Digging Through Kathy Acker’s Stuff
“Fashion is a dream haunted by dresses.” –Christian Dior All I wanted was a piece of her jewelry. Kathy’s executor, Matias...
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The Best Literary Writing About Sex
When most of us think of writing about sex, our minds turn to classic authors of explicit fornication (The Marquis de Sade, Anais Nin, Henry Miller, Erica Jong) or to contemporary erotic bestsellers...
View ArticleFear and Loathing in NYC: Hunter S. Thompson Goes to Town
Eleven years ago tomorrow Hunter S. Thompson placed the muzzle of a handgun in his mouth and pulled the trigger. The beloved author and counterculture figure ended his own life in the kitchen of his...
View ArticleWhen Chris Offutt Lost His Virginity at a ComicCon
My father’s early science fiction stories placed him in the new wave of young writers changing the field by exploring social concerns such as sexuality, psychology, corporate mentality, politics, and...
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Berlin: It’s Not All Sex, All the Time
Yes, I live in Berlin. And I know what you’re thinking. I know because you seem to have one-track minds when it comes to my adopted home. On a literary panel in a converted crematorium, an American...
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The Tournament of Literary Sex Writing
As March comes to end, and with it the madness of millions of college students (former and current) obsessing over young men in shorts chasing balls, it seems appropriate to present our own tournament,...
View ArticleThe Tournament of Literary Sex Writing: John Cleland vs. Bram Stoker
ERA I: Everything prior to the 1922 publication of James Joyce’s Ulysses. JOHN CLELAND (FANNY HILL) VS. BRAM STOKER Bram Stoker, Dracula The girl went on her knees, and bent over me, simply gloating....
View ArticleThe Tournament of Literary Sex Writing: Jean Genet vs. Henry Miller
ERA II: The Lost Generation and After JEAN GENET VS. HENRY MILLER Our Lady of the Flowers, Jean Genet Divine and Darling. To my mind, they are the ideal pair of lovers. From my evil-smelling hole,...
View ArticleThe Tournament of Literary Sex Writing: Philip Roth vs. James Salter
ERA III: Lolita and Everything After PHILIP ROTH VS. JAMES SALTER Portnoy’s Complaint, Philip Roth Finally it is The Monkey who sets our lust in motion. She moves across to Lina, above whom she...
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The Tournament of Literary Sex Writing: First Round Winners!
The first round of these kinds of tournaments can often yield the most exciting results, as plucky underdogs upset perennial favorites. Click through to see who our judges chose to move to round two of...
View ArticleThe Tournament of Literary Sex Writing: Gustave Flaubert vs. Kate Chopin
ERA I: Everything prior to the 1922 publication of James Joyce’s Ulysses. GUSTAVE FLAUBERT VS. KATE CHOPIN Kate Chopin, “The Storm” They did not heed the crashing torrents, and the roar of the elements...
View ArticleThe Tournament of Literary Sex Writing: James Baldwin vs. Erica Jong
JAMES BALDWIN vs. ERICA JONG Giovanni’s Room, James Baldwin (1956) He looked at me with his mouth open and his dark eyes very big. It was as though he had just discovered that I was an expert on...
View ArticleThe Tournament of Literary Sex Writing: Jeanette Winterson vs. Annie Proulx
JEANETTE WINTERSON vs. ANNIE PROULX Written on the Body, Jeanette Winterson (1993) She arches her body like a cat on a stretch. She nuzzles her cunt into my face like a filly at the gate. She smells of...
View ArticleThe Tournament of Literary Sex Writing: Zora Neale Hurston vs. D. H. Lawrence
ERA II: The Lost Generation and After (round one) ZORA NEALE HURSTON vs. D.H. LAWRENCE Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston (1937) They fought on. “You done hurt mah heart, now you come wid...
View ArticleThe Tournament of Literary Sex Writing: Kathy Acker vs. Dennis Cooper
ERA IV: The 1980s to Now KATHY ACKER VS. DENNIS COOPER Kathy Acker, My Mother: Demonology After she came back, Isabelle and I arranged to meet alone in the church. “I missed you.” “I missed you.” I...
View ArticleThe Tournament of Literary Sex Writing: Kate Chopin vs. Philip Roth
KATE CHOPIN VS. PHILIP ROTH Kate Chopin, “The Storm” They did not heed the crashing torrents, and the roar of the elements made her laugh as she lay in his arms. She was a revelation in that dim,...
View ArticleThe Tournament of Literary Sex Writing: James Baldwin vs. Bram Stoker
JAMES BALDWIN VS. BRAM STOKER Giovanni’s Room, James Baldwin (1956) He looked at me with his mouth open and his dark eyes very big. It was as though he had just discovered that I was an expert on...
View ArticleThe Tournament of Literary Sex Writing: D.H. Lawrence vs. Kathy Acker
D.H. LAWRENCE VS. KATHY ACKER Lady Chatterly’s Lover, D.H. Lawrence He too had bared the front part of his body and she felt his naked flesh against her as he came into her. For a moment he was still...
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The Tournament of Literary Sex Writing: Who Will Advance from the Erotic Eight?
For the second round of The Tournament of Literary Sex Writing (the Erotic Eight, obviously), we took our era-specific division winners and crossed them over in an atemporal free-for-all of sexy lit....
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