Best Sex Interview

This week I got to be interviewed by one of my inspirations, Rachel Kramer Bussel, the editor of Best Sex Writing 2008. Rachel has written and edited tons of books about sex. Like Violet Blue, she’s one of those people who, if there’s something you should know about sex, has probably written the book on it. She’s got her finger on the pulse.

Rachel interviewed me about my essay in Best Sex Writing 2008, titled “The Study of Sex,” and posted it on the BSW08 website. Here’s a snip:

What inspired your article “The Study of Sex?”

I’m actually the guest lecturer I refer to in the essay. I’ve lectured in Dr. Nick Baham’s class a number of times. He’s doing great work, and I wanted to spread the word.

Your essay starts off with a description of a course called African-American Sexuality and goes on to talk about how race is handled in the field of sexuality studies and the lack of people of color in the field. How is race dealt with generally in the sexuality studies classes you’ve taken? What are some of the areas where the intersection of race and sexuality should be explored in academia, in your opinion?

Sexuality and race are two things that infuse every element of people’s lives. So I feel they should be in every area of academia. When I was in grad school, I was lucky enough to have a couple of professors who were very cognizant of their importance. But that was not the case in every class.

That course was actually part of the Ethnic Studies Department. Do you think a course like that also belongs in other departments?

Absolutely. I would love to see it replicated in Ethnic Studies departments across the country; it belongs in Sexuality Studies departments, too. As far as Nick and I know, his is the only course of its kind anywhere in the US, and, in fact, the world.

Continue reading here.

Also, click here to find out why I love Isabella Rossellini.

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 27th, 2008 at 12:03 am and is filed under Academia, Jewish People & News, People of Color, Published Writing, Uncategorized . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.