photo by Anya Garrett

Is erotica just about sex?
It's not just about the sex, but sex is important. And by "sex" I don't just mean "doing it," I mean all the components that go into sex. One of the exercises I give students or people interested in writing erotica is to write a story where there's no actual sex. I've written a few, and one is amongst my favorites, called "Lap Dance Lust." I think it's about sexuality and eroticism, about building up the reader's interest. In other words, you're at least as interested in why a character is attracted to another character [as in] what they do with them. It's about turn-ons and temptations and attractions and hormones and lust and everything that goes into sex, which is obviously very broad, but so is "sex," in my opinion.

Are there different levels of erotica? Are some writers and anthologies "softer" or more hardcore than others?
There are definitely different levels, but I think most anthologies seem to have a mix. Even erotic romance is getting edgier these days, with plenty of kink and threesomes. There's a lot of "women's erotica" out there as well, but that doesn't necessarily mean softer. To me, the good thing about anthologies is that while you probably won't like every story (but maybe you will!) there's something you will enjoy, and you can just turn to the next one if you don't like it. For those looking for the more lighter end of erotica, Carol Queen just put out More Five Minute Erotica, which I have two stories in, and all the stories are under 1,000 words and meant to be read in short spurts. Like quickies.

What about different kinds of literary styles in erotica? Is there experimental/ post-modern erotica, sci-fi erotica, things like that?
There's really any kind of erotica you could want—there's even a book of meat erotica! Polly Frost writes great sci-fi erotica in her book Deep Inside, Circlet Press does sci-fi/fantasy erotica, and Nobilis Erotica is a podcast of erotic science fiction stories. There is definitely more experimental work, as well as authors who use erotic scenes in their fiction. I'm much more into realistic stories or mostly realistic stories but I think there's a market for all kinds of erotica.

What do you see as the difference between romance literature, erotic literature, and pornographic literature?
I think there is definitely overlap between the three, and some books that fall squarely into one category. Romantica, or romance erotica, is really booming right now, with HarperCollins's Avon Red, Harlequin's Spice line, Kensington's Aphrodisia line, and others starting up. This shows that romance readers don't just want things to "fade to black" but to be as explicit as anything you'd find in "erotica," just within the parameters of romance. Erotica is also growing, with more and more anthologies and especially e-publishers; if you look at erotica-readers.com you'll see plenty of calls for submissions from new presses. And what we might call pornographic literature does exist, though with the demise of Blue Moon Books, not as much is coming out of the U.S., but in the U.K. there is Chimera and Nexus and they publish lots of spanking, discipline type of books. But I really like when people blur the lines; when they make us confront things in erotica we're not expecting, like Shanna Germain wrote a story about a couple dealing with cancer in my book He's on Top. It's not an easy story, but there is both heat and heart.
My new obsession, courtesy of my friend Samara O'Shea, is James Joyce's erotic letters, which are absolutely filthy, I'm talking dirtier-than-anything-I've-ever-written-or-published, but also, at heart, love letters.

A lot of contemporary erotica seems to have third-wave feminist undercurrents, as if women are reclaiming the sex act.
Well, as someone who is a feminist and came of age reading the work of Susie Bright, Lisa Palac, Sallie Tisdale, Carol Queen, and the like, I can say that feminism has definitely affected both my sex life and my erotic writing. As to why there are seemingly more female authors, both in my collections and in general, I'm not sure if it's because women buy/read more books or what. I know there are plenty of men like Stan Kent, Thomas Roche, Simon Sheppard and Maxim Jakuwboski writing fantastic erotica, but I think for women, it's still this journey of self-discovery. Like when we figure out that we can have sex outside the conventional ways (with someone we're not necessarily dating or in an unusual way that blows our minds, or whatever), we want to share this fantastic (and not always so fantastic) news.
There was this interesting book called Gynomite edited by Liz Belile that came out a few years ago that explored all sorts of female-authored erotica that speaks to what you're talking about. Again, I think men have plenty to say about sex but it's trickier territory, because the things they might want to reclaim are sometimes frowned upon in ways that women's sexual explorations aren't (for instance, in relation to strippers and strip clubs, the subject of a few of my own stories).

