The Erotic Literary Salon: Online » News

Art in the Olympics – Erotic Twitter Haiku championships?

admin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:53:01 +0000

True story – we once had arts olympians. The following story was published in the New York Times regarding this competition. I’m not certain the judging of erotic verse/poetry could be done fairly, but it certainly would bring notoriety to the genre.

The New York Times

Printer Friendly Format Sponsored By

February 19, 2010

When There Were Arts Olympians

By CHARLES ISHERWOOD

Probably few of the millions slumping in front of the flat-screen this week, skipping the gym to watch their bodily betters perform hair-raising feats of athletic prowess in the Vancouver slush, are aware that in the first half of the 20th century, the modern Olympics also included arts competitions.

The dream of uniting sport and art, as they were once paired in the original Greek Olympiads, was in fact central to the mission of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the godfather of the Games. The goal was “to reunite in the bonds of legitimate wedlock a long-divorced couple — Muscle and Mind,” the baron loftily announced to an organizing committee in an early attempt to get the idea off the ground. But while the first athletic competitions got under way in Athens in 1896, it was not until the Stockholm Games in 1912 that medals would be given for architecture, sculpture, painting, music and literature.

Even then, the baron’s battle to keep the marriage intact encountered some tough sledding. The Swedish organizers of the Games were none too keen on the idea, arguing that judging art was a far slippier proposition than figuring out who threw the discus farthest. Still, the baron had his way. The arts Games were on, and continued until 1948. The animating idea was to award the prizes to work directly inspired by sport — a limitation that may have helped lead to their eventual demise. How many statues of muscle-bound athletes, how many paeans to the glory of manly competition, can the world really be expected to celebrate? (Although the culture competitions ended, festivals of arts associated with the Olympics have continued, with little more fanfare. Would anyone have taken note of this year’s if the Canadian poet laureate hadn’t skipped out, taking with him his lyric about the absence of female ski-jumping in the Games?)

In his appositely titled book “The Forgotten Olympic Art Competitions,” Richard Stanton relates the details of this obscure byway of cultural history in enthusiastic prose. Who knew that Walter Winans, a Russian-born aristocrat who maintained United States citizenship despite living mostly abroad, was the only Olympian to win medals in both sporting and cultural competition in the same Olympiad? In the 1912 games he took home the silver for the United States in “Team Running Deer — Single Shot” (since eliminated, we believe) and the gold medal for sculpture for “An American Trotter.”

Few immortals swim through the book’s pages. Jack Butler Yeats — younger brother of the poet W.B. — won the silver medal at the Paris competition in 1924 for “Natation (Swimming).” (Although the elder Yeats’s renown has far outstripped his brother’s, fellow Irishman Samuel Beckett was an admirer, and even wrote a poem celebrating his work.) Josef Suk, the lone musical winner at the 1932 Los Angeles games, was a noted Czech composer and a student and son-in-law of Antonin Dvorak.

But does anyone still play the “Olympic Symphony” by Zbigniew Turski, a prize winner in the last competition, in London in 1948? Does anyone play anything by Zbigniew Turski? Somehow typical is this forlorn confession from Mr. Stanton, relating to the Finnish poet Aale Tynni, who won the top prize for literature in the last games: “As of this time, a copy of her gold medal poem ‘Hellaan Laakeri’ has not been located.” Sic transit gloria Tynni.

The dubiousness of judging aesthetic achievement by committee has been a common subject for complaint ever since awards began proliferating like wildflowers in the last half-century. The highly politicized nature of international competition only added to the problem, as becomes blindingly clear when you scan the list of arts winners from the infamous 1936 Games in Berlin.

Man, those Germans and Austrians cleaned up! Austria took gold and bronze for architecture, Germany silver. Germany won all three medals for songs for soloist or choir, with or without instrumental accompaniment, as well as gold for lyric writing and silver for epic, gold for relief sculpture, two of three awards for town planning (shudder) and more. Who knew home-field advantage could extend so thoroughly into the aesthetic spheres?

