A Public Service Message
A public service message from my Instagram feed.
Buy my digital short story, “The Tumor” … “a masterpiece of short fiction.”
Death of a Woodsman
Earlier this week, AVN reported that performer / director Brandon Iron, “who had mysteriously fallen out of contact with friends since roughly mid-April, in fact died around that time in Dublin, where he had been living for several years with his girlfriend Sarah O'Brien and their daughter Lily.” A sad story. I interviewed Iron several times, and he seemed like a nice, sensitive guy. I quoted him in the most-read story I’ve ever written for Forbes: “The Hardest Thing About Being a Male Porn Star.”
According to Iron:
"‘The hardest thing about being a male porn star is convincing your female co-workers that you are an interesting, well-rounded, fun guy who they might consider dating in a parallel universe after a few drinks,’ Iron says.”
Buy my digital short story, “The Tumor” … “a masterpiece of short fiction.”
Post-Shower Selfie
A post-shower selfie, in Burbank, California, from my Instagram feed.
Buy my digital short story, “The Tumor” … “a masterpiece of short fiction.”
Stripperwear Goes Logomania
via Pleasure Zone
Thanks to the always amazing Ecce Homo, I saw this designer dance wear sold by Pleasure Zone in Houston, Texas. There’s also Givenchy, Chanel, Gucci, Off-White, and Supreme. Because nothing says I’m worth it like logomania.
Buy a copy of my digital short story: “The Tumor” — "a masterpiece of short fiction.”
Those Letters from Johns
Le Sex Shoppe, Los Angeles, CA | Photo credit: Susannah Breslin
Yesterday, I tweeted some links to a project that I did a decade ago: Letters from Johns. Started on a whim (n.b.: everything interesting I’ve ever done was started on what amounted to a whim), the year-long project featured anonymous letters men wrote me about why they’d paid for sex. On Twitter, I mentioned a few that had stuck with me: “My entire life I have been trapped inside a body that I hate,” “You can, in fact, buy intimacy by the hour, even if one half of it is feigned,” “I keep a coded diary, in case it's discovered.”
What had the project revealed? What struck me as I looked through the letters a decade later was that it had provided a rarely-seen window into male vulnerability. Ten years later, men are still expected to present themselves as a cardboard cutout of masculinity. These letters showed what was hidden.
You can read more about The Letters Project, which includes Letters from Johns, Letters from Working Girls, Letters from Men Who Watch Pornography, Letters from Men Who Go to Strip Clubs, and Letters from Cheaters, and the press coverage that five-year project got here. You can read an email from a john about why he wrote me a letter here: “You were my Studs [Terkel].” And if you want to write me an email about why you’ve paid for sex, you can do so at susannahbreslin @ gmail. Who knows? Maybe I’ll relaunch the project to find out what’s changed, if anything.
Buy a copy of my digital short story: “The Tumor” — "a masterpiece of short fiction.”
"Euphoria" Is Euphoric
I love “Euphoria.” Dreamy, ethereal, and saturated in color, it’s a kaleidoscopic, subterranean trip into the current state of teenagehood. I adore pretty much everything about it, from its stunning performances to its pep rallies to its subtextual makeup. I’m available to write for this show, Sam Levinson.
Buy a copy of my digital short story: “The Tumor” — "a masterpiece of short fiction.”
The New Playboy
There’s an interesting article in today’s New York Times about the new Playboy. It’s intersectional, millennial, and Hefner-less. Personally, I’m looking forward to the launch of Cooper Hefner’s Stag Daily.
“Playboy no longer publishes its financial results, but Mr. Kohn said consumers spend some $3 billion on the company’s products and services each year. Relaunching the magazine, he said, made sense as a kind of ‘brand extension.’ He likened the future of the company to Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop.”
Buy a copy of my digital short story: “The Tumor” — "a masterpiece of short fiction.”
How Journalists Can Think Like Scientists
Recently, I had the opportunity to attend the Russell Sage Foundation’s Social Science Summer Institute for Journalists. Helmed by Nicholas Lemann and Tali Woodward, it’s an intimate seminar that teaches journalists how to write about the social sciences and think like social scientists. Guests speakers included Andrea Elliott and Shamus Khan. It’s held in a Philip Johnson building on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. I’m already using the tools I acquired there. I highly recommend it for everyone: from graduate students to veteran reporters.
[Image via my Instagram]
Buy a copy of my digital short story: “The Tumor” — "a masterpiece of short fiction.”
This Is Original Reporting
This is a sex bench | Image via Amazon
When you’re asked to cover a supermodel and her girlfriend acquiring a sex bench, and you want to do some original reporting, you get on the phone and start calling Los Angeles sex shops. My latest on Forbes:
“Cara Delevingne and Ashley Benson Are Spotted with a $390 Sex Bench”:
“Next, I tried Hustler Hollywood in Hollywood. ‘Give me a moment,’ the woman who answered the phone told me when I asked if they had the sex bench in stock. ‘I'm going to see if we still have it in the back.’ When she returned, she revealed: ‘We have one left.’”
