The Next In The Flesh L.A. is August 28th!

IN THE FLESH: L.A. EROTIC READING SERIES
THURSDAY, AUGUST 28TH at 8 PM
AT HUSTLER HOLLYWOOD, 8920 SUNSET BOULEVARD, WEST HOLLYWOOD CA, 90069(Two blocks West of San Vicente on the South side, http://www.hustlerhollywood.com)
Admission: Free, $10 suggested donation to RAINN
Hustler Hollywood: 310-860-9009
http://inthefleshreadingseriesla.blogspot.com/


Number four brings us to a brand new reading venue with a collection of writers, journalists, directors, performance artists and more. This month’s theme? In honor of the Queen of Pop’s 50th birthday, it’s Madonna as interpreted by Joanna Angel (Burning Angel), whose work both in and out of the adult industry has turned heads; Adam Grayson (Search Extreme), whose caustic tongue and rapier wit often get the better of him; Ernest Greene (Taboo), whose sexual smarts outwit us all; Maggie Marr (Secrets of the Hollywood Girl’s Club), who tells the salacious tales we all want to know; and Batsheva Vaknin, an accomplished writer/performer with a passion for music. Author’s books will also be on sale.

In the Flesh: L.A. (the West coast version of In The Flesh founded by Rachel Kramer Bussel) is a monthly reading series held the last Thursday of every month at Hustler Hollywood, and features the city's best journalists, authors, scriptwriters and more offering their torrid tales for your entertainment and titillation, hosted and curated by writer/editor Carly Milne (Sexography, Hooking Up, Naked Ambition). From secret dirty confessions to unique sexual insights (and even the odd embarrassment or two), these writers get naked on the page and will make you lust after them and their words. Complimentary cookies and cupcakes are courtesy of Schmerty's. The event is free, but a suggested $10 door fee will be donated to the Rape and Incest National Network. In The Flesh: L.A. debuted in May 2008.



Joanna Angel - writer, producer, director, model and AVN award-winning adult film star - is the founder and owner of BurningAngel.com, an independent adult web-site that celebrates the intersection of sex and rock n' roll. The website cleverly places erotic photos and hardcore XXX movies alongside album reviews and interviews with punk and indie bands, including Marilyn Manson, My Chemical Romance, the Bouncing Souls, and Bad Religion, among many others. Referred to as the "queen of Alt-Porn porn", Joanna has been featured on The 2008 season premiere of TLC's "LA Ink", Fox News' "Red-Eye", Playboy TV's "Sexcetera", Fuse TV, KROQ Radio, SIRIUS Radio, and in numerous editorials, including The New York Times, Newsweek, The Village Voice, Time Out New York, The New York Press, Esquire UK, Penthouse, SCREW, XBIZ, AVN, Fleshbot, HEEB and The New York Post, which featured her as one of its "Top 25 Sexiest NYers." Joanna holds a B.A. in English from Rutgers University and among her numerous professional and provocative roles, she considers herself a writer above all; her writing was published in Carly Milne's "Naked Ambition" and she was also a featured sex columnist for Spin Magazine in 2006. On a day-to-day basis, Joanna documents all her life's experiences in her BurningAngel blog- which is regularly enjoyed by men and women across the world.


Adam Grayson has long since ditched the idea of doing anything productive for society, and has instead focused on filling all the checkboxes on his list of the seven deadly sins. This graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism moved to Los Angeles immediately after graduation, and continued down his path of owning and operating porn companies. His portfolio includes porn movie database Search Extreme (www.searchextreme.com), production company Jekyll & Hyde Productions (www.jhpxxx.com) and membership site Panty Pops (www.pantypops.com). His parents are very proud.


