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VenusNews » Ottawa
January 2005 . contents
> New Books and Toys Just in Time for Valentines
> Instore events
> Workshops
> Community Events
> Artists
New Books and Toys Just in Time for Valentines
Life's Too Short for Tantric Sex: 50 Shortcuts to Sexual Ecstasy
By Kate Taylor, $17.95
A small and stylish book full of all the juiciest bits from those long books on Tantra. Great techniques for hand- and mouthwork, lots of ideas for quickies and fun games. A must for your bedside table.
The Ultimate Guide to Sexual Fantasy: How to Turn Your Fantasies into Reality
By Violet Blue, $20.95
Violet Blue's latest book is a great resource for men and women looking to make their hottest fantasies come true. It offers excellent advice on communicating your fantasies to your lover as well as how to act on them. Also check out its practical tips on stripping, spanking, dirty talkin' and D.I.Y. porn.
Best Lesbian Erotica 2005
Edited by Tristan Taormino, $22.50
Cleis Press's long-running erotica series are bigger and better than ever for their 10th anniversary issues.
Rent Girl
By Michelle Tea, $34.95
This is Michelle Tea's long-awaited new graphic novel illustrated by Laurenn McCubbin. It is by turns absurd, somber, hilarious, and disturbing. Fans of Valencia and The Passionate Mistakes and Intricate Corruption of One Girl in America will welcome this latest semi-autobiographical work by Tea
The Adventures of Trixie and Dinkidoo
By Kelli Auerbach, $12.00
A fanciful romp through one girl's discovery of masturbation. Full of savvy-sweet storytelling and deceptively innocent illustrations, it's a self-love affair you won't want to miss!
Frilly 'Burlesque Style' underpants from Sweet Soul
$24.95
Comfy cotton underwear jazzed up with rows and rows of lace on the bum. Cute and sexy! Available in 3 sizes and colors. Try them with pasties for a sexy burlesque look!
Swirl Butt Plug
100% silicone, $24.95
A brand new plug from Tantus, the Swirl comes in three ice-cream colors and offers fantastic grip! A long neck, rectangular base and a forward tilt make the Swirl great for both men and women.
Cock Leash Set
leather and chrome, $39.95
The man harness from Spank with a handy leather and chrome leash for all kinds of outings.
Deluxe Strap On Kit by Spank
Nylon webbing and brocade harness, 100% silicone dildo, $79.95
Beautiful and practical, the Deluxe kit has everything you might need for strap on sex. The harness is fully adjustable to fit any size dildo and has a beautiful silk brocade and foam pad for comfort. The discovery dil is 4" long and 1" wide for anal beginners or those who simply prefer a smaller dil.
Spank Get Into Bondage Kit
Rope, leather slapper, brocade blindfold and fleece and nylon cuffs, $69.95
Everything you need to, well, get into bondage ... all in an affordable and handy kit. Comes complete with a handy guide to bondage.
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Instore events
There are two great events coming up at Venus Envy on Saturday January 29th, 11am-6pm
It's our 4th birthday party
Venus Envy Ottawa is celebrating 4 great years in the Capital! Join us for treats, 10% off everything, and a chance to win great prizes, including a year of free workshops. And back by popular demand: spend $50 and get a free gift!
But wait, there's more...
Grand Opening! The Annex, Venus Envy's brand new seminar room!
Just upstairs from the store itself, the Annex offers more space, more privacy, and greater flexibility around what types of workshops we can offer. Call to register for one (or more) of the 30 minute free session we're offering on the 29th:
| 11am | Douglas Kent, author of the Better Built Bondage Book, shows participants how to make a couple of easy sex toys. For everyone. |
| 12pm | Shelley Taylor from Venus Envy offers an intro to "G Marks the Spot." For everyone. |
| 1pm | Sample our newest offering: "The New Bump and Grind – Dress up, show off and talk hot!" For women. |
| 2pm | Poet and sex educator Megan Butcher will lead a short version of the very popular workshop "Erotic Talk for Women" |
These sessions are meant to offer participants a little taste of what they would get out of a full-length workshop. Spaces are filling up fast, so call 789-4646 to register.
