My class starts on Monday, and I have at least a tentative syllabus done. I'm too tired to reformat it for the web, but here's a quick copy, in case any of you want to try to follow along. The supplemental readings won't be discussed in class; they're really just in case anyone is getting very into it and wants more -- they're from
Aqua Erotica and
Wet.
Kearny Street Workshop: Sexual and Erotic Writing
Schedule of Readings
Week 1 (July 5th) - Discussion: Language, Inhibitions
"The Handbook of Sex of the Plain Girl", Marian Yee, _On a Bed of Rice_
"To Women Who Sleep Alone", Amy Uyematsu, _On a Bed of Rice_
"Gloriously", Kitty Tsui, _On a Bed of Rice_
Exercises: Sex terms, poem
At home: Read: "Rubenesque", Magenta Michaels
"Sex Talk", Dorothy Allison, _Skin_
supplemental: "I Want", Mary Maxwell (AE)
"Slick", Jack Murnighan (Wet)
Write: A poem
Week 2 (July 12th) - Discussion: Description / Mainstream
Selections from Bad Sex Awards
Selection from _Emmanuelle_, Emanuelle Arsan
Exercise: Bad sex scene
At home: Read: Two selections from _Vox_, Nicholson Baker
supplemental: "New House", Daniel James Cabrillo (AE)
"The Ugly Cock Dance", Mary Gaitskill (Wet)
Write: A full bad sex scene (prose or poetry)
Week 3 (July 19th) - Discussion: Memoir
"Dear Mom", Carol Queen
Exercise: "I enjoy"
At home: Read: "A True Story", Cecilia Tan
"Her Body, Mine, and His", Dorothy Allison, _Skin_
supplemental: "Movements", Michael Hemmingson (AE)
"On the Uses of a Bathtub", Jeffrey S. Chapman (Wet)
Write: A memoir scene (prose or poetry)
Week 4 (July 26th) - Discussion: Imagining the Other
"The Queer in Me", Carol Queen
Exercise: Scene from POV of the Other
At home: Read: "Fish Curry Rice", Ginu Kamani
supplemental: "Minarets", Barry Yourgrau (AE)
"The Flood", J. Hartman (Wet)
Write: A full scene from Other POV
Week 5 (Aug 2nd) - Discussion: Ethics / Asian Focus
"The Size of It", Timothy Liu, _On a Bed of Rice_
"Stories to Read Aloud: No VI", Allan DeSouza, _On a Bed of Rice_
Exercise: "My Asian/American fetish"
At home: Read: "No Name Woman", Maxine Hong Kingston, _The Woman Warrior_
"Pearl Diver", Cecilia Tan, _On a Bed of Rice_
supplemental: "Naked Woman Playing Chopin", Louise Erdrich (AE), "Sakura", Diane Kepler (Wet)
Write: Begin full story (fiction or non-fiction),
bring draft for group critique next week
Week 6 (Aug 9th) - Discussion: Genre Distinctions (Erotica/Porn)
Exercise: Erotica paragraph, porn paragraph, same scene
At home: Read: "You Go Too Far", Ray Vukcevich, _Blowing Kisses_
"Sex Writing", Dorothy Allison, _Skin_
"How to Write a Best Erotica Story", Susie Bright
"Hotel Excelsior", Jaie Helier, _Blowing Kisses_
supplemental: "In Deep", Simon Sheppard, (AE)
"Depths", Dave Smeds (Wet)
Write: Finish full story, bring draft for MA crit next week
Week 7 (August 16th) - Discussion: What Makes a Good Sex Scene?
Exercise: Mark-up your favorite scene from Reader
At home: Read: Students find a piece online or in print, bring enough
copies next week to share with class
"Mint in Your Throat", M. Mohanraj
supplemental: "Seven Cups of Water", M. Mohanraj (AE)
"How It Started", M. Mohanraj (Wet)
Write: Revise full story
Week 8 (August 23rd) - Discussion: Publishing / Markets
Exercise: Draft a cover letter
