Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Submit to Me!


It's twenty years since I started to collect stories for the original Leatherwomen, and anthologies have refused to die. With the explosion of e-book publishers of erotica, there has never been a better time to get your stories out into the world – and after twenty years, I'm eager to collect all sorts of delicious smut. From sweet and romantic to edgy and kinky, show me what you've got!

Here's a brief overview at what I'm looking for:

The Best of LeatherwomenDeadline - Dec 31, 2011
Did you write for me back in the day? Find me, please! We'll make a combined collection from all three of the groundbreaking Leatherwomen anthologies and you can get paid again for work you so long ago we all rode dinosaurs to the play parties.

Leatherwomen 2012 – Still KickingDeadline - January 31, 2012
Is leather dead? Hell no! But it has changed and so have leatherwomen. Celebrate the thrill of skins and kink and the hot women who embody the name leatherwoman in this new universe of kinky potential. Like the previous Leatherwomen anthologies, stories may contain characters of any physical, emotional and sexual identity you believe falls under the name leatherwoman. BDSM, latex, punk, heterosexual, queer, single, couples, poly, orgies – if you believe your story and your characters belong in this crew, then convince me. Extra points for non white/American/party-going/lifestyle characters and situations, and much love for pushing the boundaries of identity and politics. Make it romantic or ironic; sweet or scary. But fill it with power and presence and desire.

Hot Butches/Hot FemmesDeadline – December 31, 2011 
Two companion volumes, one goal – to celebrate the classic identities of butches and femmes, those who love to play with gender! Your story must feature at least one butch or femme (depending on the volume) matching the title description. They can be the point of view character, the protagonist or the lust object of the story. Don't dial back the sex – keep it hot and spicy! But these are celebratory books, so I am looking for happy endings. Kink/leather/BDSM themes welcome, but not required – the flavor here is gender and gender expression.

No Safewords – A Marketplace CollectionDeadline - February 28, 2012
Do you have what it takes to enter The Marketplace? For the first time since The Academy, I am opening the doors to my exclusive playroom, for this first collection of fan fiction! Yes, you can write a Marketplace story – and this is your chance to really push the limits! Use any character, any setting. Delve into the online Marketplace wiki to brush up on existing characters or create your own. Fit the story to what already exists or imagine a sort of alternative universe to myalternative universe. Do you think there should have been more gay/lesbian/straight/rubber/steampunk/food fetish/Canadian/sexy accountant stories in the books? Now is your chance to write one!

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Calling All Leatherwomen!!

I'm happy to announce that I'll be editing several anthologies over the winter and into 2012. In addition to some new projects (keep your eyes out for "Calls for Submission"), I am bringing back my "Leatherwomen" brand.
If you are a writer who was published in one of my original Leatherwomen anthologies, I am asking you to get in contact with me at Antoniouedits (at) gmail (dot) com as I build a "Best of Leatherwomen" collection!
(cue harp arpeggios, musically implying that we are traveling back in time)
Back in the pre-internet 1990's, there was a dearth of fiction available to kinky women written by kinky women. Pretty much all we had was the groundbreaking Coming To Power by Samois, the periodic s/m themed short stories in On Our Backs, and a few writers like Susie BrightArtemis Oakgrove and a writer I consider my mentor, Dorothy Allison.
I decided to fill that void by editing a series written by and for Leatherwomen of all orientations. So, in the mid-1990's, I put out a call for submissions.
There was only one problem. Pat (now Patrick) Califia and Robin Sweeney were collaborating on"The Second Coming: A Leatherdyke Reader," billed to be the follow-up to the Samois anthology. Every kinky lesbian writer I knew had already promised their work to Pat and Robin.

I persisted, and not only published "Leatherwomen," but even got out "Leatherwomen II (Revenge of the Leatherwomen)" before The Second Coming was published. I then published "Leatherwomen III (Clash of the Cultures)" in the late 1990's.
           
Now, a decade later, I think it's time to bring back the Leatherwomen brand. So much has changed in the kink community since Leatherwomen III was published, ranging from the rise of sex through social media to the increasing fluidity of gender and sexual identity. I think it's time to hear from leatherwomen again.
To launch the return of the "Leatherwomen" series, I am calling all contributors to the earlier anthologies to get in touch with me. Let's bring back those sexy, smutty, kinky, toe-curling stories and introduce them to a new generation of readers. Contact me atAntoniouedits (at) gmail (dot) com.
And for the rest of you: keep your eyes open for additional "Calls for Submission" from me!

Wednesday, October 05, 2011

New Chris Parker story!

On Wednesday, October 12th, I'll be reading The Man With the Phoenix Tattoo, the first-ever story about Chris Parker that is not in a Marketplace novel. The reading will be at 7:00 p.m. at Bluestockings, 172 Allen Street on New York City's Lower East Side.

The story is part of a new anthology entitled Take Me There: Trans and Genderqueer Erotica. I've known editor Tristan Taormino for many years, and when she contacted me about this project, I knew Chris Parker needed to be included in this anthology. Trans and genderqueer folk are fiercely sexy to me, and I am proud to have created the first-ever FTM romantic lead in a long-running erotic series.

Take Me There is a great collection of  erotica by, for, and about transfolk, FTMs, MTFs, genderqueers, gender outlaws, as well as two-spirit, intersex, and gender-variant people. The power of seeing and being seen is a central theme in the anthology; it’s not simply about passing or not passing (an idea often explored with transgender characters), but about being acknowledged and desired in a sexual context.

Other contributors include authors Kate Bornstein (Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation), Patrick Califia (Speaking Sex to Power), S. Bear Bergman (Butch is a Noun), Ivan Coyote (Missed Her), Julia Serrano (Whipping Girl), Helen Boyd (My Husband Betty),  Toni Amato (Pinned Down by Pronouns), Alicia E. Goranson (Supervillianz), filmmaker Tobi Hill-Meyer, musician Rahne Alexander, songwriter Shawna Virago, blogger Andrea Zanin, and others.

If you join us on Wednesday, October 12th at Bluestockings, you'll not only hear my story, but the contributions of author Rachel Kramer Bussel, blogger Sinclair Sexsmith of The Sugarbutch Chronicles, and poet/performer/activist Rachel K. Zall.

I hope Take Me There not only gives me an opportunity to introduce new readers to the Marketplace series, but that it will offer my long-time fans a look at Chris Parker's fictional peers.  See you at Bluestockings!