I’m going to OpenCon for my very first time! I’ll be there with other happy Poly folks. I’ll also bring a stack of poly-inspired smut to read at opportune moments. I’m really looking forward to it, as I heard some rave reviews of the event last year.
OpenCon happens on 14-16 October 2011 in Dorset, U.K
Polyday was brilliant! The day started off with me feeling quite emotional as I left home to travel to Holborn. I thought of all the times I’d been told that it was impossible to love more than one person, and that I must be some kind of a deviant for doing so. I got quite tearful thinking of how fortunate I was to be able to live in the present as a polyamorous, bisexual woman; to have understanding partners (most of the time), and to have events like Polyday close to home.
I arrived at Polyday while the sun was still shining. I walked into the main hall where I instantly saw several friends I knew from bisexual, kinky and genderqueer spaces I’ve been to. Everyone seemed to be in a really good mood, and that just added to the chilled-out atmosphere.
I visited Jemima Wilcox’s stall where she was selling copies of her Poly project book. She had the cunning plan of giving away free sweeties and a bag with every copy, which seemed to be working very well for her.
The first session I attended was ‘Getting Polytical’ I had been impressed by the sheer enthusiasm of the Polytical folks since meeting them two years ago. Polytical are working on a series of educational leaflets and packs. Some of the subject they hope to cover are: Sex education, advice for Human Resource workers, social workers, and sexual health workers. Polytical also hope to produce some documentaries on poly. During the session I was also struck by how it was possible for me to be in an activist space, and not get annoyed or angry by clueless people. I felt positive and understood, which was refreshing!
I attended ‘Poly 201’ next which was full of useful knowledge from more experienced poly people. There next followed a short break where I went out to a local sandwich shop with two friends of mine. One of my friends managed to stop a thief in the shop, which was an unexpected thing to happen on an already exciting day!
After the break I went to the ‘Poly T-shirts’ workshop. Somehow my dormant sewing skills resurfaced for the hour, and I was able to create a little applique on a T-shirt.
The next session was ‘Poly Stories’ I’d brought a few things to read, but I wasn’t sure what the format of the session would be as I wasn’t running it. A man with a Poly-Quaker T-shirt told a fairytale that ended in a three-way wedding, another man told of his real-life experiences of discovering polyamory. I read two stories, one from NSFW and one from my upcoming Bisexual Men book. A woman then read the most lovely children’s book, Six-dinner Sid, about a cat who lives with six families on one street. The session ended with a short but beautiful poem by the Poly-Quaker.
The evening ‘Speakeasy’ was a simple, but wonderful idea. Everyone mingled, chatted, and enjoyed the music from a very talented pianist who played music from the 1920s and 30’s.
I went home with a huge smile on my face, a happy poly woman.
Many thanks to all those who helped make Polyday a wonderful day for me.
If you also loved Polyday, then OpenCon is a Poly weekender that happens in October.
An Expanded Love is my polyamorous novel, part of which takes place at Polyday!
Polyamory on the telly →
Three brave souls talk about being polyamorous on the most mainstream, white bread, middle-of-the-road programme on British TV. Hopefully this will be viewable outside of the U.K
Edited to add: Click on the link as the interview is now viewable outside the U.K!!!
Another great review for An Expanded Love! →
Sally Sapphire from Book Slut gives a lovely, and detailed review of An Expanded Love.
“As intrigued as I was by the concept of a polyamorous drama, I wasn’t sure any author could really sell it, much less justify the concept at the heart of the story. What makes it work, and what draws the reader in, is the fact that Nadia struggles with the concept, even as she longs to embrace it. There are several instances where she writes herself diary entries from the future, assuring her it’s okay to love, and I think they sum up the message here best of all.”
There was a lovely Poly presence at Pride London this year! I could hear a lot of the people in the crowd saying, ‘Bi, Poly and Proud?’ and then asking the banner holders about it. I like to think they started many positive conversations as a result.
Polytical were great.
A 4 star review for An Expanded Love!
Gabriella West left me a very positive review for An Expanded Love on Smashwords
A snippet of the review
“This book gets four stars because of its originality and daring and because it’s a wonderful picture of alternative life in London: pubs, dances, cold flats, buses and all. I loved the way the narrator, Nadia, is so uncomfortable in her own skin at the beginning of the book and could really relate to it.”