Ernest Greene is the stage name of I.S. Levine, who has participated in the production of adult video for over two decades as a performer, writer, director and producer. His body of work comprises over five hundred titles, including AVN award winners Strictly for Pleasure, Mask of Innocence, Tristan Taormino’s Ultimate Guide to Anal Sex for Women, Jenna Loves Pain and Nina Hartley’s Guide to Erotic Spanking. Greene is the producer and director of the Nina Hartley’s Guide series for Adam&Eve, which has sold over three quarters of a million videos to date and now extends to thirty titles. In addition to his work in visual media, Greene has served as Executive Editor of the best-selling adult magazine Hustler’s Taboo since 1999. He shares co-author credit under his real name with his spouse, Nina Hartley, on Nina Hartley’s Guide to Total Sex from Avery Press, a division of USA Penguin Group. He previously co-authored Coming Attractions, the Making of an X-Rated Video with Dr. Robert Stoller (Yale University Press, 1989). His work has also been published in Rolling Stone, Esquire, Details and Harpers. He currently writes a monthly business analysis column for the adult entertainment trade journal X-Biz. Greene is particularly well known for his groundbreaking approach to the presentation of unconventional sexuality related to consensual domination and submission. He has been active in the BDSM community for nearly thirty years, conducting workshops and seminars and serving as an officer of community groups. His activism also extends to the world of adult video production, where he held the position of chairman of the board of directors of The Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation (AIM) for seven years.


Maggie Marr is a former attorney, turned motion picture agent, turned writer. She divides her time between producing and writing. The author of Hollywood Girls Club and Secrets of The Hollywood Girls Club, Maggie is currently developing a pilot with Mandeville Films and finishing her third novel. She is married and the mother of two. Please visit her at www.maggiemarr.com.


BatSheva Vaknin graduated from Yale University, Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude Honors, then disgraced her family by moving to Hollywood and waitressing I MEAN singing/acting. She spent the years 2001-2003 writing songs for her self-titled band, playing local LA clubs like The Gig and The Knitting Factory. BatSheva slowly worked her way back into her family’s graces by writing: plays, including a one act directed by Howard Fine in Los Angeles; a one-woman-show which garnered rave reviews and ran for a total of 12 weeks in Los Angeles and North Hollywood; articles for online websites such as citysearch.com, homeandliving.com, and legalzoom.com; a short film (so what if it was about a girl who could only orgasm by watching a Rob Lowe movie?); a novel and screenplays, some of which were optioned and/or sold. If only she could earn equal respect from her two toddlers…

July's "Surprises" Were Definitely That!

Normally I’d write up a thorough recap of the event with pictures, but unfortunately my camera decided not to work all night. Bugger! But for the first time, we have a YouTube clip of one of our readers.

The evening started with Marty Barrett, who read two stories – one of which seemed so off-base that I turned to a friend and said, “I don’t think Marty got the memo about this being a sexual reading series.” “Unless the story is about to take a dramatic turn,” she replied, and sure enough – amid talk of blacksmiths and peppermint sticks – out comes a big, black dildo. Turns out the surprise was on us! Seth Greenland followed up with an excerpt from his book Shining City, which made everyone in the audience contemplate getting one of those silver vibrating eggs to take home. After a short break, it was all about Nina Hartley, who shared her tale of how she found herself in the surprising position of fisting a woman for the first time, and segued into discussing how calculated surprises could help your sex life stay fresh and fun. Jeff Miller followed, and bravely – hilariously – told the story of how his mother surprised him when he was masturbating to porn (appropriately called “Hitler Sucks.”) And last but not least, there was Colleen Wainwright, whose appearance is best explained by watching the YouTube clip her BF took of her performance that night:

Simply priceless.

As usual, cupcakes were donated by Schmerty’s, and not a single one was left by evening’s end. The wine from Erotic Cellar was also well received, so make sure to check them out as well.

We’re already gearing up for the next reading on August 28^th, and the line-up bios will be posted within the next day or so. But do note… we’re moving! That’s right, In The Flesh will now be making its home at the famed Hustler Hollywood store on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood. We won’t be able to have alcohol anymore, but we’ll have free tea and coffee in the café, Schmerty’s will still be offering cupcakes, and we’ll also be doing a raffle for a goodie bag themed to the evening’s reading. And if you’re worried about parking, don’t – there’s free underground parking on-site.

See you there!

We've Got Wine!

Those of you coming to In The Flesh tomorrow night are in for a treat. Not only do we have a great line-up of readers, but we’ve got a wine sponsor!



