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!

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.

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.

As you may know, the Red Umbrella Project encompasses a monthly performance in NYC, as well as weekly podcasts and a blog carnival, all geared to empowering current & former sex workers to tell their story and help build solidarity and strengthen the movement towards sex workers rights.  Audacia Ray very excited to be debuting a new part of the project in Washington, DC on December 6! “Personal Storytelling for Social Change: A Workshop For Sex Worker Activists”

Audacia states,  ”Personal stories are powerful and essential elements of campaigns for social change and initiatives supporting the human rights of sex workers. Sharing personal experiences of the sex industry is key to connecting with people, both those who understand where we’re coming from and those who don’t. In this workshop, we will look at examples of effective storytelling in social change movements, identify campaigns that could benefit from storytelling, and do some basic storybuilding exercises to help us think how we can use personal stories to move people to action using independent and mainstream media.”

The workshop will be held at the HIPS office at 1309 Rhode Island Avenue NE, #2B, from 7 PM – 9 PM, and the fee per person is $15, payable at the door.

It’s official! Sponsored by Wet, Diva and I will be returning to Las Vegas for AVN’s Adult Entertainment Expo!  Thank you, Wet!

You can tell how very excited I am by my over-usage of the dread exclamation point! See!

Look for the ladies with the blingified Wet logo clothing and ask us for lube samples.  Our bible purses, a major hit at last year’s expo, will be stuffed with samples of Wet lubes that we’ll happily dole out to one and all.  Then find us the following days and let us know how it worked for you, because we love to hear all the details. You can even go to Wet’s site and write all about your Wet Experience in Las Vegas.

If you can’t be in Vegas for AEE, you can still keep up with the latest news in sex toys, novelties, oddities, porn stars and parties by following the special coverage section at Fearless Press where Diva and I, your official correspondents, will be posting photos and doing daily write ups.

But, you don’t need to be in Vegas to get your Wet on! For the next several months, when you see us out and about around NYC, we’ll always have Wet samples and safe sex kits on hand for your safe, slippery and sensual pleasure.

Keep track of what’s happening at AVN/AEE  at Fearless Press

Don’t miss this chance to see Madison Young, in not only her first NYC Sexy Soiree, but also her last East Coast performance before the birth of her baby!  With a workshop, the East Coast premier screening of her latest film, a mashed potato bar suitable for all from meat-lovers to vegans, photo ops, nipple art and a live erotic performance, this event from 3 – 10PM is an ideal way to spend a chilly November Sunday surrounded by your fellow sex positive art lovers.

Join Tied Up Events on Sunday November 14th for a one-of-a-kind cutting edge sex positive art event with world famous feminist porn star, Madison Young in an exclusive NYC reprise of her smash Amsterdam performance .

This rare day long event starts at 3PM at the Bushwick Project for the Arts where Madison will personally welcome you to her first ever Sexy Soiree in NYC.  Once everyone has arrived, Madison will kick off the event with a workshop on oral sex and deep throating skills.

Next on the menu is an East Coast premiere of Madison Young’s Heartland: A Woman’s POV, which follows Madison Young on an erotic journey back to her homeland in search of orgasms and kinky women who share their most intimate point of view. After the screening, the guests will be invited to participate in a Q&A session with Madison.

At the Tied Up Events March fundraiser for Femina Potens, guests were so thrilled to take photos with Madison that we’ve decided to start the evening portion of the event off right by again setting up a photo booth where amazing photographer, Joshua Darling, will take your photo with Madison as she feeds you chocolate in a very creative way.

To wrap up the evening Madison Young will be sharing with you her newest performance Pregnant with Lunar Love. We can’t give away too many details of this performance but we will tell you that explains why Madison Young is Anal for Art.

All attendees will go home with :
– A unique piece of art work made by Madison Young and her nipples
– A professional photo of you with Madison Young (photos will be emailed to participants)
– A one month subscription to Madison Young’s web site madisonbound.com
– And a chance to win an autographed Madison Young film and an autographed magic wand vibrator

To assure an intimate experience for each guest this event will be limited to only 50 people.

Tickets range from $ 25- $75 and can be purchased here.

Class & Photo Booth:  3:00 – 6:45 PM  $25.00

Film Premiere & Performance  7:00 – 10:00 PM    $25.00

Single – Full Day All Inclusive  3:00 – 10:00 PM  $50.00

Couples – Full Day All Inclusive 3:00 – 10:00 PM  $75.00

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.

