Susie Bright's Journal

The Great Balloon Boy Wishes You an Awesome Thanksgiving

susie@susiebright.com (Susie Bright) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:00:17 PST

I'm especially fond of my Thanksgiving blog treats. Here is an index of previous inspirations: NOVEMBER 26, 2008 Charlie Chaplin's Recession-Proof Thanksgiving NOVEMBER 21, 2007 Mom's Baked Apples with the Marshmallow Buttplug NOVEMBER 22, 2006 If You Want to End War and Stuff You Got to Sing Loud NOVEMBER 23,...

Why Does This "Deceived Dad" Story Remind Me of Gay Marriage Rights?

susie@susiebright.com (Susie Bright) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 08:14:09 PST

via www.nytimes.com NYTimes Magazine cover story today about a cuckolded husband named Mike, who was aggrieved to learn that he'd been paying child support for years for a daughter who was not biologically his. He loves her dearly, but he doesn't want to pay child support-- and in fact, would...

Sapphire Before Precious— The Lesbian Story Behind "Push"

susie@susiebright.com (Susie Bright) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:34:36 PST

I've been looking forward to seeing the new film Precious for over a year now. It's adapted from one of my favorite novels, Push, by Sapphire, a woman who has a special place in my heart— she's a poet I published in 1989 in On Our Backs, one of those...

Lies, Damned Lies, and Quotations!

susie@susiebright.com (Susie Bright) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:26:51 PST

"Hiring someone to write your autobiography is like hiring someone to take a bath for you." —Mae West I am an ardent quotations collector— I collect my favorites on slips of paper, write them on my hand, hoard hundreds on my hard drive. I belong to a brilliant "Quotation of...

Mad Men, Ft. Hood, & the Stupak Amendment: Connect the Dots

susie@susiebright.com (Susie Bright) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 09:03:23 PST

I can't be the only one to make the connection. For those of us who who are devoted to the American tele-novella Mad Men, the recent psycho-shooting at Ft. Hood had an eerie plot echo. (Spoilers ahead). In Mad Men, which takes place in New York of 1963, there's a...

My Halloween Musical Gift to You!

susie@susiebright.com (Susie Bright) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:39:59 PDT

via www.youtube.com Tom Waits on "Fernwood 2Night," circa 1977. One day I hope to use every single one of Tom's lines that he cuts loose in this after-piano interview. I will start tonight! Have a very spooky little evening...

I'll Be Reading My Favorite Judy Grahn Poem Tonight, in San Francisco

susie@susiebright.com (Susie Bright) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:42:00 PDT

Also showcasing performances inspired by Judy’s writing... “To The Mother Of All Bowls” choreographed and performed by Anne Bluethenthal and Dancers “The Psychoanalysis of Edward the Dyke” presented by Susie Bright Staged excerpt from The Queen of Swords directed by playwright and actress Jovelyn Richards Reading from “A Woman Is...

Susie's Review of "The Erotic City" in SF Chronicle

susie@susiebright.com (Susie Bright) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 16:43:02 PDT

"Every San Francisco neighborhood has two characters at each other's throats. "The "Tweedledums" are the cranks - you see them glaring at your T-shirt from their second-story window. They scream "Pervert!" at two women pushing a stroller down the street; they scold the Catholic schoolgirls to pull their skirts down....

How Erotica Causes Better Car Crashes

susie@susiebright.com (Susie Bright) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:55:28 PDT

On my audio show today: How Erotic Audiobooks Nearly Caused Multiple Collisions Listen to an excerpt: Download Pf_suzy_091023_sample Also, on today's episode: my doubts about "the woman who can't stop orgasming"— and a lesbian listener who wonders why her girlfriend won't kiss her from head to toe. Photo Credit: Holly...