Can you find erotica in the bookstore, or do you have to buy online?
It depends where you're shopping. Barnes & Noble doesn't have an erotica section, so you have to look in "Fiction Anthologies." Borders has erotica in the sex section, and has a pretty good selection. Indie bookstores tend to carry the latest titles, and that's about it, though a few places, like Powell's in Portland and Bookpeople in Austin (and I'm sure others I haven't been to) have good erotica selections. At airport bookstores, I've sometimes seen decent selections, and sex toy stores have some, but you can find the best variety online, in my opinion, because you can see dozens of titles related to the specific topic you're looking for. Now on Amazon they've broken down their erotic bestsellers by type, so there's the top 100 erotic anthologies, etc., which can give you some further shopping ideas.

Who are some of your favorite erotica writers? What is it about them that you love?
There are a few who I absolutely adore, namely Stan Kent, L. Elise Bland, Alison Tyler, Donna George Storey and a relative newcomer, Elizabeth Coldwell. Each write in very different styles, but always create really hot, powerful work. Stan Kent started out writing foot and shoe fetish erotica, and just has this really outlandish style, and has written things for my books on everything from cupcake sex to exhibitionism. L. Elise Bland writes often humorous stories that are also pretty outrageous. She just wrote one for me about a guy with a fetish for [clear] tape (not bondage tape). Alison Tyler just creates these really sexy scenarios, and Donna George Storey gets really into her characters. Elizabeth Coldwell knows how to tell a kinky story, and I'm so eager to see more of her work.

If I wanted to buy some erotica for my lover for Valentine's Day, what should I be looking for?
I'd say it depends on their comfort level; a good intro is any of the Best Ofs, like Best American Erotica, Mammoth Book of Best New Erotica (which is huge) and Best Women's Erotica, or as I recommended above, Five Minute Erotica and More Five Minute Erotica. There's also Alison Tyler's Got a Minute? Those last three feature very short stories. Alison Tyler's Juicy Erotica and my Sex and Candy are also fun and sexy, and perhaps a bit more playful because they deal with food. You could also look for something by Anaïs Nin—who, shamefully, I haven't read much of yet.

Do you think giving your lover a fetish anthology might be a good way to drop a subtle hint about some things you might like to try?
I think it could be, as long as it's done in a gentle way. I think people, including me, can be very intimidated by things they don't know about, especially if they think the other person really wants to do it and they are on the fence. So I think you have to reassure them that you may want to try it…with them, that it's not just all about you. That being said, reading sensually into their ear, then taking the story and making it your own and including your own fantasies could be very hot, and could start a dialogue between you, so the erotica is a jumping off point rather than a demand.

Not only do you edit and write erotica, but you run a popular erotica reading series in New York City, called In the Flesh. How do people react to hearing erotica? Is there a lot of uncomfortable laughter and squirming? Are there a lot of hook-ups at your reading series?
The greatest thing about In the Flesh—besides, of course, the free cupcakes!—is the audience. They are so open and welcoming, and I've concluded that it's because there are very few opportunities to hear sexy stories being read aloud. It's like a sensual lullaby, and it can be incredibly hot, but there's always plenty of humor, and not of the awkward kind (usually). I think sometimes people get really turned on and aren't sure how to deal with that in public. There have indeed been some hookups as a result of people meeting at In The Flesh, but my goal is simply to provide two hours of hot storytelling and give people some appreciation for erotica and sex, plus have a forum where people can share these types of stories. I'm such a nosy voyeur that I can never get enough of hearing what other people have to say. I'm always on the lookout for new authors, especially erotic poets and authors who happen to have erotic scenes in their fiction, things I wouldn't otherwise discover. There's definitely more to "erotica" than what's billed as erotica, and I encourage writers of all genres to explore the erotic potential in their work.

Read more about Rachel at rachelkramerbussel.com

(February, 2008)