters of the art of seduction. Their most potent skill was the use of the erotic voice and sensual story telling. Learn how to use the hypnotic magic of the voice to seduce and arouse your lover long before you enter the bedroom. Incorporating seductive voice techniques learned in this class to heat up the bedroom and add spice to your erotic life. Mesmerize your lover and transport both of you to an erotic landscape. Learn how to build and enrich a powerful fantasy, practice effective voice techniques and spellbinding. You’ll learn techniques of finding out yours and your lovers fantasy, practice story telling skills and improve them with Midori’s gentle guidance. Spicy demos, practical exercises, tips. Delightful class for couples and singles.

The Best Kink Advice Nobody Told You
Tuesday, Feb. 7, 8-10 PM, DUC 233
Collaboration with SHAC, Student Forum on Sexuality

Ever feel boxed in by the definition and expectations of kinky sex? Do you want more fulfilling play? Would you like a more effective way to find out what the other person really wants and minimize scene failure? Want to better answer the question of “what are you into?” and have better play times? Find yourself dissatisfied with scenes or frustrated at not having your desire accepted? Want to figure out how to create a multi person scene where everyone is happy? You’re not alone! Ever notice the expectation that sadist must be a dominant and a submissive must be a masochist? Or vice a versa… Is this right?

Wrong! Join Midori in this hugely popular and unique class where she explodes the standard definitions of kink roles and expands the idea of what kink is all about. In “Best Kink Advice,” she maps out a fine-tuned and flexible framework that anyone can use to help better describe their adventurous appetites. The first step to fulfilling your desire is to better understand them and effectively and appealingly sharing that with others. This is a class for those who want better play, or those don’t quite fit into the standard boxes… and for anyone who’s curious about their own possibly untapped potential!

Pink Japan: Contemporary Sex Culture
Wednesday, Feb. 8, 5-7 PM, Mallinckrodt 302
Collaboration with SHAC, Pride Alliance, Student Forum on Sexuality

From cuisine, music, fashion, technology to anime, Japan’s cultural influences on the West is immense. In many ways the Japanese erotic cultures are also influencing today’s Western tastes. Yet the daily realities of Japan’s gender relations, sexual habits, sexual consumer culture and gay/lesbian/transgendered world remain hidden to us, creating an aura of mystique. In this funny and insightful talk, join Midori for a double-expatriate’s photo tour of Japan’s hidden sexual culture today. Midori is a Kyoto born, Japanese-American author and sex educator based in San Francisco. Raised by trail blazing feminist professors in Japan, she’s well versed with the contradiction that is 21st Century Japan. Graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in psychology and trained as a sex educator, she possesses a keen insight into culture and sexuality. www.PlanetMidori.com

Finding Our Fierce: Feminine Power for Everyday Success
Thursday, Feb. 9, 5-7 PM, DUC 234
Collaboration with SHAC, Pride Alliance, Student Forum on Sexuality

Do you want to stand tall, confident and self assured in the world? Would you like be at ease in life, with grace and authenticity? Do you hunger for confidence in the classroom, the office, with friends and family, or in your sex life? Each of us harbor the potential of infinite powers within to achieve joy and success in everyday life. But the conventional tools given to us often leave us frustrated and drained.

In this workshop we’ll tap into another power source, the unique feminine within each of us. We will find our authentic feminine power within through discussions and a unique archetype exercise developed by Midori. We will explore each of our power potential and vulnerabilities. We will seek out what truly thrills us. We will, quite literally, learn how to hold our head up high for who we truly are.

An exploration for people of any gender with the fierce feminine potential within…

Welcome back!

Hi everyone, and welcome back for a new semester (spring 2012)!

It’s been a while since we’ve updated, but don’t you worry – we’ll get right on that.  In fact, if you’d like to help us out, feel free to drop us a line!  Those on the mailing list should have gotten an email recently, and if you’d like to join the mailing list, please email altlife@su.wustl.edu saying so!

