Cast adrift as a Carnal Nation columnist, I have spent the last three weeks in a daze. Emotionally, the sudden news of the website's demise was a "wham, bam" without even a "thank you, M'am" at the end! There I was, approaching my one year writing anniversary in ignorant bliss - and then I wuz dumped - all us writers wuz dumped! - without even so much as a fare-ye-well text.
Well, panic will do that. And I suppose there was panic at the end over there at Carnal Nation. And I still continue to think fondly of those folks anyhow. But now I struggle to get my bearings back as a writer - switching from the imposed deadlines of the columnist to the self-imposed discipline of the blogger. Obviously, I'm still adjusting. The fact that I have no idea of my readership here - if any - also adds to my feelings of disorientation. (You all could help me with that one and follow this blog. I'd love it if you did!)
Still, I've gotta get my writing focus back where it belongs! And that focus is my continuing inquiry into human sexual behavior, with all of its fractal embroideries! And believe me, I've still been busy - I just haven't been organized about conveying what I've been doing!
One of my current projects is the creation of sex education "social stories" (pictures and few words) for a young man with autism. This has been a fascinating endeavor, and I hope the program ultimately works in teaching him a few things he needs to know about his own body and how to masturbate to orgasm. I'd like to do more of this work - it really speaks to me.
Also, I just completed a guest lecture and slide show, given to a Berkeley City College Health Ed class about a week ago. I presented "Sex: The Big Picture" to about sixty students. That was a blast.
I've been getting my BlogTalk Radio programs on the air too -struggling a bit with the production end of things, but still finding my way into internet "doing radio." This is something I've always wanted to do. You can find my show page at www.blogtalkradio.com/amymarshsexdr. Coming up, programs on erotic tattoos, hypnosis, and more.
I spent the weekend in Monterey a couple of weeks ago, participating in a group supervision session for my AASECT sex counselor certification. My supervisor, the amazing Stephen L. Braveman, MA, MFT, DST, collaborated with Dr. Stephanie Buehler to create a wonderfully rich learning environment for those of us in attendance. This weekend caused me to re-evaluate a few things that I thought would be a truism for me and how I approach my clinical sexology practice - and I feel far more courageous in a few areas that up until now have felt "taboo."
As I begin to reconnect these and other recent experiences with my writing, I'll think I'll begin to feel more grounded again. Now that I've picked myself up, dusted myself off, and started to look around for a new love, I mean, a new column - I can anticipate other, newer and more wonderful opportunities. In the meantime I'm also moved to enrich and renew my neglected relationship with this blog, which has taken on the name of my old Carnal Nation column.
About the title: "Fresh, Pearly, Pink" is a line from the wonderful Fauxnique/Silencefiction video. The voice track is made up of lipstick names, which have always fascinated me. I'm using this as a title for this column as it also suggests, quite nicely, glistening sexual organs as well as the happiness and hope of a new dawn. Or something to that effect!
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