Presentations & Workshops
I am a published author and national presenter. I have conducted workshops at conferences, conventions, festivals, and universities for the last 10 years. I am available to present at your event on a variety of topics. The following summaries are the descriptions of classes I'm offering for the first time in 2014; others are available upon request. Please use this form to inquire about arranging for me to present at your event or for your organization.
Private, Polyamorous Sacred Sexuality Rituals
Sexual pleasure is our divine birthright. We can learn to appreciate sex as the sacred gift that it is and unlearn the sex-negative attitudes and practices most of us grew up with. One way to do this is through intentional rituals and it can be both fun and bonding to engage in sacred sex rituals with your partners. In this hands-on class, we will explore the elements of ritual and practice some techniques for moving ourselves and our partners into meditative, ritual headspace.
Crafting Your Poly Family
One of the beauties of polyamory is that it allows us to throw out the window all the stereotypes about family; we get to create our own vision of what it means to be a family, and every poly family will be different. However, there are things that any family can do to help welcome a new member into its midst, or to help a group of individuals who have decided to jointly create a family or household. We will explore some family-crafting techniques and ideas, which you can take home to strengthen your own household or prepare to enlarge your own family when the right person/people appear/s.
Non-Primary Roundtable
This session is an opportunity for non-primary partners to come together in support of one another in the unique joy and struggle of holding such a relationship position. There are pros and cons and we’ll explore both, but we’ll give special voice to the challenges we experience and how to overcome or cope with those. This is a chance for those more experienced to share what has worked for them and for those new to or considering this lifestyle to ask questions and learn.
Polyamory & Polytheism
Polyamory is the belief that individuals are capable of loving more than one person simultaneously. Polytheism is the belief in more than one deity. Are the two related? In what ways? If you’re polyamorous, does that mean you might naturally lean toward a spiritual belief system or religion that worships more than one god/dess? What are the overlaps between the poly and pagan communities and their worldviews? This is a purely philosophical discussion with no real answers; we’ll explore these questions together and perhaps generate ideas for a future research project.
The Gift of Jealousy
Jealousy is usually regarded as a bad or negative thing, particularly among poly folk. It’s seen as something to get over or work through, and many poly people feel guilty about feeling it at all and often try to suppress or deny their jealous reactions because to feel jealousy seems to negate the belief in being able to love multiples at once. But what if we experience jealousy for a very good reason? What beneficial purpose could it serve? Let’s discuss how jealousy can actually be viewed as a gift and how it can be used to improve relationships.
Recovering from Poly Trauma
Relationship break-ups are often traumatic. Add to the normal levels of sadness and hurt the inability to talk to anyone about the dynamics of your relationship because you didn’t know any other poly people; or the unfairness of being kicked out of a poly relationship because the primary unit decided they needed to close down to work on their relationship; or having someone use the word “polyamory” as a guise for unethical relationship behavior…any of these situations and more can contribute to a much more traumatic experience unique to those of us who practice polyamory. We’ll have a chance to tell our stories, to be heard, to get validated for our pain. We can offer support to one another and we can explore ways together to recover from this type of experience. We invite those who have come out the other side of a poly trauma to share their experience and what helped them heal.
Kinky & Codependent
What is your motivation for obeying your dominant? How do you feel about your sub taking your advice? Do your submissive tendencies stem from a need to please, a fear of abandonment, or a genuine desire to serve? The line between being kinky and codependent can be a fine one, and can sometimes be quite blurry. Let’s explore how to distinguish between healthy kinkiness and unhealthy codependence. We’ll discuss how a D/s relationship can be either healing or damaging for a codependent, how to identify if codependence exists in your relationship and if so whether yours may be healing or damaging, and how to move in a healthy direction if it has begun to deteriorate.
Risk, Safety & Consent: The Difference Between SSC & RACK
Safe, sane and consensual is the mantra taught to all newcomers to kink. Lately, a new mantra has become popular and is gaining acceptance among those who engage in BDSM. Risk Aware Consensual Kink acknowledges that nothing in this world of edgy play is truly safe...except abstaining from it altogether. Let's come together to discuss the pros and cons of these two philosophies. The class will begin with an exploration into basic safety precautions as well as an overview of what consent really means. All views are welcome; disrespect for another's views is not.
Casual Touch & Consent Between Kinky Women
Everyone has a right to their personal space. Why do women in kinky spaces often feel it’s okay to touch each other without consent or permission? Women are not taught how to accept “no” for an answer; alternatively, women are raised to expect that if they’re wanting it, someone is going to go along with it. Let’s come together to discuss the issue and collaborate on some solutions.
Yoga for Submissives
Yoga is an ancient practice that includes breathing, meditation, and body postures, and which can teach one patience, surrender, acceptance, balance, etc…all of which can be important in the development of a deep submissive state. For those submissives who desire to reach deeper levels of acceptance in their play or their relationship, yoga can be a serene path full of tools to help achieve those states. Please wear comfortable, non-constricting clothing, don’t eat a large meal within an hour of the start time, and bring a water bottle and mat (mats NOT provided). Any experience level welcome; all poses will be presented with variations to make the practice as basic or advanced as desired.
Sacred D/s
Sacred refers to something “set aside” or “special” and often reflects a spiritual element. When applied to D/s, the word sacred confers more significance to the play than is sometimes understood. Sacred dominance and submission is when the players recognize the power of their “play” to be transformative and transcendent. We will explore how a D/s dynamic, regardless of intended duration, can both reflect and enhance one’s spirituality. We will discuss what many of us already intuit about the transformative nature of dominating and submitting, as well as how this can relate to transcendent experiences both individually and collectively.
Submission as a Path to the Divine
Come discover how your submissive tendencies can be a shortcut to enlightenment! We’ll explore how to use your submission kink to establish a deeper connection to your Higher Self and to your concept of Divinity. We’ll explore how concepts like surrender, releasing, trust and empowerment are the links between the practice of D/s and spirituality. This workshop is open to Tops as well as bottoms, as it’s important for you to know what your partner is experiencing and to work together where possible. This workshop will encourage you to engage in submission in order to reap the benefits of the experience, even if that’s not your regular kink. Although this workshop is geared toward experienced submissives, beginners are welcome, too.
2014 Presentation & Appearance Schedule
Click the event name link for more info and to register:
April 5, 11a-6p, Marietta, GA
Atlanta Pagan Marketplace
I will have an informational table at this event. Please stop by and say hi!
April 5, 7:00p, Atlanta, GA
1763 Munch at 1763 Dungeon
Fetlife post about event
Classes: Kinky & Codependent
April 26, 1:00p, Overland Park, KS
SM 101 Explored in Theory & Practice
Presented by Consent Kansas City group
I will be one of the expert panelists answering questions on safety, etiquette, technique, and more!
May 3, 8:15p, Atlanta, GA
Educational Forum at 1763 Dungeon
Classes: TBD
June 6-8, Atlanta, GA
Atlanta Poly Weekend
Possible Classes: Private, Polyamorous Sacred Sexuality Rituals; Crafting Your Poly Family; Non-Primary Roundtable
TENTATIVE:
August 1-3, Columbus, OH
First Annual Qadishti Gathering
Classes: Qadishti Terminology, Healing with Sacred Eros
Date TBD, 6:30p, Roswell, GA
Anna Lisa Derenthal's Trans Group
Class: Special presentation on kink and sexuality in trans community