Like this blog? Support my work by buying a copy of my digital short story: "The Tumor." It’s been called "a masterpiece of short fiction."
The Reverse Cowgirl Rides Again
Over on Instagram, I reminisced about how I ended up being not-referenced-referenced in the movie “Julie & Julia.” At the time, I had a very popular blog on Salon. It was called The Reverse Cowgirl. Subsequently, a less popular blog, which was about cooking, was turned into a movie.
Like this blog? Support my work by buying a copy of my digital short story: "The Tumor." It’s been called "a masterpiece of short fiction."
The Girl
I’m taking a comics-making class, and this is something I did in the third session. It’s iterations of my main character. She’s in her underpants. I decided to take the class so I could practice drawing. What I like best about the class is that it asks you to focus on creativity. Sometimes, when you’re a journalist, creativity is not encouraged. But if journalism isn’t an act of creation, then what is it?
Buy my digital short story: "The Tumor." It’s been called "a masterpiece of short fiction."
I Am Ready for This Porn-Themed Coffee Shop
I did a really interesting interview with xHamster’s Alex Hawkins about an idea they had for an adult-themed coffee shop. What started out as a stunt may become the real deal. I mean, is it really that far-fetched? Consider the breastaurant. Or toilet-themed restaurants. Why not XXX?
Read: “If a Porn Company Opened an Adult-Themed Coffee Shop, Would People Come?”
Not long ago, a curious email arrived in my inbox. Apparently, xHamster, a juggernaut adult website, was launching a chain of adult-themed coffee shops. The first of its 18+ coffee shops would be in the San Fernando Valley, natch, and in Chatsworth, specifically, a neighborhood in the northwest sector known for churning out adult content. The stores would be called xHamster with Cream and would offer "adult-themed custom drinks and free, unfiltered WiFi." There was even a mission: While other coffee shops, like Starbucks, had banned adult viewing in their stores, xHamster with Cream would offer porn fans a "safe haven to get their fix."
Want more? Get my digital short story: "The Tumor." It’s been called "a masterpiece of short fiction."
Happy Gumroad Day!
Help celebrate my seven years of being cancer-free and Gumroad’s eighth birthday, aka #GumroadDay, by buying a copy of THE TUMOR, my surreal short story about marriage, malignancies, and monsters. If you’re thinking about self-publishing, I highly recommend Gumroad. Very easy to use and sell your products!
From “The Tumor”:
“My original idea was that we take her out in the yard, and that I, an expert marksman, shoot her in the breast at the site to which she had pointed, thereby destroying the tumor. My wife remained silent but shook her head vigorously. Apparently she did not agree with this unorthodox approach that I felt would provide her with the most expedient remedy.”
Comics-Drawing Class, Day 2
If you’re a writer, art class is great because you don’t have to use any fucking words.
Support this artist! Buy my short story: "The Tumor." It’s been called "a masterpiece of short fiction."
What's the Ratio
I got ratioed here — and, surely, I was out of line — but I was annoyed. I’d recently read this interview with Abigail Disney, and I found her really charming: humble, shrewd, and filled with moxie. In any case, she ended up responding to his tweet in a far more sophisticated way than I did, so there you go.
Want more? Buy "The Tumor." It’s been called "a masterpiece of short fiction."
Girls Write Now
Over on Facebook, I’m raising money for Girls Write Now, which helps “underserved young women to find their voices through the power of writing and community.” So far, I’ve raised $255 of my $1,00 goal. Donate! It’s a great organization.
According to GWN:
“We are a community of women writers—educators, editors, poets, novelists, playwrights, journalists, literary agents, publishers, and more—on a mission. Since 1998 we’ve provided guidance, support, and opportunities for New York City's high school girls to develop their creative, independent voices, explore careers in professional writing, and learn how to make healthy choices in school, career, and life.”
Want more? Buy "The Tumor." It’s been called "a masterpiece of short fiction."
One-Word Dating Site Reviews
Tinder: Dicks.
Bumble: Betas.
Match: Maritals.
Coffee Meets Bagel: Pass.
OkCupid: Youngs.
The League: Elites.
Hinge: Yawns.
eHarmony: Serious.
Zoosk: Abysmals.
Want more? Buy "The Tumor." It’s been called "a masterpiece of short fiction."
The State of Journalism
In case you were wondering about the current state of journalism …
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I Get Email
Image via YouTube
“Hi boss can supply drugs”
Want more? Download "The Tumor." It’s been called "a masterpiece of short fiction."
Ms. Destroyer
Wow. What a nutty movie. “Destroyer.” A bare-faced Nicole Kidman lunges across Los Angeles in pursuit of bad guys. Honestly, it’s been over a week, and I can’t even summarize the plot. All I remember is Kidman plowing through the world like it owed her something, and the debt holder had to pay. This movie was directed by a woman. It’s not for everyone. It’s for people who think life is a crock—and then you’re dead.
(Go see it.)
Enjoy my work? Get "The Tumor." It’s been called "a masterpiece of short fiction."