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VenusNews » Ottawa
August 2007
- Store News
- Store Events
- Store-sponsored events
- Community events
- Workshops
- Book Review: I ♥ Female Orgasm
- Art
Store News
Pride Sale at Venus Envy!
Saturday August 25th
Midori Returns!
Bring a Bag and Save!!
Store Events
Reading by Julia Serano
http://asteroideapress.blogspot.com/
Sun, Aug 26, 6pm.
Venus Envy.
320 Lisgar St.
Reading Out Loud!
Reading Out Loud was created in Halifax 6 years ago and has been such a success that we decided to export the idea to Ottawa.
Thursday August 23rd, 20078pm at Venus Envy
Free!
Store-sponsored Event
Certain Sort—Pride Edition!
Friday August 24th
Music by CPI and Chris Feela!
Shanghai restaurant on Somerset Street
10pm—2am
$6 at the door
19+
All proceeds to the Venus Envy Bursary Fund!
http://www.venusenvy.ca/Ottawa/bursary.asp
Ottawa Leather Fest 2007—Forbidden Games
Friday, August 24, to Sunday, August 26, 2007.
Leather Fest allows the city's leather/kink/fetish community, and out-of-town guests, to get together for fun and frolic, including the Friday "meet and greet", two pansexual play parties (Friday and Saturday nights), and Ottawa's Pride parade and picnic. An added bonus this year is the world premiere of "Together in Leather", a documentary about leather/BDSM relationships by Alexander Henryk Wisniowski. (you'll see some local people in this film, including our own Miss Jenn)
The Ontario Olympus Leather 2008 competition will also be held to choose a Mr. and Ms. Ontario Olympus Leather. Ottawa Leather Fest also allows our community to build its knowledge and skills through seminars on BDSM topics, relationship issues, and cultural interests. This year's seminar presenters include Alex Wisniowski, Terrell Brown, Paul Delage, and Lady Caro (who presented last year!) Topics to be announced.
Weekend packages are still only CAN$70.
Tickets are also available for
the contest alone and for individual seminars.
For more information:
http://mloh2002.lynnsplace.ca/
or
http://www.breathlessottawa.com/leather2007.html
Community Events
Sky Gilbert Reading!
w/ special guests.
Thurs, Aug 16, 7:30pm.
Collected Works Bookstore.
1242 Wellington W.
Spoken word by Sean Zio
Spoken word by Sean Zio.
Sat, Aug 18, 5pm.
Mother Tongue Books.
1067 Bank (a wheelchair accessible venue).
A Dusty Owl event.
ACO Pride Party!
DATE: Sat Aug 18
PRESENTED BY: AIDS Committee of Ottawa & Disorganised
TAG LINE: "If HIV ain't beat us, you sure the hell won't"
AUDIENCE: Open. The queer community in its broadest definition. And also our straight allies.
10pm—2am
Music by CPI, Will Munroe, and Denise Benson!
Co-ed Burlesque hosted by Excedera and Mikiki!
$5 at the door.
Dyke March: Call for Volunteers
for volunteers to help make it happen. If you are interested in any of
the opportunities below, please email Nicole at
dykemarchottawa@yahoo.ca
1) PARADE MARSHALS/FIRST AID/SECURITY
We need people to help marshal the parade and do first aid and
security at the march. March is at 2 pm — marshals will need to
gather at 1:30 pm at the Human Rights Monument on Elgin.
2) BBQ VOLUNTEERS
We need people to run the grill, set up tables, serve food, etc. Some
of this will take place before the march at 2 pm, others will be
needed after 3 pm to serve food.
3) PERFORMERS FOR VARIETY SHOW
We will have an outdoor stage with performances during the picnic (3-5
pm). Who wants to take the stage? Come share your talent at the queer
family picnic!
4) CLEAN-UP CREW
Help us "take down" the BBQ and clean up after 5 pm.
Ottawa Dyke March: Callout for Performers
And we need performers!!
The March is taking place on Saturday August 25, at 2:00 pm
the marchers are scheduled to arrive at Jack Purcell Community Centre at 3pm where the show and picnic will take place until 8pm
All performance artists are welcome to apply:
Music, Dance, Spoken Word, Performance Art... etc.
