Seeing my short fiction sheparded into print (with more to come). Now, I’m pleased to see Mitzi Szereto’s Foreign Affairs: Erotic Travel Tales on the bookshelves. I’m happy I’ve been a contributor to this series and delighted that Cleis Press has always produced superb covers for the books and Mitzi’s always done an incredible job of collecting fiction from around the world for the series’ pages. Check it out, won’t you?

As much as I enjoy my own byline, I must admit I’m always jonesin’ for other books. Like Pat Califia’s latest, Simon Sheppard’s newest, and future installments of Michael Hemmingson’s triology. (Hey, the 70s — remember? Long hair and hot sex before fear and Reagan descended upon us? Plus Olympia Press renderings revisited. How can I resist?) Looks like I’ll have to mail order them, though. Lately, my local bookstore has lagged behind the curve in new stock.

But I’m having trouble reading this Jenna Jameson review. Because a long time ago, in a newspaper near to me, the Sterns were the Sunday magazine food writers. I know they’ve moved on, tackling popular culture topics left and right, but I’m having a hard time reading this review without hearing their old “food review voice” coming into play. It makes some of their statements read facecious; I can’t tell whether their making the old subtle digs within the facade of a compliment as in days of old. Weird.

Some time ago, I caught wind of today’s youthful swinging scene via Naked Loft Party. I said then that, forget that it makes me feel old to be beyond their demographic, I was pleased to see them making their own way in the sexual world. And when I caught VH1’s The Secret World of Swingers a couple of weeks ago, it only reinforced my sense of it all. For the first time, I saw a scene that didn’t look highly predatory; it looked pretty egalitarian. The predatory nature of some individuals in the scene of my age group is the single most turn-off for me when it comes to swinging. That and I need more personal intimacy than sport fucking appears to allow. Of course, it’s possible that the documentary ignored any predatory overtones and maybe it’s still there, but what can I say? I enjoyed the portrayal it did present.

Question: Do we really want to get rid of 527s? Do we?