There will be more updates coming soon with regard to Sex Week and workshops for the rest of the semester, so stay posted!  Our first meeting of the semester will be next Sunday, Feb. 5, at our usual time (7-9 PM) in DUC 234 – note that this is a larger room from the one we used last year, because we’re planning meet-n-greet - so you can get to know and talk with other people interested in promoting healthy attitudes toward sex and sexuality and/or safely exploring the vast and fascinating world of kink.  We hope to see you there!

Take care, everyone!

Rope Bite Munch!

Hi everyone — you should really check this out:

(copied with permission  - FetLife account required to RSVP, but if you don’t have one, shoot an email in response to one of the weekly emails, and we’ll send you the info so you can come, too!)

Join us for the very first Rope Bite Saint Louis!

Do you love rope bondage? Just curious? Want to eat tasty food and talk with others who share your interests?

Join us for the very first Rope Bite St. Louis at Shameless Grounds! This is a pansexual social event centered around rope-based bondage, open to anyone over the age of 18. Rope Bite St. Louisis dedicated to promoting interest in and sharing knowledge about all aspects of rope bondage.

Rope Bite Saint Louis is a free munch. There is no cost to attend, but you are invited to avail yourself of the tasty menu of food and beverages at Shameless Grounds.

More than just another munch, Rope Bite Saint Louis is a workshop and discussion event too!

This month, the topic will be “Why rope?”. T0ne will also demo and teach the Somerville Bowline to those that are interested.

See the Event Page to RSVP!

Moving Forward

Congratulations, everyone!  Our first-ever focus meeting was a success!  For details about the meeting, feel free to send a message or talk to any of us individually.  Some of the outcomes of the meeting are this (informal) mission statement:

To promote positive attitudes toward sex and sexuality, and lifestyle choices either directly or indirectly related to sex and sexuality

and a resolution to establish a support-group-style meeting once a month, where people can come for a safe place to talk about issues or even just ideas they don’t feel comfortable discussing with non-ALA people.  Zeke has enthusiastically volunteered to front this endeavor, and he will send out an email shortly to assess interest.

The rope bondage workshop was also great, but attendance was lower than we expected.  I understand that homework is finally starting to pick up and all that, but if there are other specific reasons why you cannot attend if you would like to, please send an email to our mailing list (reply to one of our messages – be careful not to ‘reply all’).  All such messages are strictly confidential.

This Sunday Zeke will lead a planning meeting/general body meeting/open discussion regarding a few matters of business and anything else anyone would like to bring up.

The following week, Sunday September 25, we will have in another guest presenter to lead a fun workshop on BDSM 101.  This differs significantly from the rope bondage workshop because it encompasses a far wider scope, and better yet, our guest instructor is well-versed in the legal and safety aspects of BDSM, so if you have any interest whatsoever in bondage, discipline, dominance/submission, or sadism/masochism (or even just want to learn what some of these things are), this in not a workshop to miss!

We look forward to seeing you then.  Thanks again, everyone!

New Year, New Leadership

Hi everyone, and welcome back to school! There are a few things to note as we start a new fall semester.

1. Diana and Zeke have switched leadership roles this year, as now correctly reflected on the “About Us” page here. To say this explicitly, Diana is now president, and Zeke treasurer. This should not change much for the club, since we will continue to work as co-leaders. What is more significant is that, this year, we want YOU to be more involved. This leads to the next point.

2. While meetings will continue weekly, we have decided to split the weeks into alternating workshops and general body meetings. All are welcome to the general body meetings, but focus will be expected. These are not meant to be social gatherings – this is our only chance for two weeks to take care of business with your input, and since this is YOUR club, we want to make the most out of that. The workshops, in contrast, will be your opportunities to meet new people, see new things, and even try them for yourself. These are the primary products of the general body meetings. Some workshops have already been scheduled this year, but several weeks were left open so we could bring in guests who can lead a workshop catering to any other interests you may have. If there is something you want us to include, be sure to come to the general body meetings before too late in the semester, or else email us at info@washualtlife.org.

3. Finally, please check the “This Week!” page for information about Activities Fair and our first meeting. We hope to see you there!

