So far, presenters Diana Adams, Brian Ballard, Lisa Speer, Jazz Goldman, Sarah Elspeth Patterson, Sabrina Morgan, Nicole Clark, Rachel Kramer Bussel and Rebecca Chalker, will be in attendance to talk about their presentations and generally mingle and canoodle (I just like that word and needed to use it, no canoodling promises are actually being made) with our Chat Lounge guests. If you’re a presenter and are able to attend, who wants to be added to this list,  just email tess@tiedupevents and I’ll add you.

And for those of you who may not know what MOMENTUM is all about here’s a brief description:

The phenomenal growth of online communication has given rise to an amazing amount of sharing, learning and experimenting with different expressions of sexuality, relationships and feminism. MOMENTUM provides a safe place to listen, discuss and learn about sexualities and gender without the fear of reprisal or shaming. It is a space for acceptance and appreciation of diversity, including for those in the LGBTQ, sex-work, BDSM and non-monogamous communities.

During MOMENTUM we will discuss ways to bridge the baffling dichotomies our culture creates around sexuality. While on one hand we have unprecedented sexual freedom, on the other we continue to police sexuality with a frightening vigor. Abortion laws, restrictions on gay marriage, abstinence programs, medicalization of sex, fear of pornography and prosecutions for teenage sexting are examples of one side of the spectrum. The discomfort that strives to make us keep our sexuality hidden conflicts with the use of sex — especially the female body — to sell everything from food to cars to “performance enhancing” products.

Geared toward anyone interested in intelligent conversations about the influence of new media on sexuality, MOMENTUM is the conference to attend in 2012. With more than 50 presenters, among them  Esther Perel, Dr. Logan Levkoff, Audacia Ray, Bill Taverner, Dr. Charlie Glickman, Maria Falzone, Dr. Lynn Comella, Twanna A. Hines, Dr. Carol Queen, Abiola Abrams, Chloe Angyal, Francisco Ramirez, and Rachel Kramer Bussel,, and over 40 sessions covering a wide range of viewpoints on sexuality, MOMENTUM’s jam-packed program had something of interest to everyone. Our Friday evening opening keynote plenary panel is preceded my our signature free Ice Cream Sundae Meet & Greet and Saturday evening entertainment includes a Cinekink screening, Dirty Bingo with Ducky Doolittle and a Bedpost Confessions reading.

Each participant will leave the conference with new perspectives, new connections, and a plan to carry the MOMENTUM forward into 2012 and beyond.

Be sure to register ASAP to take advantage of our early bird savings!

The party starts at 10:00pm but will really get going at 11:11pm, when guests arrive fresh from the Fleshbot Awards, which will be presented earlier in the evening at the Highline Ballroom. At the ceremony, ten custom-engraved njoy Elevens will be awarded to winners who blur the lines between mainstream and adult entertainment in categories such as Sexiest Movie, Sexiest Music, and Sexiest Fashion. All 300 show attendees will then be invited to the Gaslight Lounge for the njoy-sponsored 11.11.11 After-Party, where guests will be able to mingle with some of the sexiest movers and shakers in the adult and mainstream entertainment industries.

One specially engraved Eleven – The 11th Eleven – will be raffled off at 1:11am to one lucky party attendee. The event is free and open to the public, and will feature a DJ set by the ever-stimulating HARSHBOYS.

njoy, who have been producing shiny stainless steel instruments of pleasure ever since 2005, provided Elevens for the first Fleshbot Awards, which went to celebrities including Sasha Grey, Patricia Field, Levi Johnston (yes, him) and the folks behind True Blood. This year’s awards are hosted by Stoya and Sara Benincasa, and feature a performance by legendary porn star Belladonna.

For more information, visit:
www.njoytoys.com

http://fleshbot.com/fleshbotawards

First up, on March 4th, Tied Up Events is proud to be sponsoring CineKink’s showing of Adventures in the Skin Trade, a program of shorts that looks at the variety of results when sex and money intersect.  It runs from 6:45 to 8:45 PM at Anthology Film Archives located at  32 Second Avenue at Second Street.  Use code ‘tiedup11′ and receive two-for-one tickets to this screening and/or 50% off the Kink Off Gala Party.

Then, on Thursday March 17th, we’re very much looking forward to a very special  Chat Lounge with our good friend, sex educator and Founder and Director of The Center for Sexual Pleasure & Health, Megan Andelloux, as she leads a discussion on The Politics of Pleasure and why Americans are so afraid to educate themselves and their children about sexuality, from mechanics, to safety to the somehow really scary fact that one reason we have sex is because it feels so damn good.  The Chat Lounge, as always, will be from 7:30 – 10:00 PM at Happy Ending Lounge at 302 Broome Street between Forsyth and Eldridge and it’s a FREE event.

Also in March, on the 22nd, at the bar where everyone knows our names, Fontana’s, 102 Eldridge Street, Tied Up Events is thrilled to be a sponsor of Tristan Taormino’s Rough Sex 3: Adrianna’s Dangerous Mind Party. I’m especially excited about this because Tristan makes feminist porn that I really relate to, from her Chemistry series to the Rough Sex series, I feel dirty in a very good way when I watch films by Tristan. There will be sex-positive gift bags, a preview of the film and stars to meet. And it’s a FREE event.

