ElaineMiller.com

Queerotica was SO MUCH FUN! Just a note of thanks to those who came, who read, who listened, who helped, and who supported our little endeavor.

We had packed a tiny bit too much pornorific fabulousity into the night, which resulted in us all having to leap up and scramble out by the 11pm deadline, and I kinda feel like we all did this really great SM scene together, but missed the aftercare! If you feel like chatting with me and Afuwa electronically, we can be reached at queerotica-at-elainemiller-dot-com.

Here are some more fun things that are happening this Pride season… maybe I’ll see you all out and about?
http://elainemiller.com/blog/

and…

Our last reader was Anna Camilleri, who many of you already know. Here’s a couple more things that Anna’s doing while we are lucky enough to have her on this side of Canada:

Thursday, July 31, world premiere of Still Breathing Fire
http://prideinart.ca/still_breathing_fire.htm

Monday, Aug 4th Writing Boot Camp
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=21910937612

Thanks again!

-Elaine

Repeated by popular demand!
For those who tried to register but found the workshop sold out, we’re going again!
Pride in Art Festival presents
CREATIVE LICENSE (Too):
Writing Bootcamp for Queers
a day-long workshop intensive with Anna Camilleri
Monday, Aug 4, 11am-5pm (w/ a 45 minute lunch break)

Do you want to write but are having trouble breaking through the “noise”?

Creative License is a one-day intensive workshop for all queer writers: beginning, experienced, and stalled.

Designed to offer participants tools for entering the writing realm with curiosity, Creative License is based in a series of directed writing practices in a supportive group setting. The emphasis is on mining our imaginations, experimenting with voice and form, generating new writings, and working with story elements for fiction and creative non-fiction.

Arrive with an open mind and leave with
a stack of new writing.

The Details
$65 (non-refundable) fee includes materials, limited to 15 participants

Registration and pre-payment at Little Sister’s | 1238 Davie Street | # 604-669-1753
And at Queerotica (http://elainemiller.com/queerotica) July 30, 7:31pm start, @The Roundhouse
Location: 295 E11th Ave, Vancouver (between Main & Kingsway)
Monday, August 4th, 2008 | 11am-5pm
Please direct inquiries to Anna Camilleri at reddressproductions@gmail.com

Facilitator Bio
Anna Camilleri is the author of critically acclaimed I Am a Red Dress: Incantations on a Grandmother, a Mother and a Daughter, editor of Lambda Finalist Red Light: Superheroes, Saints and Sluts, co-editor of Lambda Finalist Brazen Femme: Queering Femininity, and co-author of Boys Like Her: Transfictions. Her writing has been described as “potent, fresh, and imbued with powerful imagery” (Quill and Quire starred review); “brave and necessary” (Books in Canada); and as “provocative and evocative” (Xtra). Anna has performed widely over the last fifteen years in Canada and the US, contributed to several community arts projects as an artist-educator, curated numerous performance programs, and led workshops on various as aspects of cultural production. Anna is premiering her new one-woman performance work, Still Breathing Fire, at the 10th Annual Pride in Art Festival in Vancouver on Saturday July 31, 2008 at the Roundhouse. For more information, please visit www.annacamilleri.com or www.prideinart.ca.

creative-license-too-vancouver PDF file

Leatherdykes and friends — what a good wind-down! This one’s put on by some rather lovely friends of mine, and I’m planning on bringing a great big blankety-blank blank and some snacks.

- Elaine

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LEATHERDYKE Post-Pride Picnic in the Park

When: MONDAY, August 4, 4pm –> 8pm
Where: Trout Lake / John Hendry Park
3350 Victoria Drive, Vancouver
(Trout Lake, SouthEast corner)

Though the gayest weekend of the year may be over, we’re not going down without a fight…or giggles, the occasional spank or ten, and the company of some of the most lovely and delicious leatherdykes around!

Swing on by, bask in your post-pride fuzziness, and reminisce with us! A bunch o’ leatherdykes are throwing down blankets, laughs, and good company. Come on down, bring your partner/s, friends (kink-friendly or just friendly is mighty fine), a blanket, food n drink, chairs, sunscreen…and most importantly, yourself!