It’s funny to imagine who might have “podiumed” in the arts categories had the competition continued for the rest of the 20th century. LeRoy Neiman, the painter known for his celebratory images of sports greats, might well have been awash in medals, the Michael Phelps of oils. Perhaps Barry De Vorzon and Perry Botkin Jr. would have joined Zbigniew Turski in the Olympian musical ranks, for the sentimental strains that long accompanied the title credits to “The Young and the Restless,” and later became known as “Nadia’s Theme,” in tribute to the gymnast Nadia Comaneci. Might the lyric winner for the 1998 winter Olympics have been a tribute to the infamous skating scandal of the previous games, something titled “The Ballad of Tonya and Nancy”?

In keeping with Baron de Coubertin’s dream of truly uniting the worlds of art and sport, I’d like to fancifully suggest that a resurrected arts competition blend disciplines, mixing the skills of Olympic sport with the aesthetics of the new century. One event could be the textathlon, which would involve high-speed texting while skiing, with random breaks for shooting, of course. There could be a competition for Twitter haiku, to be composed while hurtling through the icy chutes of the luge.

But the dream that excites me most is this inspiration, which came upon me as I sat transfixed by boredom and confusion for a couple of hours last week, watching the women’s curling competition. Fanfare please: drag queen curling.

Yes, since curling, that curious combination of skating, shuffleboard and housework, has managed to hold on for dear life as a winter Olympic sport, we may as well accept it. But why not heighten the fun by allowing international teams of drag queens to compete, thus sexing up the game with the sequins, feathers and splashy vulgarity that make watching ice-skating such a voluptuous wallow in expert athleticism and spectacularly bad taste?

A few rules would have to be amended. Someone would have to invent a spike-heeled shoe that would not puncture the ice. And instead of using those little implements to scrub away at the ice to change the speed and direction of the “stones” — drag queens do not sweep — maybe the same effect could be achieved by having the competitors gently sway the movement by hurling heated imprecations in their way. “Do not even think of slowing down now, honey!” Color commentary by RuPaul, of course.