Meet Erotic Cellars, a fabulous winery out of Paso Robles, CA who have graciously agreed to furnish us with bottles of their best red, called Barrel 69, and white, christened For-Play Chardonnay. Check out their site for more information, and make sure you sign up for their Wine Lover’s Club, which nets you great deals, special events and more!

The Next In The Flesh L.A. is July 31st!

IN THE FLESH: L.A. EROTIC READING SERIES
THURSDAY, JULY 31^st at 8 PM
AT FREDDY AND EDDY, 12613 VENICE BOULEVARD, LOS ANGELES (Three blocks West of Centinela on the North side, http://www.freddyandeddy.com)
Admission: Free, $10 suggested donation to RAINN
Freddy and Eddy: 877-915-0380
http://inthefleshreadingseriesla.blogspot.com/

For our third go-around, we’ve poached from all different kinds of mediums to bring you an incredible, eclectic mix of writers, authors and performers ready and willing to open up to you. The theme of the evening is “Surprises” as expressed by Marty Barrett (Fleshbot), who routinely circles the adult industry with a clever turn of phrase; Seth Greenland (Shining City), whose latest novel will have you trying to peek into your drycleaner’s back room; Nina Hartley (Nina Hartley’s Guide to Total Sex), who – quite simply – is a porn legend; Jeff Miller (Thrillist), who helps tip dudes on what’s cool; and Colleen Wainwright (Communicatrix), who has braved internet dating tools and live to tell the tale both humorously and eloquently. Author’s books will also be on sale.

In the Flesh: L.A. (the West coast version of In The Flesh founded by Rachel Kramer Bussel) is a monthly reading series held the last Thursday of every month at Freddy and Eddy, and features the city's best journalists, authors, scriptwriters and more offering their torrid tales for your entertainment and titillation, hosted and curated by writer/editor Carly Milne (Sexography, Hooking Up, Naked Ambition). From secret dirty confessions to unique sexual insights (and even the odd embarrassment or two), these writers get naked on the page and will make you lust after them and their words. Complimentary cookies and cupcakes are courtesy of Schmerty's. The event is free, but a suggested $10 door fee will be donated to the Rape and Incest National Network. In The Flesh: L.A. debuted in May 2008.



Marty Barrett has lived in Los Angeles for eight years, where he has written and directed several works for theatres like Sacred Fools, the Raven Playhouse, and Theatre of NOTE. He is currently recording the cast album for his rock opera All That Jaws, which debuted in Santa Monica in 2007. and is half of the metamorphic rock duo Fogelfoot. Writing as Gram Ponante (an anagram of "porn magnate"), he is the most-read chronicler of the adult industry on the web.


Seth Greenland is a novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. His second novel, Shining City, was published by Bloomsbury in July, 2008. Movie rights have been purchased by Warner Brothers. The Bones, his debut novel, was published by Bloomsbury in 2005. His first play, Jungle Rot, was the recipient of the Kennedy Center/American Express Fund for New American Plays Award and the American Theatre Critics Association Award. It was published by Dramatists Play Service and anthologized in Best American Plays, 1996-1996. His other produced plays include Jerusalem, a finalist for the Critics Award, Red Memories and Girls In Movies. He has also written extensively for film and television. Mr. Greenland was one of the original bloggers on the Huffington Post and continues to contribute to the site. His work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Written By and the literary journal Black Clock. He has taught at the UCLA Writers Program, and guest lectured at NYU, USC, and UC-Riverside. He can currently be seen in his underwear on YouTube by going to www.youtube.com/sethgreenland. Currently, he is writing a memoir about the worst year of his life. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.


Nina Hartley grew up in Berkeley, California and graduated from Berkeley High School in 1977. And though she grew up shy, she knew that sex performance was in her blood. After sneaking into her first porn movie, Autobiography of a Flea, she began to live out her desire, first by beginning her dancing career in 1983, and then starring in her first video – Educating Nina – in 1984. Since then she has appeared in approximately 650 videos and won countless awards. In 1996 she began an educational video series for Adam and Eve, including Nina Hartley’s Guide to Oral Sex, Nina Hartley’s Guide to Multiple Orgasms, and Nina Hartley’s Advanced Guide to Sex Toys. She now adds “published author” to her list of credits as well. In 2006, Avery Press, a subsidiary of Penguin Group, published Nina Hartley’s Guide to Total Sex, which includes many of her secrets on how to be an effective, competent and confident lover. She continues to perform and work in the adult industry today. To learn more about her, please visit nina.com.