We’re not close to done yet, because on April 1st MOMENTUM finally rolls around.  Over two full days, there will be over 50 presenters, including Tristan Taormino, Susie Bright, Dr. Carol Queen, Jenny Block, Dr. Shira Tarrant, Reid Mihalko, Dr. Lynn Comella, Anita Wagner, Jamye Waxman and many more, and 34 sessions, including a most awesome opening key note panel, a meet and greet with a free ice cream sundae bar, a performance of Phone Whore and A Taste of Cinekink, MOMENTUM is poised to be the sexuality conference of the year. Gift bags will be provided for all attendees by our premier sponsor, Fascinations. Other amenities include a recharge room, sponsored by Wet, where you can recharge your electronics and energize your body with granola bars, fruits and nuts. FetFest is sponsoring snacks for CineKink, so there will be popcorn, candy, gummy worms and other theatre treats.

After MOMENTUM, we’ll catch our breath, and The Chat Lounge, which is booked through June, will continue.  Below is a brief schedule from April to June of  what’s coming up at The Chat Lounge.

Thursday, April 22 - Ohhh Right There! The Art of Sexual Pleasure with Juicy Justine. Looking to have more satisfying sexual experiences? Come learn the art of sexual pleasure with Juicy Justine. There will be lots of tips and tricks and we’ll cover everything from erogenous zones to oral sex and anal sex, to sex positions and sex toys. Bring your burning questions and an open mind and learn how to make your partners beg for more! This interactive discussion is open to all genders and sexual orientations.

Thursday, May 19th – TBA

Thursday, June 16th - Sexual Linguistics: From Bitches & Bombshells to Kittens & Queers with Ducky DooLittle

What are you? Maybe you are a virgin, slut, thin, fat, warm, happy, bitchy, homeless, brainiac, jock, middle child, Gemini, proud, shy, sex worker, librarian, lumberjack, lesbian, straight, addict, slinky, sturdy, hard worker, lazy and/or tall?

Check whatever boxes fit and fill in the rest. As the old saying goes, “Thoughts are things.” What you believe about yourself and others will have an impact. Ducky DooLittle will kick it off with some all-true, often hilarious storytelling of her life on the streets, as a gang girl, a sex worker, a lover, a sex educator and a few humbling, label-riddled experiences in between. She will also lead our discussion in how the labels we adopt, are assigned and give others shape our lives. We’ll roll through topics of sexuality, self image, personal history, empowerment,class, race, religion and where ever else our collective minds take us

With the idea of taking the conversation out of the chat room and into The Chat Lounge, we’ll focus on bringing people face to smiling face, to meet, sip scrumptious cocktails and munch on salty and sweet snacks, while talking about current issues in sexuality and the impact they have on our lives. Meeting the third Thursday of every month at Happy Ending, 302 Broome Street, from 7:30 – 10:00, The Chat Lounge will feature a different speaker to guide discussions covering body image, gender, pornography, identity, orientation, love and relationships, the science of sex and much more.

The Chat Lounge is a free event, open to all adults 21 and over, (make sure to have ID, you will be carded even if you look as old as I sometimes feel).  Please join our Meetup group to get the latest news and share your thoughts and ideas for future discussions.

If you’re an author, artist, educator, therapist or other expert in the areas listed above and would like to lead a discussion at The Chat Lounge, please contact us using the form here.

Bowery Poetry Club
(Between Houston & Bleecker)
308 Bowery
New York, NY

F Train To 2nd Ave

Thursday December 2nd, 2010

10pm
$10

The holiday season is all about magick, and the team here at Auralfixia are busy shopping and cooking to prepare you a feast of delight filled with pasties and glitter! This years theme we are taking it old school filling your plates with a dash of magick and a sprig of spells! Taking our inspiration from deities around the world, we promise to give you the United Nations of all things tradition & sparkle! Remember Kids, What Happens At Auralfixia….STAYS at Auralfixia!

Come down to the Bowery… on Thursday December 2nd at 10 p.m. for an evening of magickal delight & sensuality. Doors open at 9:30.

Auralfixia is intellectual…burlesque…redefined..

Hosted by N as Crimson Kitty Alejhoho – Spewing More Vagina Jokes Than A Cat In Heat!

Guests
Dame Cuchifrita, Deity, It’s A Little Stormy, Sweet N’ Lo, Brandon B., Rachel Cleary, Charlie Demos, N – The ONLY Letter In Burlesque & Crimson Kitty’s DUELING STAGE KITTENS: Leta Le Noir & It’s A Little Stormy!

Raffle Swag Courtesy of
It’s A Little Hat by It’s A Little Stormy! www.it’salittlehat.com
A Copy Of The 2011 NYC SEX BLOGGERS CALENDAR www.sexbloggerscalendar.com
A gift certificate from The Pleasure Chest NYC www.pleasurechest.com
A copy of “Scarlett Takes Manhattan” by Molly Crabapple courtesy of Dr. Sketchy’s North Jersey
Lube from WET courtesy of Tess & Diva at www.tiedupevents.com & http://www.stayswetlonger.com/

Reservations strongly encouraged, call 347-441-0771 or email auralfixia@gmail.com
For online tickets go to: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/138317 or http://www.auralfixia.com

The Momentum Conference, happening in Washington, DC on April 1 – 3, 2011, today announced their Keynote Panel studded with some of the brightest voices in sexuality today.