The New York TimesPrinter Friendly Format Sponsored By
February 19, 2010When There Were Arts OlympiansBy CHARLES ISHERWOOD
Probably few of the millions slumping in front of the flat-screen this week, skipping the gym to watch their bodily betters perform hair-raising feats of athletic prowess in the Vancouver slush, are aware that in the first half of the 20th century, the modern Olympics also included arts competitions.
The dream of uniting sport and art, as they were once paired in the original Greek Olympiads, was in fact central to the mission of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the godfather of the Games. The goal was “to reunite in the bonds of legitimate wedlock a long-divorced couple — Muscle and Mind,” the baron loftily announced to an organizing committee in an early attempt to get the idea off the ground. But while the first athletic competitions got under way in Athens in 1896, it was not until the Stockholm Games in 1912 that medals would be given for architecture, sculpture, painting, music and literature.
Even then, the baron’s battle to keep the marriage intact encountered some tough sledding. The Swedish organizers of the Games were none too keen on the idea, arguing that judging art was a far slippier proposition than figuring out who threw the discus farthest. Still, the baron had his way. The arts Games were on, and continued until 1948. The animating idea was to award the prizes to work directly inspired by sport — a limitation that may have helped lead to their eventual demise. How many statues of muscle-bound athletes, how many paeans to the glory of manly competition, can the world really be expected to celebrate? (Although the culture competitions ended, festivals of arts associated with the Olympics have continued, with little more fanfare. Would anyone have taken note of this year’s if the Canadian poet laureate hadn’t skipped out, taking with him his lyric about the absence of female ski-jumping in the Games?)
In his appositely titled book “The Forgotten Olympic Art Competitions,” Richard Stanton relates the details of this obscure byway of cultural history in enthusiastic prose. Who knew that Walter Winans, a Russian-born aristocrat who maintained United States citizenship despite living mostly abroad, was the only Olympian to win medals in both sporting and cultural competition in the same Olympiad? In the 1912 games he took home the silver for the United States in “Team Running Deer — Single Shot” (since eliminated, we believe) and the gold medal for sculpture for “An American Trotter.”
Few immortals swim through the book’s pages. Jack Butler Yeats — younger brother of the poet W.B. — won the silver medal at the Paris competition in 1924 for “Natation (Swimming).” (Although the elder Yeats’s renown has far outstripped his brother’s, fellow Irishman Samuel Beckett was an admirer, and even wrote a poem celebrating his work.) Josef Suk, the lone musical winner at the 1932 Los Angeles games, was a noted Czech composer and a student and son-in-law of Antonin Dvorak.
But does anyone still play the “Olympic Symphony” by Zbigniew Turski, a prize winner in the last competition, in London in 1948? Does anyone play anything by Zbigniew Turski? Somehow typical is this forlorn confession from Mr. Stanton, relating to the Finnish poet Aale Tynni, who won the top prize for literature in the last games: “As of this time, a copy of her gold medal poem ‘Hellaan Laakeri’ has not been located.” Sic transit gloria Tynni.
The dubiousness of judging aesthetic achievement by committee has been a common subject for complaint ever since awards began proliferating like wildflowers in the last half-century. The highly politicized nature of international competition only added to the problem, as becomes blindingly clear when you scan the list of arts winners from the infamous 1936 Games in Berlin.
Man, those Germans and Austrians cleaned up! Austria took gold and bronze for architecture, Germany silver. Germany won all three medals for songs for soloist or choir, with or without instrumental accompaniment, as well as gold for lyric writing and silver for epic, gold for relief sculpture, two of three awards for town planning (shudder) and more. Who knew home-field advantage could extend so thoroughly into the aesthetic spheres?
It’s funny to imagine who might have “podiumed” in the arts categories had the competition continued for the rest of the 20th century. LeRoy Neiman, the painter known for his celebratory images of sports greats, might well have been awash in medals, the Michael Phelps of oils. Perhaps Barry De Vorzon and Perry Botkin Jr. would have joined Zbigniew Turski in the Olympian musical ranks, for the sentimental strains that long accompanied the title credits to “The Young and the Restless,” and later became known as “Nadia’s Theme,” in tribute to the gymnast Nadia Comaneci. Might the lyric winner for the 1998 winter Olympics have been a tribute to the infamous skating scandal of the previous games, something titled “The Ballad of Tonya and Nancy”?
In keeping with Baron de Coubertin’s dream of truly uniting the worlds of art and sport, I’d like to fancifully suggest that a resurrected arts competition blend disciplines, mixing the skills of Olympic sport with the aesthetics of the new century. One event could be the textathlon, which would involve high-speed texting while skiing, with random breaks for shooting, of course. There could be a competition for Twitter haiku, to be composed while hurtling through the icy chutes of the luge.
But the dream that excites me most is this inspiration, which came upon me as I sat transfixed by boredom and confusion for a couple of hours last week, watching the women’s curling competition. Fanfare please: drag queen curling.
Yes, since curling, that curious combination of skating, shuffleboard and housework, has managed to hold on for dear life as a winter Olympic sport, we may as well accept it. But why not heighten the fun by allowing international teams of drag queens to compete, thus sexing up the game with the sequins, feathers and splashy vulgarity that make watching ice-skating such a voluptuous wallow in expert athleticism and spectacularly bad taste?
A few rules would have to be amended. Someone would have to invent a spike-heeled shoe that would not puncture the ice. And instead of using those little implements to scrub away at the ice to change the speed and direction of the “stones” — drag queens do not sweep — maybe the same effect could be achieved by having the competitors gently sway the movement by hurling heated imprecations in their way. “Do not even think of slowing down now, honey!” Color commentary by RuPaul, of course.

America's Sexuality Day – The Congressional Resolution for Sex

admin — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:14:03 +0000

I missed it, so sorry. My brain was off by a day, not an unusual occurrence.