Alas, should the weather not cooperate, we will have to postpone. Crossing our fingers for sunshine…

See you there,

Mary Anne, Jen S., Mars

This is gonna be a Really Good Time. Ryan’s in it, and Shaira, and Dj. and Ticha and Maryanne and Amber Dawn and Rachel, and lots of other talented folks.

Friday, July 25th

See you there!

(Click the poster if you can’t see the whole thing, and it’ll pop up in a new window. Or check out http://prideinart.ca for details.)

I’m involved in producing or performing ina bunch of stuff this Pride season…

So here’s a kind of lump of “Here’s what I’m doing in the next few weeks, please come out and join me.” newsletter. With links to details, and to the pretty posters.

Please feel free to tell other people about ‘em.

In order of organizing panic, I mean, in the order we come to ‘em….

Read the rest of this entry »

http://tttaiko.com/jodaiko/

(If you’re reading this at one of the many places where my blog feeds, you might need to see the actual blog to catch the nifty factor…)

So, I have this font that’s my actual handwriting. Wait, that’s not the nifty part. Especially not considering how much like an epileptic chicken I write.

There’s this coolio plugin here:
http://templature.com/2007/10/18/ttftitles-wordpress-plugin/

And I installed it. Now my posts will come titled as if I handwrote them, which tickles my techy irony-spot.

Leaping literary lesbian writers! Gayleen’s reading at Little Sister’s.

So, sponsor Spike for the walk, okay?

http://www.spikeharris.com/somethingevil/2007/07/gimme-all-your-money/

Here’s a bunch of us from last year, all interspersed with everyone else. Can you spot our little group of queers? We crop up over and over…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AI6zv6UuH1w

So, my friend Kona is taking over 2000 square feet of sauna/steam bath (twice the space and twice the time of last year’s party) and having a fabulous ‘private’ birthday party. It’s for women. It’ll be sexy and it’ll be kinky and it’ll be fun. $20 cost includes food and drink. (If you were there last year, you’ll remember the joys of eating mango or watermelon while naked, while watching grrls get spanked in the shower room. Happiness.)

Wanna know the details? Email me and I’ll send you the invite. Yes, even if you don’t know Kona yet. The more the merrier!

Afterparty at my place.

I’m having this BDSM playparty near mid-March. Women + transfolk / friends and acquaintances. Are we acquainted and you haven’t rec’d an invite yet? Drop me a note.

LEATHERDYKE Last-Minute Picnic in the Park
Trout Lake / John Hendry Park
3350 Victoria Drive, Vancouver
MONDAY, August 7 4pm –> 8pm-ish
Trout Lake, SouthEast corner
Map here: http://elainemiller.com/blog/
gloriously $free: bring food, drink, and a blanket or foldy chair.

Elaine and Spike were supposed to have a BBQ, but the unmerciful fates dictated that Spike have a final exam Tuesday moning, and Elaine have a server crash, so we’re not having the dang BBq at our house.

INSTEAD! We present
The Fantabulous Are-you-sick-of-lying-around-on-blankets-with-hot-women-yet (because-we-fucking-love-it)
LEATHERDYKE Last-Minute Picnic in the Park.

Friends welcome. (Yes, anybody you really like.)
Entertainment: what, food and conversation ain’t enough?

We’ll be there with sunblock on!

LeatherDyke Things to Do. (Vancouver Pride 2006)
An unofficial guide compiled by Elaine

If you’d like to forward the text of this exact single post to other queer folks, please go right ahead.

Here’s where many of Vancouver’s LeatherDyke.com folks and their guests have indicated that they’re gonna go:

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FRIDAY, August 4

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RoninT’s Taiko Drumming show:
JODAIKO presented by Pride in Art, Friday, August 4, 8:00pm
Roundhouse Community Centre, 181 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver
http://TTTaiko.com/jodaiko/
Tickets: $10 -$18 sliding scale
Tickets available at door AND at: Little Sister’s Books ( 1238 Davie ST 1-800-567-1662) and Rhizome Café (317 East Broadway, Vancouver 604-872-3166)

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SATURDAY, August 5

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DykeMarch
(dykes march from McSpadden Park to Grandview Park and then party)
starting noon, gathering at McSpadden Park (Victoria Dr. and McSpadden near 4th Ave)
http://www.vancouverdykemarch.com/
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DykeMarchFestival
1:00pm, Grandview Park
http://www.vancouverdykemarch.com/
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Powell St. Festival
11 am-6 pm Oppenheimer Park (400 block Powell Street) Japanese-Canadian festival that many Asian dykes attend and organize
http://powellstfestival.shinnova.com/index.html
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Bride Of Pride – ThePlayParty
http://prideparty.vancouverleather.com/
Saturday, August 5, 2006
Doors 8 pm – midnight, Party until 1 am.
The Anza Club, 3 West 8th Avenue, Vancouver.