Jeff Miller is the editor of the LA edition of Thrillist.com, the indispensible dude-centric newsletter about cool and new restaurants/bars/events/places to fail at picking up women. He's also freelanced for publications like Maxim, The Los Angeles Times, and Esquire.com.


Colleen Wainwright is a designer-writer-consultant who started calling herself “the communicatrix” when she hit three hyphens. You can find out anything you want to know about her (and much, much more) at her eponymous home base, communicatrix.

June's "Confessions" Were Awesome!

June's "In The Flesh" was fabulous, thanks for asking! Great crowd, great readers... everything about the evening was wonderful. Some pictures from the event (an apologies in advance - I don't yet have a pro photog to cover ITF: L.A., so these are all courtesy of my digital camera, which doesn't always shoot well in night settings.)

Here's the stage and seating set-up. You wouldn't think this would be in the back of a cute sex shop, and yet...

Vino and cupcakes, as sponsored by Schmerty's. This time out we had double chocolate, chocolate and vanilla, and red velvet. (I have an announcement coming up about a wine sponsor, so stay tuned for that!)

Here's Jenny Block, reading from her memoirs, "Open."

It was a pretty good-sized crowd. (And it didn't hurt that she was reading about her first threesome.)

Next up was Regina Lynn, who graciously brought free copies of her book "The Sexual Revolution 2.0" for everyone.

She read a steamy-as-hell passage confessing her lust for - and the eventual blow-jobbing of - her co-worker.

Next up was Rob Roberge. He read two pieces, the crowd favorite being his tale of why and how he got a cock ring. (Not for the faint of heart, but hilarious all the same.)

And last but not least, Eugene S. Robinson reading from his new book, "Fight."

And then, to finish off the night, there was the dildo-wall photo (thanks for starting the trend, Marty!) From left to right, Jenny Block, Eugene S. Robinson, Regina Lynn, me and Rob Roberge.

Thanks again to everyone who attended, everyone who read, and - of course - Freddy and Eddy's for hosting the event. July's theme is "Surprises," and it's going to be a wild one. Won't you join us?

In The Flesh: L.A. Tonight!

The Schmerty's cupcakes have cooled, the wine is chilling, and we're just about to get started with the second In The Flesh: L.A. Just a quick programming note... Maggie Marr will be unable to join us for personal reasons, but she will be joining us again for Madonna Night in August. We're sorry to miss her, but she'll be back!

In the meantime, that means more time with Rob, Regina, Eugene and Jenny, who was on KTLA's morning show yesterday morning... and apparently she made an impact, as people were calling Freddy and Eddy's to find out what time she'd be reading at.

Everything will get underway around 8pm... see you there!

The Next In The Flesh: L.A. is June 26th!

IN THE FLESH: L.A. EROTIC READING SERIES THURSDAY, JUNE 29th at 8 PM AT FREDDY AND EDDY, 12613 VENICE BOULEVARD, LOS ANGELES (Three blocks West of Centinela on the North side, http://www.freddyandeddy.com) Admission: Free, $10 suggested donation to RAINN Freddy and Eddy: 877-915-0380 http://inthefleshreadingseriesla.blogspot.com/

Our second event is author-heavy, with novelists, memoirists and journalists ready to share their most intimate sexual thoughts and feelings with you. The theme of the evening is “Confessions,” as interpreted by Jenny Block (Open), who wrote a compelling memoirs about her path to an open marriage; Regina Lynn (Sexier Sex), whose book can tell you a thing or two about deepening your sexual self; Maggie Marr (Secrets of the Hollywood Girls Club), whose novels about women in Hollywood will make you blush; Rob Roberge (More Than They Could Chew), who enjoys the looks on people’s faces when he tells them about his sordid past; and Eugene Robinson (Fight), who routinely finds cross-sections between scrapping and sex. Author’s books will also be on sale.