This is an important document that is asking for online editing. If you enjoy erotica please read.

http://www.sexdayusa.com/comstockeryblog/campaign/the-congressional-resolution-for-sex/

Sex at the Museum: Swingers in Vienna art hall

admin — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:54:51 +0000

My parents were Austrian, although I was born and raised in the States. Must still in my blood, Austrian’s have been known for their comfort with sexuality.

http://www.salon.com/ent/2010/02/23/eu_austria_swingers_club/print.html

Sex at the museum: Swingers in Vienna art hall

An Austrian night club has incorporated a sex club into its Klimt exhibition

By VERONIKA OLEKSYN, Associated Press

Feb. 23, 2010 |

In the name of art, an Austrian landmark is encouraging visitors to confront their sexual inhibitions by having them walk through a swingers club to reach one of Gustav Klimt’s masterpieces.

The Secession — a world-renowned venue for contemporary art in downtown Vienna — has temporarily incorporated a sex club named “Element6″ as part of a project by Swiss artist Christoph Buechel.

The swingers are not there during the day, but their mattresses, erotic pictures, bar and whirlpool are.

Secession spokeswoman Urte Schmitt-Ulms said Buechel hoped to spark a stir reminiscent of the scandal Klimt caused when his “Beethoven Frieze” was first exhibited in 1902. Now considered one of the Austrian painter’s key pieces, it was once thought of as obscene and pornographic because of the way women’s bodies were depicted.

While the club only opens at night long after the art hall closes, daytime visitors aged 18 and older pass through its dimly lit rooms on their way to see the Klimt painting.

The room where the frieze is exhibited is locked at night for security reasons. But it too has its share of mattresses, surrounded by fake tropical plants and a life-size stuffed lion.

Buechel declined to comment on his project, but the club, normally located in another part of town, said its participation “aims to give as many people as possible the opportunity to overcome their inhibitions.”

“In the framework of this exhibition at the Secession, each individual can test for himself or herself whether this opens up new dimensions for his or her own sexuality,” the club said in a statement.

There’s no question that Buechel has succeeded in igniting a debate.

“Group sex in the Secession – has our society completely lost it?” Austria’s far-right Freedom Party asked.

Yet on the streets of Vienna, people appeared more amused than abhorred.

“I think it’s perfectly OK,” said Moritz Wagner, a 26-year-old medical student.

“It’s not my thing but why not?” echoed a laughing Ute Wegscheider as she pushed her young daughter’s pram. “Maybe I should go check it out with my husband!”

Gerald Adler of Britain’s Kent School of Architecture, who was taking students to see the Secession, said Buechel should have chosen a different site — such as St. Stephen’s Cathedral — if he wanted to make a real splash.

“He’s putting it in a place that’s an accepted venue for avant-garde art, so it loses its effect,” Adler said.

The project runs until April 18.

Casanova's Memoir to be Publicly Displayed

admin — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 19:24:39 +0000

The French National Library will publicly display the newly acquired erotic history – Casonova’ memoirs. Carnal Nation article: http://carnalnation.com/print/48342?titles=off

The Philadelphia Inquirer – The Sensual Literary Salon – Erotic – Susana Mayer – The Ageless Sex Life

admin — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 13:46:08 +0000

www.SusanaMayer.com – my professional site

I like it – “Sensual Literary Salon,” that it is. Although it would certainly not garner me the hits the word “erotic” gets me via Google. Lini Kadaba has written a truly lovely and accurate (kudos) article on the Salon.

This is not the first article that has been written about me or the Salon, it is however the first time in the Inquirer, a rather mainstream Philadelphia Paper. So I feel my goal of mainstreaming erotica is occurring in this city of “brotherly love.”

I must admit it is rather scary to have someone interview you several times, come to the Salon – especially on one of the edgier nights (always different) and only consult you for accuracy concerning facts. I have just read this article as you have, no preview, and I’m more than pleased. Quite lovely.

If I had to be picky, based on my count at the door, the number was 45 not 35 that attended the last Salon. I can only imagine how many will be lining up to enter this Tuesday. Come early for a seat. If you want to read, go to the top navigation bar and follow the guidelines. Or, just come to listen, be entertained, meet new friends, applaud. All are welcome 21+

I blog daily all things erotica at this site and all things concerning sexuality at my professional site: www.SusanaMayer.com

Enjoy this wonderful snowy day.