Moderated by sex educator, author, columnist and feminist pornographer, Tristan Taormino, the panelists, FoxNews.com’s sex columnist and author, Jenny Block, sex educator and president of Love U Parties, Ducky DooLittle, Cuddle Party founder and educator, Reid Mihalko, and cultural sexologist, Good Vibes Staff Sexologist and Chief Cultural Officer, Dr. Carol Queen, will discuss how they have come to make such resounding changes in the way we think about sex and sexuality and ways for all attendees to create conversations and opportunities around sexuality that will keep the sex-positive momentum rolling forward.

MOMENTUM: Making Waves in Sexuality

Moderator
Tristan Taormino

Panelists
Jenny Block
Ducky DooLittle
Reid Mihalko
Carol Queen

Sexuality in 2010 is still filled with mixed messages, baffling dichotomies, and misinformation. Our keynote panelists, all of whom have made significant impact in their own spheres, will discuss the role of sexuality in today’s culture, how they are making waves and what the attendees can do to carry forward the momentum by generating conversations about sexuality that fit into daily life.

Be sure to check out Momentum’s  Session Details page frequently; first, to see what other amazing sessions are already available and next, because fabulous sessions are still be added.

Let’s start the wave together!

Early bird registration for Momentum is available until February 1, 2011 at a cost of $45.  After February 11th, registration will cost $55.

A limited number of hotel rooms at the Crowne Plaza are available at the following special rates:

King or double bed room: $119 per night plus tax – Use code MOE

King or double bed room including buffet breakfast for 2: $139.00 per night plus tax  - Use code MOM

To reserve your conference hotel room call 301-589-0800 with the above Group Rate Codes before March 8, 2011.

It was a beautiful evening in June when we walked NYC’s High Line with Figleaf of Real Adult Sex discussing our ideas for a new sexuality conference.  Diva and I had been mulling it  over ourselves for a while, motivated and inspired by Amber Rhea’s Sex 2.0 and the Sex in America panel at NYC’s Open Center.  We knew we were close but had not quite nailed down what our concept would be and how to combine these two amazing events.  When Figleaf suggested what was missing was relationships, all the pieces came together.  After all sexuality and feminism don’t exist in a vacuum but amid a myriad of relationships.  And so, Tied Up Events is  now happy to announce MOMENTUM: Making Waves in Sexuality, Feminism and Relationships Through New Media, a conference taking place on April 1st to April 3rd, 2011 in Washington, DC.

MOMENTUM explores how the phenomenal growth of online communication has given rise to an amazing amount of sharing, learning and experimenting with different expressions of sexuality, relationships and feminism. MOMENTUM provides a safe place to listen, discuss and learn about the ways the web has impacted our sexuality without the fear of reprisal or shaming. It is a space for acceptance and appreciation of diversity, including for those in the LGBTQ, sex-work, BDSM and non-monogamous communities.

During MOMENTUM we will discuss ways to bridge the baffling dichotomies our culture creates around sexuality. While on one hand we have unprecedented sexual freedom, on the other we continue to police sexuality with a frightening vigor. Abortion laws, restrictions on gay marriage, abstinence programs, medicalization of sex, fear of pornography and prosecutions for teenage sexting are examples of one side of the spectrum. The discomfort that strives to make us keep our sexuality hidden conflicts with the use of sex — especially the female body — to sell everything from food to cars to “performance enhancing” products.

Each participant will leave the conference with new perspectives, new connections, and a plan to carry the MOMENTUM forward into 2011 and beyond.

We’re now calling for presenters to submit their ideas for sessions at MOMENTUM.  Please explore the official site, MomentumCon.com, where you’ll find all you need to know, including how to submit a proposal for a session, how to register to attend, and how to take advantage of early bird pricing.

Fascinations has generously agreed to be the primary corporate sponsor of MOMENTUM and we want to thank them very much for their support of this event.

If you think the site absolutely rocks as much as we do, that’s only because of the help, guidance and technical know-how of Dangerous Lilly and the website design skills of AAG.  We’re indebted to you both.

photo by Stark Arts

If you were one of the 300 who people attended last year’s calendar release party you know already what an amazing evening it was. With the fantastic raffle prizes, 200 gift bags and our very talented burlesque performers it is hard to not only throw a party equal to last year’s but to surpass it? I think we just might have done that.

This year the party will be held on October 1st once again at Fontana’s. We have two very special guests who will be attending this year in support of both the calendar and Woodhull Freedom Foundation.

I am thrilled to announce that both Carol Queen and Nina Hartley will be in NYC for the 2011 calendar release party.

While it may seem slightly early to be posting this we wanted to give everyone as much time as possible to make plans to be in NYC on November 5th for the party.

We have more fantastic plans in the works for the party that we will be announcing in the future so stay tuned.