This website and the Sex Worker Literati story telling series were born from a very happy union between David Henry Sterry and Audacia Ray.
Get in touch:
Email Audacia Ray: dacia [at] wakingvixen.com
Email David Henry Sterry: sterryhead [at] gmail.com
The purpose of our projects is to give voice to people who exchange, or have exchanged, sex for money. To show this population for who they truly are, in all their beautiful diversity, in their own words, in their own images- gay, straight, and all kinds of others. College educated, high school dropout, and everything in between. From glitzy upscale penthouses, to back alley cracked hangouts, and everywhere in between. Too many times, in the it’s-a-small-world-after all community of sex workers, we focus on what separates and divides us, rather than our common cause, which is safety, prosperity, and happiness for all those concerned. There will be a steady stream of movies, pictures, social commentary, short memoirs, nightmares, war stories, poetry, announcements for events, advice for and from sex workers on life, love, money, sex, and so much more. But we also want to make this a place where sex workers and their friends from all over the world can contribute. Where they can be heard. And seen. We welcome submissions of all kinds.
This website came about as the result of a book that David Henry Sterry and RJ Martin put together, and which Audacia Ray contributed to. It is being published by Soft Skull Press. It’s called, Hos, Hookers, Callgirls, and Rentboys: Professionals Writing on Life, Love, Money and Sex. It has contributions from sex worker All-Stars like sex art goddess Dr. Annie Sprinkle, gay icon Perry Brass, sexual revolutionary Dr. Carol Queen, the Happy Hooker herself, Xavier Hollander, porn star and sex educator Nina Hartley, acclaimed memoirists and gay activist Matilda Bernstein Sycamore, Devil in Miss Jones icon Georgina Spelvin, and best-selling memoirists Kirk Read. But it also has contributions from people right off the streets, who are literally never heard from in our society. The only saying that all of the writers in that anthology have in common is that they exchanged some kind of sex of some kind for money. The book has also spawned a monthly reading series, called Sex Worker Literati, which will take place on the first Thursday of every month, starting in August 2009, at Happy Ending in New York City. If you are interested in performing, please let us know. If you’re interested in meeting us, and other like-minded humans, drop by.
Say hi.
Thanks, David and Audacia
Credits: Photos of David and Audacia are by Sinead McCarthy. The Sex Worker Literati postcard was designed by Sinclair Sexsmith. The website header was also made by Sinclair, based on the fabulous design for the book cover by Shane Luitjens.