Version of Anne Frank's Diary Banned

admin — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 07:03:30 +0000

I never realized there were two versions, the one being banned from the classroom describes her emerging sexuality.

School system in Va. won’t teach version of Anne Frank book 2/1/10 9:45 PM

School system in Va. won’t teach version of Anne Frank book

By Michael Alison Chandler Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, January 29, 2010; B03

Culpeper County public school officials have decided to stop assigning a version of Anne Frank’s diary, one of the most enduring symbols of the atrocities of the Nazi regime, after a parent complained that the book includes sexually explicit material and homosexual themes.

“The Diary of a Young Girl: the Definitive Edition,” which was published on the 50th anniversary of Frank’s death in a concentration camp, will not be used in the future, said James Allen, director of instruction for the 7,600-student system. The school system did not follow its own policy for handling complaints about instructional materials, Allen said.

The diary documents the daily life of a Jewish girl in Amsterdam during World War II. Frank started writing on her 13th birthday, shortly before her family went into hiding in an annex of an office building. The version of the diary in question includes passages previously excluded from the widely read original edition, first published in Dutch in 1947. That book was arranged by her father, the only survivor in her immediate family. Some of the extra passages detail her emerging sexual desires; others include unflattering descriptions of her mother and other people living together.

Allen said that the more recent version will remain in the school library and that the earlier version will be used in classes. The 1955 play based on Frank’s experiences also has been a part of the eighth-grade curriculum for many years. The diary’s “universal theme, that there is good in everyone, resonates with these kids,” Allen said.

The decision was made in November and published in the Culpeper Star Exponent on Thursday.

Culpeper’s policy on “public complaints about learning resources” calls for complaints to be submitted in writing and for a review committee to research the materials and deliberate, Allen said. In this case, the policy was not followed. Allen said the parent registered the complaint orally, no review committee was created and a decision was made quickly by at least one school administrator. He said he is uncertain about the details because he was out of town.

“The person came in, and the decision was made that day . . . and that’s fine. We would like to have had it in writing. It just did not happen,” Allen said.

Hasty decisions to restrict access to some books do “a disservice to students,” said Angela Maycock, assistant director of the office for intellectual freedom at the American Library Association.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/28/AR2010012804001_pf.html Page 1 of 2

School system in Va. won’t teach version of Anne Frank book 2/1/10 9:45 PM

“Something that one individual finds controversial or offensive or objectionable may be really valuable to other learners in that community,” she said.

The ALA has documented only six challenges to “The Diary of Anne Frank” since it began monitoring formal written complaints to remove or restrict books in 1990. Most of the concerns were about sexually explicit material, Maycock said. One record dating to 1983 from an Alabama textbook committee said the book was “a real downer” and called for its rejection from schools.

Please see the Post’s new Higher Education page at http://washingtonpost.com/higher-ed. For all our coverage, please see our main Education page, our Facebook fan page and our “PostSchools”

The Philadelphia Inquirer, Feb 10, Style & Soul Section

admin — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 22:41:47 +0000

It has been tentatively confirmed by Lini Kadaba that an article about the Salon will be posted on Feb 10 in their Style & Soul Section. Although she also stated that occasionally dates change; if that occurs I shall inform via this blog.

Erotic Heritage Museum, Vegas Covers Its Nipples, Mother Jones

admin — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 16:41:29 +0000

The Erotic Heritage Museum was conceived and orchestrated by the school that granted me a Ph.D., the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality. Originally I was supposed to be part of the team creating this museum, but for various reasons I took a different course. It is all good, personally I prefer Philadelphia to Las Vegas.

A great story regarding a Vegas cover-up of sorts, can be found at this site.

http://motherjones.com/print/35591

TONIGHT – The Erotic Literary Salon Gathering, court case – rape/fantasy

admin — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 15:44:52 +0000

Reminder – tonight – the Erotic Literary Salon will gather at The Bohemian Absinthe Lounge. Check yesterday’s post for details.

Court case regarding fantasy turned into rape. The many faces of fantasy; fantasy is just fantasy for some, never to be fulfilled always to remain a fantasy, and for others it is a wish to be fulfilled, and taken out of the realm of fantasy.