by Teeebone
Did you know that there is more to the CSPC than parties and events where members can have sex? I mean sure, that’s a big chunk of it, but this organization does have other activities. Let us examine the “culture” part of sex positive culture shall we? The earliest record of cultural events I could find were from a schedule dated July of 2002. It referred to the existence of two different events: The No Safeword Writers Group and Red Hot Words and More. Evidence would suggest that both events had been going on since the earliest days of the Center.
The No Safeword Writers Group first formed in 1995 to support erotica writers in the Pacific Northwest. In the year 2000 they got a slot in the CSPC’s monthly schedule to be on the fourth Monday of the month. The description of the group is as follows:
In case you're wondering, it's easy to be a member of the No Safeword Writers Group. You just have to:
1. Have written something at least once. Emailing me for directions counts.
2. Come to a meeting.
3. Respect yourself … along with other people and their writing.
It's as easy as that! However, a sincere interest in writing erotica helps too, along with a desire to improve your writing skills by getting real-time feedback from actual readers … who are also writers themselves.
Frequently Given Answers (FGA) about No Safeword Writers Group:
* We function primarily as a critique group; though we do periodically explore other areas of the writing industry, such as publications and performance readings.
* You do not have to read your work out loud, but you may if you wish.
* You do not have to be a professional writer. Anyone who likes to write or is even just thinking about writing is welcome. Want to write something hot for your favorite person? We'll help you make it the best it can be. Got an idea for a book or a story, but you haven't started writing it yet? No problem. Bring your outline to a meeting, and let's talk about its potential and how to flesh it out.
* If you want a critique on your writing, you need to provide us with copies in advance so that we can give you the best feedback. This can be accomplished in two ways.
You can:
1) bring printed copies of your work to this month's meeting … for people to take home and review before next month's meeting. Clean, double-spaced copies printed at 12-pt font (14-pt is even better) is the preferred method, no more than 20 pages in length (if you have more, just break it into sections for consecutive meetings). It's a good idea to also bring a few additional copies to the meeting when your work is scheduled for review, just in case there are new people in attendance.
2) email your story/selection for review to the NSWG Yahoo group at least 2 weeks before the meeting (to give people time to print their own copy and review your work), and then bring a few additional copies to the meeting for new people or those without printers. Note: you will probably not get as much feedback using this method, since you're putting more work on your readers this way (and asking them to spend their hard-earned money on printer paper), but it works as a good second alternative to the preferred method. You must attend a NSWG meeting before you will be invited to join the Yahoo Group.
* Attending one NSWG meeting might be a fun evening that provides you with a few interesting ideas, but those who commit to attend meetings on a regular basis will gain the most benefit from the group.
* If it happens that we have no writing to review at a particular meeting, then we'll do writing exercises or discuss topics important to local writers.
* No Safeword Writers Group focuses on erotic writing, but all subjects, styles, and types of writing are welcome.
* You do not have to be a member of The Wet Spot to attend
Let's get writing!
The No Safeword Writers Group ran in its assigned slot for years, and at some point (around 2008) it was able to expand to two meetings a month, on second Sundays. They continued these twice monthly meetings till late 2013 when the event was dropped from the schedule.
Red Hot Words and More was a monthly performance event held the first Wednesday of the month from 8-10pm. It was an evening of scintillating and explicit performance by some of the most talented writers in Seattle. Each month they would bring in two (or more) featured performers—talented artists whose works were guaranteed to get a rise out of you (or leave you stuck to your seat). Details about the month's performance were noted in the schedule, and they welcomed fresh talent, encouraging folx to bring their comedy routines, improv bits, naughty songs, and rough drafts. Keep in mind that it was not an open mic type of event. You had to email the staff to sign up in advance or show up at 8:45 PM knowing that you may have to wait until the next month.
In late 2007, the CSPC acquired the Annex, and Red Hot Words and More came up with an ambitious plan: a monthly stage show for the new space. Throughout 2008, the crew worked on their new project, but they encountered many problems because it’s more difficult to put together a stage production. Managing the acting talent and stage crew (all volunteers), building a stage, and making the stage ADA compliant were just a few of the challenges. By the end of the year it became apparent that the project had stalled and the team disbanded.
Now let’s fast forward to April 23, 2022 … the day that Wicked Wordplay: A Sex-Positive Writing and Reading Group debuted! This online discussion group is described as follows:
Mmmmmm … Saucy stories! Pervalicious poetry! Erotic essays! Naughty notes! Give us all your Wicked Wordplay!
Come join in sensual and sexual co-writing and reading time with facilitators Chel and Eirikah, tech host Turtle, and our supportive online community on fourth Wednesdays from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm Pacific time. Please arrive promptly.
Each session will begin with a review of our group agreements and the CSPC Online Group rules, followed by 30 minutes of co-writing time. We’ll provide a prompt to get your creative juices flowing—or you can work on the sexy writing project of your choice!
For the second hour, we invite writers to share 5 to 10 minutes of their verbal hotness and imagination with the group. If our group is too large to accommodate all the writers who choose to read, our breakout rooms create more capacity for connection. We’ll close each session with a few minutes of conversation about writing-focused topics.
Wicked Wordplay will NOT provide dedicated workshopping time—we focus on parallel writing within virtually shared (if physically separate) environments, then indulging in the pleasures of sexy storytime.
If you choose to share your writing, you can request to receive appreciation only, brief constructive comments via chat, or more detailed critiques in a shared Google doc.
All sex-positive writers and readers/listeners are welcome. Come celebrate your unique sensual and sexual experience by writing and reading with us.
Don’t fancy yourself a writer, but love to be teased and tantalized by wicked wordplay? Join us! You can use our co-writing time to journal, compose love notes to your honey (or yourself!), or just doodle your daydreams, then sit back and enjoy listening to the group’s reading. You might even surprise yourself and decide to read sometime!
As you can see, there are some similarities with Wicked Wordplay and the No Safeword Writers Group, though Wicked Wordplay is clearly more grounded in the present-day era of the internet and personal computers, with meetings held on Zoom and composition done on Google documents or on an Office Suite-type program at home. As for the vibe, imagine a full-on XXX creative writing class for adults only. By the way, some of the contributors were chosen to read their works at SEAF earlier this year! Congratulations to those folx! Some other contributors participated in the Talent Show at Frolic this year too. Personally, I have enjoyed my involvement with this online discussion group, which has helped me become a better writer. Thanks to all who helped bring culture to our sex-positive culture organization!