The beautiful kind talks Poly →
I found this post really interesting. I’ve had my times when I’ve been attracted to someone, but didn’t know how their primary partner felt about me making a move… I’ve made assumptions in the past, which have swiftly bitten me on the backside. I learned my lesson: ASSUME NOTHING! Just because both partners are poly, doesn’t mean that I don’t have to talk to the one I’m not attracted to, and check out how they are with the potential situation. It’s scary, but honest communication is at the heart of being Poly.
An Expanded Love is now available as an e-book at Smashwords. For the next thirty days you can buy it for 50% off, using the coupon code below.
So if you want to read An Expanded Love at the new low price, please take advantage of the coupon as it won’t last forever. And if you’d like to leave a review on Smashwords, then I would be very happy indeed!
Coupon expires 12th July 2011
Code: : EL27C
Sam’s waffles
Hello, all. It’s Sam here. Jacqueline’s been a little slack with this blog lately. So I’m taking it upon myself to treat you good people with one of my favourite dishes like. Nadia, the heroine of An Expanded Love, devoured these waffles when I made it for her. Now I can hear you all saying, Sam, you’re a fictional character. You never made these waffles did you? Well folks, this may come as a surprise like, but you’re all fictional to me. I’ve chosen to make my own reality. So why not do the same? These waffles taste so good you’ll start to question what’s fictional and what’s real.
These waffles don’t contain any eggs or dairy, so they’re suitable for Vegans. There’s no oil in it either. And because I know pretty much everyone who reads this will live in the U.S, I’ve included cup measurements along with Imperial like, even though it does my head in!
· 1 handful of dried cranberries (don’t get too worried about how much that is, just chuck it in)
· 1 handful of seeds (sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, or a mixture of whatever you’ve got)
· 1 eating apple, shredded to a pulp (or cheat and use a couple of good dollops of unsweetened applesauce)
· ½ cup or 4 fluid ounces of orange juice
· ½ cup or 4 fluid ounces of soya milk or another non-dairy milk
· 1 cup or 4 ounces of self-raising flour or all-purpose flour with ½ tablespoon baking powder added
· ½ cup or 2 ounces of uncooked porridge oats / oatmeal
· Pinch of salt
· 2 tablespoons of sugar
1. Switch on your waffle iron. Mist a little oil on it according to your waffle maker’s instructions.
2. Place the apple, seeds, cranberries, orange juice and soya milk in a jug. It will look like it has curdled a bit, but don’t fret, it’s supposed to do that.
3. Place the flour, oats, salt and sugar into a bowl. Stir to mix everything together.
4. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry stuff, a little at a time to stop huge lumps forming. Give it a decent stir, but don’t overdo it like. Don’t worry if it looks a little thick, but if you think it is, add a little more orange juice.
5. When the waffle iron is ready, pour the mixture in the middle of the iron. Don’t bother spreading it. Let the weight of the iron do its work.
6. Cook until golden brown. Let the waffles cool for a few minutes as they can be a little gummy when they’re just done.
7. Eat as is, or top with syrup, fresh fruit or anything that takes your fancy like.
8. P.S – I’ve got a square shaped waffle iron, but these always come out circular…
9. An Expanded Love is available on Kindle at Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, in paperback . You can even get it on Kindle if you’re in Germany!
Poly weekenders
First up: OpenCon which is happening in October 2011 in the U.K. From the people who organise Polyday which I’ve enjoyed in the past. I haven’t been to OpenCon, but I heard some good things about last year’s event.
And for those of you on the other side of the Atlantic, I saw a link for this on Tristan Taormino’s great site. The World Polyamory Association conference is happening in July 2011.
However I have a question about the language used amongst other things. The first thing listed on the highlights of the conference is “Vet potential lovers.” It felt a little mercenary to me to have that as the first thing you read about the event. I also didn’t like the fact that their pricing structure has a cheaper option if you are a woman, and a more expensive cost if you are a man. I’ve seen nightlcubs (especially fetish clubs) use this ploy before, and it never goes well for the women who turn up, as the men who attend seem to automatically expect more because they’ve paid more too. Having an ‘Unwaged’ and ‘Waged’ price might actually help people who need it, instead of this. Also most poly people I know are usually clued up when it comes to gender queerness and not restricting things to male and female. Seems a shame that these things jumped off the screen at me, when this conference sounds otherwise positive…
All in all I’m glad events like this are happening, but some could do better with their P.R…
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