A special evening of film and video shorts that celebrate and explore a wide diversity of sexuality will screen on Thursday, August 5, 2010 as CineKink, “the kinky film festival,” comes to the ClintonStreet Theater (2522 SE Clinton St, Portland) for a one-night stand.

7 PM – YES, MISTRESS
At 7:00 pm, the shorts program YES, MISTRESS looks at female domination from
several angles. Among the offerings, THE PAWN LAYMAN (F.P. Lenze, 2007,
Germany, 5 minutes) presents a desperate man trying to sell some of his most
intimate possessions in a pawn shop. ANTI-SAMARITAN HOTLINE (A. Tad
Chamberlain, 2009, USA, 23 minutes) is a comedy about death, despair,
suicide and sadomasochism. TRAMPLING MX-BEAR (Gabriela Granados, 2009,
Mexico, 5 minutes) features Mistress Lady G and her bear begging for
redemption, and GIRLS ROCK (Steven S., 2008, USA, 4 minutes) has two women
vie for dominance on a New York City rooftop. In TAXI: DOMME (by Marie
Angel, 2009, USA, 7 minutes), a wealthy New Yorker hires a sophisticated
domme to tease and torment her in the back of a taxi. SERVICE (Julie Simone,
2009, USA, 2 minutes) explores the Domme/sub dynamic through language. In
HOUSEKEEPER (Ben Lumpkin, 2009, USA, 12 minutes) a corporate couple’s
marriage is saved when a dominatrix takes them hostage, while in LIBIDOLAND
(Julie Keck & Jessica King 2009, USA, 15 minutes), a couple discovers the
consequences of allowing fantasies to override common sense.

9 PM – BEST OF CINEKINK/2010
And at 9:00 PM, BEST OF CINEKINK/2010 is a showcase of works deemed by jury
to be the best at CineKink’s annual festival. This year’s award winners
include a ukelele-playing kinkstress in THE PINKY SONG (Rick Ferguson, 2009,
USA, 3 minutes), a musical tribute to new love… and the revelation that
you “like it kind of kinky.” BALLOONS (Charles Nuckolls, 2009, USA, 15
minutes) is a documentary look at what one might think of as an innocent
children’s play-thing. In HANDCUFFS (Erika Lust, 2009, Spain, 7 minutes), a
woman gets caught up in a voyeuristic scenario and in COVERAGE (Jef Taylor,
2008, USA, 29 minutes), the events of September 11th, 2001 create a sexual
obsession that threatens to destroy a relationship. HUNGRY FOR LOVE (Ruckus
Skye, 2009, USA, 17 minutes) traces the explorations of a 72-year-old widow
as she unearths a startling memory from her past and WALKING THE DOG (Luigi
Campi, 2009, USA, 11 minutes) follows the adventures of a young woman
pressured by her boyfriend to attend a secret sex club.

ADMISSION
Admission is $8 per screening, $12 for both; 18 and over only.

INFO
For more information, advance purchase tickets and the full program line-up,
visit http://www.cinekink.com/tour/pdx

SPONSORS:
National tour sponsors for CineKink include B-Side Entertainment,
MakeLoveNotPorn, National Coalition for Sexual Freedom, njoy, Scarleteen and
Tied Up Events.

“The Female Gaze” erotic film competition is seeking quality videos that depict sex and sexuality from a woman’s perspective, a viewpoint that is still rare in erotic film.

“Even in 2010, most porn is made for men,” says webmistress Karen Jones. “For The Girls has always been about making a space for straight women to enjoy adult material. We’ve long been encouraging women’s voices within the adult sphere, first with our ongoing commitment to erotic fiction and now with this erotic film competition. We’re looking forward to seeing fresh ideas and positive interpretations of women’s sexual experiences.”

Films can be explicit or softcore, must be shorter than 10 minutes and must also include the signature item, the number seven. The winner receives $400 and a screening at the Cinekink Film Festival in New York.

“We’re very proud to be teaming up with the Cinekink Festival for this competition,” said Ms Jones. “Cinekink showcases some of the most groundbreaking erotic films and it is also well-known for its support of female directors and female-friendly adult films.

“I also hope to encourage the work of new directors through this competition,” Ms Jones said. “The more perspectives we have within erotic film, the better it is for everyone.”