After the workshops are done we're opening up the new space for an open house. Drop by between 3-6pm for snacks, drinks, and a look at the Annex.
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Workshops
- Workshops are held at the store, located at 110 Parent Ave. in Ottawa.
- All participants must be 18 or older.
- Some workshops sell out weeks in advance, so register as soon as you can.
- Unless otherwise noted, the workshop fee is $20 (+tax) per person ($10 for seniors, students, and limited income).
- All participants receive 10% off any purchases made after the workshop.
- You may pay by phone (613 789-4646) or in person.
- If you have registered but are unable to attend, we need 24 hours notice or your fee is forfeit.
- Some workshops specify an audience (women or men, for instance). "Women" includes trans women; "men" includes trans men.
| January 25, 2005 For everyone | Drawing Erotic Images |
| An objective exploration of the erotic imagery of our times, including pornography, in order to recover a more sacred view and experience of sexuality. This is a beginner's drawing workshop designed to help heal the wounds caused by exploitative visions of sex through the transformation of sexual images into more loving, respectful artwork. Previous drawing experience or "talent" are not required. Participants share in the practice of transforming photos of sexual acts into basic pencil or charcoal sketches depicting acts of love and physical union. A "process" and not "product" workshop, the goal is not to instantly produce a masterpiece, but rather to participate in the process of transforming one's vision through artistic contemplation. A therapeutic process that helps people make peace with aspects of sexuality that may be uncomfortable due to restricted backgrounds or unconscious judgments. 1.5 hours |
| February 1, 2005 For women | Going Down: A Guide to Fellatio |
| If you're interested in licking boys' bits, but aren't sure where to start or what to do once you get going, this workshop is for you. From basic anatomy to tips for the advanced, this workshop will cover a wide range of information about giving head. 1.5 hours |
| February 7, 2005 For everyone | Going Down: A Guide to Cunnilingus |
| This workshop will cover anatomy, technique, communication skills and tricks to please your lady with your lips. And tongue, and teeth, and.… 1.5 hours |
| February 10, 2005 19:15 For everyone | Sex Toys 201: Further Adventures |
| Sex toy tips and ideas beyond the basics, including fun things to do with household items. Some of the more advanced toys we discuss include penis and clit pumps, strap-ons, and sensation toys. 1.5 hours |
| February 15, 2005 For everyone | Healing Our Shame |
| Shame is an unconscious demon that can wreak havoc on our sex lives. Learning to heal ourselves from toxic, life-destroying shame can free us to create positive, enriching, hot sexual energy. This workshop offers participants the opportunity to explore the origins and many faces of shame, and offers strategies for healing. Facilitator: 2.0 hours |
| February 21, 2005 For everyone | Strap-On Tools! |
| Strap-on play is becoming more and more popular. This workshop will cover the ins and outs of harness play: what's available, what toys to use where, and the lay of the land you'll be exploring. We'll discuss both male and female anatomy and pleasure. 1.5 hours |
| March 1, 2005 For women | Butch/Femme: Unravelling the Myths, Celebrating the Erotic |
| Join Marie Robertson for an evening of exploration, learning and excitement. In this workshop participants will have an opportunity to: This session is open to lesbians and bisexual women only. You don't need to identify as butch or femme to attend 2.0 hours |
New Workshop!