In the Flesh: L.A. (the West coast version of In The Flesh founded by Rachel Kramer Bussel) is a monthly reading series held the last Thursday of every month at Freddy and Eddy, and features the city's best journalists, authors, scriptwriters and more offering their torrid tales for your entertainment and titillation, hosted and curated by writer/editor Carly Milne (Sexography, Hooking Up, Naked Ambition). From secret dirty confessions to unique sexual insights (and even the odd embarrassment or two), these writers get naked on the page and will make you lust after them and their words. Complimentary cookies and cupcakes are courtesy of Schmerty's. The event is free, but a suggested $10 door fee will be donated to the Rape and Incest National Network. In The Flesh: L.A. debuted in May 2008.

Jenny Block writes for a variety of regional and national publications, as well as for the website Huffington Post where she blogs weekly. Her work has appeared in several anthologies, including her essay “On Being Barbie” in the book “It’s a Girl: Women Writers on Raising Daughters.” Jenny’s new book, “Open: Love, Sex, and Life in an Open Marriage” was released June 1 from Seal Press. The inspiration for “Open” stems from her piece, "Portrait of an Open Marriage" which ran in Tango magazine, and was reprinted by Cosmopolitan Germany and The Huffington Post. “Portrait” is also slated to appear in Rebecca Walker's upcoming anthology "Walk This Way: Introducing the New American Family" in the Fall of 2008.

Regina Lynn is the award-winning Sex Drive columnist at Wired.com and the author of Sexier Sex: Lessons from the Brave New Sexual Frontier (Seal Press) and The Sexual Revolution 2.0 (Ulysses Press). She is the Tuesday "Sex in the News" guest on Playboy Radio: Afternoon Advice with Tiffany Granath (Sirius channel 198). Marie Claire magazine called Regina one of the "top five sex experts in the U.S."; she is still trying to shrug off any performance anxiety this accolade might cause. Regina lives in Los Angeles and San Francisco with her dog Jedi and her horse Rockstar. When not researching or writing, she can be found at the barn, just like she dreamed when she was 9. Her birthday is in May but she accepts presents all year. Visit her online at reginalynn.com.

Maggie Marr is a former attorney, turned motion picture agent, turned writer. She divides her time between producing and writing. The author of Hollywood Girls Club and Secrets of The Hollywood Girls Club, Maggie is currently developing a pilot with Mandeville Films and finishing her third novel. She is married and the mother of two. Please visit her at http://www.maggiemarr.com/

Rob Roberge is the author of the upcoming book of stories Working Backwards from the Worst Moment of My Life (Black Arrow Press, scheduled for SEPT, 2008), the neo-noir novels More Than They Could Chew (Perennial Dark Alley/Harper Collins, February 2005) and Drive (re-issue, Hollyridge Press, 2006). His stories have been featured in ZYZZYVA, Chelsea, Other Voices, Alaska Quarterly Review, and the Ten Writers Worth Knowing Issue of The Literary Review. His work has also been anthologized in Another City (City Lights, 2001) and It’s All Good (Manic D Press, 2004). He writes monthly columns for myrareguitars.com and sandm.com. Rob also teaches writing at a number of programs in the Los Angeles area, including the Antioch University Los Angeles, MFA in Creative Writing and the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program, where he received the Outstanding Instructor Award in Creative Writing in 2003. In his spare time, he plays guitar and sings with the Los Angeles area garage/punk bands The Violet Rays, The Danbury Shakes and LA’s seminal (class of 78) Urinals. He also restores and rebuilds vintage amplifiers and quack medical devices. For news and more info, visit & or email at www.myspace.com/robroberge.

Eugene S. Robinson fights and writes and writes about fighting. All while singing for art brut quartet OXBOW, Robinson's recently penned tough guy tome, Fight: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Ass-Kicking but Were Afraid You'd Get Your Ass Kicked for Asking [HarperCollins] is everything his long history of writing for GQ, Vice, Grappling, Decibel, the LA Weekly, the SF Weekly, Code, EQ, Skullgame.com, Gladiator, Hustler, Harp, Plan B, et al, would have suggested it'd be: equal parts brutal and amusing. And: not to be fucking missed. At all. We mean even if you have to do your hair that night or something. [http://www.eugenesrobinson.com/]