Interesting Story

Whether or not this man’s costumes are part of a larger lifestyle, the message to us is the same – especially while awareness and acceptance remain low, it is important for us not to impose our differences on our neighbors too overtly, for our sake and for theirs.

http://news.yahoo.com/idaho-police-tell-man-stop-wearing-bunny-suit-203004132.html

Susie Bright is Coming to St. Louis!

Though you all might want to know about this!

Author, educator and sex positive pioneer, Susie Bright will be in St. Louis on April 17th & 18th. For those of you who don’t know, Susie Bright has been writing about sex, alternative lifestyles, BDSM, porn and polyamory since long before I was born.

She was the founding editor of the On Our Backs, the first lesbian sex magazine, as well as the Herotica and Best American Erotica book series. She served as the adult film reviewer for Penthouse Forum and is the author of the books, The Sexual State of the Union, Susie Bright’s Sexual Reality and Full Exposure, among others.

She has appeared in the films Virgin Machine, The Celluloid Closet and Bound, for which she also served as technical adviser. She has been featured on HBO’s Real Sex and played herself on an episode of that network’s Six Feet Under.

She will be reading from and signing her new memoir at Left Bank Books on Sunday and leading a sex positive parenting discussion at Shameless Grounds on Monday.

SUSIE BRIGHT: “BIG SEX, LITTLE DEATH” BOOK SIGNING
Left Bank Books
399 N. Euclid Ave, St. Louis, MO 63108
Sunday, April 17th, 4pm

SEX POSITIVE PARENTING with SUSIE BRIGHT
Shameless Grounds
2650 Sydney , St. Louis, MO
Monday, April 18th, 11:30am (Parents, this is a kid-friendly event)

Other than that, I don’t really have an update for you all about club activities. Last weekend we had a discussion about kink-related news stories led by one of our members; hopefully in the future we will have more like it! It was fun!

Keep an eye out for more news as I receive it!

Spring Break Time!

Because of spring break, we will not be having meetings the next two Sundays: that is, 3/13 or 3/20. I hope everyone has a good break, and see you all after we return to normal meeting schedule on 3/27!

Meeting 3/6

Woah there guys, sorry I haven’t updated in a while. I haven’t been getting the information very far in advance until, well, just now.

We didn’t have a meeting last week due to business on the part of our officers, and before that was a simple video meeting where we watched Annie Sprinkle’s Amazing World of Orgasm (it was enlightening! or, well, that’s the best word I have for it.)

So, sorry to leave you all unaware, but the information hasn’t been reaching me before Saturday as of late and clearly I need more than a day to write an effective post. Whoops! As an apology, I’m going to include you on the planning of our next meeting! We’re going to be watching another video, though which one is entirely up in the air and will be until, say, the meeting (same bat-time, same bat-place as always!). These are the choices we have:

Expert Guide to Anal Sex
Expert Guide to Oral Sex (This is a two part-er: one for Cunnilingus, one for Fellatio.)
Expert Guide to Sensual Bondage
120 Days of Sodom
Graphic Sexual Horror

So, what say you, readers? What sounds most interesting to you? Leave comments if you’d like to cast a vote, or just e-mail Zeke (since people who are on the mailing list should get that list from him; if you’re not on the mailing list and are a student who attends our meetings, just say so)!

Once again, sorry for leaving you all in the dark for nearly three weeks. I’ll try not to let that happen in the future! Peace out, my friends!

Meeting 2/13/11

Hello all! I hope you’re enjoying Sex Week! Lee is such a fantastically nice person, and a wonderful lecturer. If you haven’t come to any of the events yet, be sure to show up at Friday’s Humor and Sex lecture from 5-6pm in LabSci 300!

Our regular meeting will take place next week, as it always does, in DUC 232 on Sunday from 7-9pm. We’re on for bringing in the writers from X-Magazine next week, which if you haven’t found out yet is the school’s sex magazine. It’s a wonderful publication that goes out every semester (I believe). They’re going to run a workshop on writing erotica, so if you want to learn how to write sexy (and perhaps kinky) things, drop by and hear what they have to say!

If you’re a new reader of this humble little blog, be sure to drop by and meet the members of the ALA! We certainly don’t bite (unless asked), and we’re always looking for new members and willing to help anyone who might want a word of our expertise!

Peace out!