Invited: Adult women (queer, str8, trans etc) who enjoy woman-to-woman kink and BDSM. Also invited: genderqueers & transguys who feel a connection with the women’s kink community. Women of all experience levels are welcome!
contact/questions? brideofpride (at) vancouverleather (dot) com
Tickets will be $15 in advance, or $20 at the door. or at: Little Sister 1238 Davie Street / The KISS Store, 2512 Watson Street, 604-675-9972 / Tech Direct, 888 Commercial Drive Ph/Fax (604) 251-4737 / and ONLINE (at the above website)

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SUNDAY, August 6

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The Pride Parade:
noon – 2:00pm
http://www.vancouverpride.ca/index.cfm
The parade will start on Denman @ Robson Street, making its way down along Beach Avenue and then end at Pacific & Thurlow. Over 130 floats and 185,000 spectators…

Sunset Beach Festival
2:00pm – 6:00pm
Sunset Beach (by where the pride parade ends)
Keep the celebrations going after the parade and follow the parade to Sunset Beach!
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The Odd Ball
8pm – midnight
WISE Hall, 1882 Adanac St, $10 at the door.
http://theoddballcouver.blogspot.com/
with Crystal Precious, Lindsey Longlegs, Edward Malaprop, Tralala, Miss Cookie Lawhore, Odd Ball GoGo, Dj Titz McGee & Dj Ruggedly Handsome.
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and a package deal:
$5 entrance to “Shame / lesbians on ectasy” after The Odd Ball with Odd Ball stamp… space permitting!
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Shame! (there’s no pride left)
Sunday August 6th @ The Anza Club # 3 West 8th @ Ontario – *PARTY TILL 4:00 AM*
With Live performances by… “The Lesbians on Ecstasy” (lessiesonx.com) and “Better Friends Than Lovers”
and DJ Fembot (No-No Spots) & DJ Dance Mix 96 (aka Shelby from the “Organ”)
Doors @ 9pm Party til 4am!
Tickets available Friday July 14th @ “Lick” (455 Abbott) or “Cafe Du Soleil” (the Drive). $10 advanced sales!
call (604) 727 1296 for more information.

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MONDAY, August 7

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and finally….

LEATHERDYKE Last-Minute Picnic in the Park
Trout Lake / John Hendry Park
3350 Victoria Drive, Vancouver
MONDAY, August 7 4pm –> 8pm-ish
Trout Lake, SouthEast corner
Map here: http://elainemiller.com/blog/
gloriously $free: bring food, drink, and a blanket or foldy chair.

Elaine and Spike were supposed to have a BBQ, but the unmerciful fates dictated that Spike have a final exam Tuesday moning, and Elaine have a server crash, so we’re not having the dang BBq at our house.

INSTEAD! We present
The Fantabulous Are-you-sick-of-lying-around-on-blankets-with-hot-women-yet (because-we-fucking-love-it)
LEATHERDYKE Last-Minute Picnic in the Park.

Friends welcome. (Yes, anybody you really like.)
Entertainment: what, food and conversation ain’t enough?

We’ll be there with sunblock on!

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General Stuff

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Tons more events for everyone! Look here:

Pride Society’s Event Listing
http://www.vancouverpride.ca/events.cfm

Xtra West’s Pride Guide:
http://www.xtra.ca/images/xw_upg06.pdf

.. and boy was it fun. What a lot of cool dykes!

Still cheerful…

-Elaine

So, I don’t watch TV, right? And I’m not much of a movie buff. Except for anything by Joss Whedon. There’s reasons for that liking-of-Joss, which have in a complicated way to do with storytelling, humour, and a strong feminist slant.

But why am I telling you this? Go see for yourself. The movie is all a movie ought to be, although I wish there was more (more! more!) of it. You don’t need to have seen the Firefly series first, but it’ll make you love the characters even more.

Also, all the chicks kick ass.

http://serenitymovie.com/