Our Marketing Plan : The Publisher Advises a New Author

susie@susiebright.com (Susie Bright) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 12:28:15 PDT

I’ve attached a list of celebrities we think would be great to blurb your book, so find out their numbers and call them up. Be sure to do all this by Monday, because Sales Conference starts Tuesday. We come back Friday and then immediately on Saturday (!) all of editorial...

If You Breastfeed, You Cannot Fake It

susie@susiebright.com (Susie Bright) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:10:00 PDT

Today on my IBWSB audio show, I talk about the reality of sex during pregnancy and in the wee, wee hours after childbirth... Listen to excerpt: Lactation_orgasm_091016_sample Also on this episode, "The Psychoanalysis of Edward the Dyke" (I'll be reading it live, at Judy Grahn's Halloween event on October 30!)....

The (Pubic) Shaving Wars

susie@susiebright.com (Susie Bright) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 08:05:13 PDT

There was a time when a woman couldn't hope to succeed in romance without a hooped skirt... but now her pubic hair coiffure raises the bar higher. Listen here: Download Pf_suzy_091009_sample I am SO old that I remember when a full bush was considered the hottest, most desirable female sexual...

Rape Case Forces Halliburton Into the Open— But 30 Senators Vote Against It

susie@susiebright.com (Susie Bright) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 06:50:39 PDT

"The [anti-rape] legislation passed the Senate with a clear majority but 30 Republican members voted against it, including the former presidential candidate John McCain. "Among the objections were claims that the government had no business interfering in a private contract between a company and its workers." read more via detailed...

Maurice Sendak is My Hero Today

susie@susiebright.com (Susie Bright) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:28:49 PDT

Newsweek: What do you say to parents who think the Wild Things film may be too scary? Maurice Sendak: I would tell them to go to hell. That's a question I will not tolerate. via www.newsweek.com This whole interview is delightful. Wait'll you see what he says about Mickey Mouse.

Hot Air and Prison Cash

susie@susiebright.com (Susie Bright) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 06:58:25 PDT

Now that the economy is suffering, there is talk of reforming the prisons, of reviving the discredited concept of rehabilitation, of letting some prisoners out early. Some people have even mentioned doing away with the death penalty because of the exorbitant cost to the state of guaranteed appeals. For those...

Obama's Not the First Surprising Nobel Peace Prize Winner

susie@susiebright.com (Susie Bright) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 07:20:33 PDT

"President Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize today, only eight months into his term. It's a bold—and some might say strange—move to fete a president who's still in the beginning of his diplomatic career. After all, Arizona State University didn't even think he was ready for an honorary...

Betty Dodson Writing on Her First Abortion

susie@susiebright.com (Susie Bright) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 05:13:06 PDT

"That August when visiting family and friends in Wichita, I fell madly in love with Tommy, the boy next door handsome ideal I'd known for years. That fall Tommy moved to New York to study law and our summer affair continued hot and heavy. Upon my girlfriend's advice, I was...

Jon and the Cadavers

susie@susiebright.com (Susie Bright) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:48:54 PDT

I think you've heard me talk about my lover/partner Jon Bailiff before. He's a painter and printmaker. In 2008, Jon was studying anatomy and entered the Cabrillo College Anatomy Lab to draw a series of cadaver portraits, mainly in quill and ink. It's is the first body of artwork to...

Bareback Horse Racing, Pine Ridge Rez

susie@susiebright.com (Susie Bright) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 13:17:00 PDT

My partner Jon has been building his first cob structure— an outdoor oven, that you could roast a kid in, or bake a pizza. He's been checking out every book and video in the library on the subject— including a funky-looking DVD called Happy New Era - Wounded Knee 2005....

Are Antidepressants Chilling Your Orgasm?

susie@susiebright.com (Susie Bright) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 13:25:49 PDT

Check out these numbers: nearly 190 million antidepressant prescriptions were dispensed in the United States last year, according to the National Institute for Mental Health. Antidepressants are put into groups based on which chemicals in the brain they affect. Susie discusses several antidepressants - including Celexa, Lexapro, Prozac, Paxil, and...