| Saturday March 19th 6:30-8:30 For women | The New Bump and Grind: Dress up, Show off and Talk Hot! |
| Erotic dancing is all the rage right now and Venus Envy has created an interactive workshop along those lines. "The New Bump and Grind" will offer women a chance to explore sensual movement, sexy communication skills, and generally allow women to feel more comfortable being their sexiest selves. "The New Bump and Grind" is held in a cozy and comfortable space with fun props and no expectations. If you don't feel comfortable with the movements or exercises you can feel free to sit out and watch. Facilitated by Èmilie and Shari, who bring a fabulous combination of experiences including erotic modeling, dance experience and teaching, and a love of burlesque and showing off! $30 ($15 for students and seniors) 2 hours |
| Saturday March 19th For everyone | Going Down: A Guide to Fellatio |
| If you're interested in licking boys' bits, but aren't sure where to start or what to do once you get going, this workshop is for you. From basic anatomy to tips for the advanced, this workshop will cover a wide range of information about giving head. 1.5 hours |
| March 22, 2005 For everyone | Comment faire une bonne fellation |
| Si l'art de lécher la région intime de votre homme vous intéresse mais vous laisse quelque peu perplexe, cet atelier s'adresse à vous! De l'anatomie jusqu'aux astuces les plus salées, un large éventail sera couvert sur le sujet passionnant qu'est la fellation. 1.5 hours |
| March 29, 2005 For women | Erotic Talk: Getting What you Want By Asking For It |
| Know what you want, but not sure how to get it? Whether you're not sure what words to use, or how to start spilling them out of your mouth, this workshop will give you ideas on how to make talking about sex just as great as doing it. 1.5 hours |
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Community Events
Divergence 2
Friday January 28th
A trans/queer positive event
Shanghai Restaurant, 651 Somerset St. West
19+ Doors open at 10:30pm $4
Just in time for Valentines Day...
Heart-On Burlesque!
Saturday Febuary 12th; doors open at 8pm
...an erotic queer positive burlesque style night. Come get your groove on and watch a steamy hot show! Proceeds go to the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Ottawa. For inquiries contact heart_on_burlesque@yahoo.ca.
Club SAW (67 Nicholas St)
Cover $10 (or $5 if you wear something scandalous!). 19+
COME AGAIN???
The 3rd annual presentation of Eve Ensler's Vagina Monologues at U of O
February 3rd, 4th and 5th
Tickets are $10 for students, $12 for non-students, and $15 at the door. They can be purchased on campus at the WRC or Foot Patrol and in the byward market at Venus Envy. Reservations may be made via email at wrc@uottawa.ca. For more info please call the WRC at 562-5755.
These Vday performances are part of a world-wide effort to end violence against women everywhere. All but 1% of the profits from this year's campaign go to the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Ottawa and Interval House. The remaining 1% will go to the global Vday effort to stop violence in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
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Artists
January and February
Tiffany Teske
Polaroid Image Transfers: HUMAN/NATURE
There are too many reasons to contemplate as to why I choose to focus my lens on these two elements. Inevitably there are new reasons that come to light all the time. One reason, while basic and maybe even cliché is because I find the human body to be beautiful, whether clothed or naked, whether innocent or erotic, whether round or square, there is beauty. This reverence carries over to plants, vegetables, and fruit, which when studied reveal beauty in all their elements.
My work in Human/Nature is almost wholly on a quasi-micro scale. These works are not landscapes that reveal the "bigger picture" but rather segments of a whole. My decision to produce this series using Polaroid image transfer to make photographic mono prints was a calculated one. The miniature size of these prints, dictated by the size of the Polaroid film used for the transfer, plays an integral part of the overall feeling of intimacy one feels when they are forced to get up close to each work in order to view it. The muted tones, produced in combination by the subject matter and materials I have chosen, along with the texture of the watercolor paper which is the receptor of the print, create an over all impressionistic and thought provoking view of matter that we encounter everyday. All chosen components work together to make even what borders on taboo to some, more accessable to all.
March and April
Ima Ortega, "Playing Safe"
Intimacy is a thing shared between two people whose ultimate desire is to become completely vulnerable. It is a time for setting aside a world whose reality often oppresses, in order to experience the sensual and the sublime ... a realm of pure fantasy. Through experimentation, one learns to know the body and the ways in which pleasure can be given and received. Some might choose to experience the act of bondage; a game based on trust which explores roles of power and submission, and the importance of creating a safe place whereby, two consenting adults become totally and completely aware of their own fragility and strength. In other moments the subject is alone, as if contemplating her own sexuality. The viewer feels a compulsion to look and in doing so, becomes a voyeur, thus, lending an exhibitionistic quality to the work.
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