Please note that this is a family oriented event so please submit for performances that are kid friendly only.
If you are a female identified person and you either are a dyke or really like dykes and would like to perform, please contact Julie at julieallard@gmail.com
Submitions accepted until August 15
Thank you for your participation and see you at the Dyke March!!
SVP distribuer dans vos réseaux
Marche des Lesbiennes Ottawa—Appel d'actes
La Marche des Lesbiennes d'Ottawa aura lieu le 25 août suivit d'un picnic et spectacle au Centre Communautaire Jack Purcell de 15h à 20h.
Tous genres d'artistes de la scène sont bienvenus:
Musique, Dance, Poésie/Spoken Word, Performances artistiques... ect.
Notez que ceci est un événement familial—veuillez soumettre des performances appropriées
Si vous êtes une personne s'identifiant comme femme et que vous êtes lesbienne ou une alliée et voudriez participer à cet événement en tant qu'artiste, veuillez contacter Julie: julieallard@gmail.com
Nous accepterons vos soumissions jusqu'au 15 août
Merci de votre participation et au plaisir de vous voir à la Marche!!
Workshops
| Aug. 11, 2007 7:30pm |
The New Bump and Grind: Dress up, Show off and Talk Hot! cost: $25.00 (limited income $15.00) audience: women » details |
| Aug. 14, 2007 6:30pm |
Going Down: A Guide to Fellatio cost: $20.00 (limited income $10.00) audience: everyone » details |
| Aug. 20, 2007 6:30pm |
Sex Toys 101 for Queer Girls cost: $0.00 (no sliding scale) audience: women » details |
| Aug. 21, 2007 6:30pm |
Toys for Gay Boys cost: $0.00 (no sliding scale) audience: men » details |
| Sep. 15, 2007 7:30pm |
SM on a Budget with Midori cost: $25.00 (limited income $15.00) audience: everyone » details |
| Sep. 16, 2007 7:00pm |
Getting What You Want in SM with Midori cost: $25.00 (limited income $15.00) audience: everyone » details |
| Sep. 17, 2007 7:00pm |
Hands-On Body Harness Workshop with Midori cost: $25.00 (limited income $15.00) audience: everyone » details |
| Sep. 24, 2007 6:30pm |
I'm Coming! A Guide to Women' s Orgasm cost: $20.00 (limited income $10.00) audience: everyone » details |
| Sep. 25, 2007 6:30pm |
Going Down: A Guide to Fellatio cost: $20.00 (limited income $10.00) audience: everyone » details |
| Oct. 9, 2007 6:30pm |
Going Down: A Guide to Cunnilingus cost: $20.00 (limited income $10.00) audience: everyone » details |
| Oct. 16, 2007 6:30pm |
Sex Toys 101: An Introduction to the Wonderful World of Toys cost: $20.00 (limited income $10.00) audience: everyone » details |
| Oct. 23, 2007 6:30pm |
Going Down: A Guide to Fellatio cost: $20.00 (limited income $10.00) audience: everyone » details |
| Oct. 30, 2007 6:30pm |
The New Bump and Grind: Dress up, Show off and Talk Hot! cost: $25.00 (limited income $15.00) audience: women » details |
| Nov. 5, 2007 6:30pm |
Up Yours!: Anal Pleasure and Health cost: $20.00 (limited income $10.00) audience: everyone » details |
| Nov. 13, 2007 6:30pm |
I'm Coming! A Guide to Women' s Orgasm cost: $20.00 (limited income $10.00) audience: everyone » details |
| Nov. 20, 2007 6:30pm |
Going Down: A Guide to Fellatio cost: $20.00 (limited income $10.00) audience: women » details |
Book Review
I ♥ Female Orgasm: An Extraordinary Orgasm Guide
By Diana Cage
New York: Alyson Books, 2007. 181pp
Reviewed by: Shannon L. D. Pringle
The cover seduced me. On a simple white background were three black words and one red heart presented with such simple enthusiasm that I was smitten at first sight. The title of the book read I Love Female Orgasm and I thought to myself,"Me too!" I am sure others will agree that this 3-15 seconds of unparalleled rapture is worthy of such a bold declaration.
I Love Female Orgasm: An Extraordinary Orgasm Guide is a fun, refreshing, demystifying and inclusive tour through the world of the female-bodied orgasm. Whether you are looking to have your first orgasm, are not sure if you have ever had an orgasm, are an orgasm connoisseur, or are a partner wanting to know more about women's orgasm, this book contains a wealth of information for you. There are a number of female orgasm books on the market, but this one captured my interest, beyond its frisky title, for its attempt to be inclusive, in its approach and use of language, of people of diverse genders and sexual orientations. There is just so much knowledge to be gained from people who experience their bodies and desires differently from what you may be accustomed to, and I Love Female Orgasm underlines the similarities in the human sexual experience rather than the differences.
There are always new things to learn, myths to deconstruct, and shame to squelch surrounding women's sexuality, and Solot and Miller take on this challenge. They have included chapters on the psychology and physiology of orgasms, masturbation, cunnilingus, intercourse, the g-spot and female ejaculation, sex toys, men and female orgasm, queer orgasms, anal play, and safer sex and birth control. Their thoroughness has left me somewhat daunted in how to approach this review, so I am going to write about what I love and learned from I Love Female Orgasm.
I loved learning, in the chapter "The Lowdown on the Big O," that the plateau phase of the female sexual response cycle can sometimes last for what seems like an inordinately long time, but usually, if the arousing stimulation continues, an orgasm can be reached. So for those out there who feel that taking a long time to come somehow means that they are defective, well it just isn't so. Solot's and Miller's section "Eight Lies You May Have Heard About Masturbation" is a refreshing reminder about how persistent these myths are in our culture, despite the advances of sex-positive feminism. And I Love Female Orgasm contains lots of tips on how to masturbate to orgasm for those who are new to it and for those wanting to change up an old routine.
The chapter "Going Down, Down Baby: Oral Sex and Female Orgasm" is great for anyone going down on anyone with a clitoris, especially if you learned about performing oral sex by watching mainstream porn. Mainstream porn, its sexual techniques and angles, are designed to turn on the viewer, not the participants, which makes it a poor example of how to actually get off. For anyone who fears that they don't measure up to today's porn stars, I recommend the "Porn Alert" section for a reminder on what an artificially created and surgically enhanced world it is.
I also appreciated the reminder that although a person may have a sex partner they are still responsible for their own orgasm. This is Slott's and Miller's take-home point from the chapter on intercourse. It's not fair to put the burden of responsibility for your sexual pleasure on your partner, nor to blame them if you don't come. Penetrative intercourse, whether it is with a biological penis or a silicone dildo, is not physically well designed to produce female-bodied orgasms easily. Only 30 percent of female-bodied people will orgasm from intercourse alone; most will need to have some kind of clitoral stimulation to come. This fact of life does not reflect poorly on the receptive partner, the penetrative partner, nor diminish the intimacy of the act, though we have been culturally lead to believe otherwise.
I was delighted to see the two Venus Envy stores mentioned in the chapter of "Vibrators, Toys and Piercings, Oh My!" as part of a handful of North American, women-orientated, educationally based sex shops. The chapter also has some good ideas for including sex toys in partnered sex. Solot and Miller wrap up I Love Female Orgasm with some tips for being a great lover: there's a chapter titled "Let's Here It For The Boys" that is written largely for biological males who have been socialized as males and a great chapter called "Coming with Pride" which includes lesbian sex advice and information about orgasms for transgendered and intersexed folks. I was so pleased to see this last section as it is the first time I have seen this topic in a mainstream sex guide! I Love Female Orgasm was a great read, and many times it made me want to have an orgasm, give someone and orgasm, and buy the tee-shirt!
Art
Spread a little love by Ima Ortega
Since we live in the days where freedom is a matter of geographical luck, I take this opportunity to express and share with you what I see... love is a beautiful thing... no matter what and where.
Showing at Venus Envy during July and August, 2007
The University of Ottawa's Couple Research Lab is looking for participants for their online study on same-sex couple relationships! This study aims to better understand personal and relationship factors that contribute to well being and distress in same-sex couples.
To be eligible, you must be 18 years old or more, have a good knowledge of English and be in a same-sex couple relationship for at least 12 months. In order to thank you for your participation, you will be entered in a draw for gift certificates to a music store.
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