The “Intimacies” Discussion Group–In the Mood for Love?
Join The Good Life columnist Karen Kreps and special guest, Neil Stegall, LCSW, for a conversation about how to keep moodiness from mucking up your love life. Learn how to deal with the emotional fluctuations that affect all relationships. Neil practices psychotherapy to help individuals and couples find practical solutions to improve communication and relationships.
Meet Wednesday, May 21, 2008, 7 pm-8:30 pm on the third floor of BookPeople, 603 N. Lamar. Audience members will be encouraged to share their personal experiences. No charge, just bring your sense of humor and an open mind.
To join the email announcement list of this group, send email to p2paustin-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
This event is co-sponsored by The Good Life magazine and BookPeople.
Austin American-Statesman spotlights book in article about self-publishing
My book, Intimacies: Secrets of Love, Sex & Romance, has received some great PR!
It’s in Life section of today’s issue of the Austin American-Statesman.
Here are links to the text copy and the video:
http://www.statesman.com/life/content/life/stories/books/03/23/0323selfpublish.html
Is Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous (SLAA) for You?
Excerpt from the pamphlet “An introduction to Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous” Copyright 1985 : S.L.A.A. Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous is a fellowship based on the 12 Step program of Alcoholics Anonymous. With established meetings in many cities in the United States and several cities overseas, this self-help fellowship is open to people of any age or sexual preference. Members include both those who suffer from a compulsive need for sex, and those with a desperate attachment to one person. What all members have in common is an obsessive/compulsive pattern, either sexual or emotional (or both, in which relationships or activities have become increasingly destructive to all areas of their lives — career, family, and sense of self-respect).
My guest at BookPeople on Wednesday, March 19, will be Michael Johnson, PhD a therapist who counsels people about sexual addiction. We’ll be talking about discerning the difference between intensity and intimacy. Got any questions for Michael? Post them here.
How to kiss
- My book has a chapter,”Sweet are the memories of the lips that first kissed ours.” Here’s an excerpt:
“When performed well and received with pleasure, kissing signals our brains to produce the hormone oxytocin, an antidepressive agent that boosts feelings of affection and promotes caretaking behavior.
“The best kind of kiss is shared with someone you really care about, but just the act of kissing can stimulate emotions
and may bring you closer together. Passionate kisses may be savory, sweet or spicy. Dig in and enjoy.”
I found this kissing tutorial on YouTube.com, and thought that the A/V instruction was charming.
Sex talk at the Remarkable Womens Conference
I’ve been invited to speak on a panel at the Remarkable Womens Conference along with Gayle Michaels, Robin Heart Shepperd and Jade Beaty. The title and description of our hour-long program is:
SEX! Now that we have your attention
Everything you always wanted to know about sex but were afraid to…well, you get the idea. When we think of intimacy we generally think of time shared with a partner but it’s about more than that – it’s about falling in love with yourself. Our panel of experts will create a fun, safe environment where you can start to explore some paths to better relationships – not only with your partners but with yourself!
The panel will cap the weekend-long conference. The Remarkable Women’s Conference was created to fill a void in local conferences by providing a space for women from all cross-sections of the community to come together, make meaningful connections, and provide support and encouragement for one another while attending first class break-out sessions and keynote addresses from the best talent that Austin has to offer. The Conference provides a vehicle for women to grow their whole person and includes amazing speakers in topics such as family, workplace, health, relationships and business ownership.
The inaugural event was a huge success and its unofficial motto “Go Big or Go Home” continues to inspire and guide us. This year’s conference is being expanded to include a Friday all-day workshop intensive and a Friday night reception for last year’s participants. The conference itself will take place over Saturday and Sunday and include a Saturday Night networking reception and happy hour.
My book, Intimacies: Secrets of Love, Sex & Romance, will be available for purchase all day Sat and Sunday in the conference bookstore.
Intimacies Group — Bodily Attraction, Apr 16
Join The Good Life columnist Karen Kreps and special guest, Lee Khoury, for a conversation about body image. How you relate to food reflects how you relate to others. Lee is a licensed counselor and marriage therapist who specializes in treating eating disorders. Meet Wednesday, April 16, 2007, 7 pm-8:30 pm on the third floor of Book People, 603 N. Lamar. Audience members will be encouraged to share their personal experiences. No charge, just bring your sense of humor and an open mind.
This event is co-sponsored by The Good Life magazine and Book People.
Intimacies Reviewed by ReaderViews.com
Reader Views, reviews for readers by readers
77101 Hwy 71 W #200
Austin, Texas 78735
512.288.8555
www.readerviews.com
admin@readerviews.com
Intimacies: Secrets of Love, Sex & Romance
Karen Kreps
Net Ingenuity Publishing (2007)
ISBN 9780979789007
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (2/08)
Having been happily married for ten years, Karen Kreps has written a book about how to have successful relationships. She has experienced both sides of the coin. She has had her heart broken in unfulfilling relationships, and now she is experiencing a wonderful marriage. Accepting the opportunity to write a monthly relationship column, she also got to host a monthly Intimacies Conversation Group in Austin, TX. This group attracted people from a variety of backgrounds and ages. Each month there was a specific topic and a special guest to provide their expertise.
“Intimacies” is a collection of articles that were written based upon information that was gathered from these meetings. They might include personal observations and experiences, professional advice and information about human behavior and current trends.
In the table of contents there are symbols for each article to indicate who the topics would be most relevant to. Even if I wasn’t reviewing the book, I still would have read all the articles, just because they provide a wealth of information about human behavior. I also loved the personal stories and reflections. They are touching and heartwarming. Kreps husband, Arye Shapiro illustrates her book with photographs of sculptures that he has created. These sculptures are beautiful and reflect depth and emotion.
“Intimacies” is well written and does not provide a “one size fits all” formula. Kreps writes about what works for different people. One example of this is her discussion of non-monogamy. For some people this works. Even though I would not be interested in a polyamorous relationship, it is interesting to read the views of people for whom it works. Kreps doesn’t leave any subject regarding relationships untouched, however, she writes in a manner that is respectful and not crude. I love that the last chapter is about “The Law of Attraction.” This adds a special spiritual touch to the book and provides a perfect ending. I highly recommend “Intimacies” to all people who are either in a relationship or would like to be.
Destigmatizing Sex
A stigma exists around the subject of intimate relationships. At the SXSW Interactive conference, I attended an interesting conversation hosted by Elizabeth Wood, founder of the website SexinthePublicSquare.com and an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Nassau Community College, and Lux Alptraum, founder of the website Boinkology.com. Their sites are educational in nature, yet their sites are blocked by Internet content filters such as those found in public libraries and in most American airports. Sponsors hesitate to back such sites. Elizabeth said, “The people who have skills and ability to evaluate all the sexual content on the Web are being barred from helping those who can’t evaluate.”
While the Internet has increased access to sexually explicit material, many websites, including theirs, get tagged as, “NSFW” (not safe for work). The acronym is designed to protect users from following a link to sites that might get them into trouble with their bosses. But why is a site with sex ed info on it any less appropriate to look at while on the job than is, say, a shopping site or a gossip blog?
“Sex is the most basic part of our live, yet we fear that if we talk about it or demonstrate any interest in the topic, it will affect our employability,” said Elizabeth.
Usually, to get people to share their stories with me for my column in The Good Life magazine, I must offer to represent them with pseudonyms.
What personal beliefs prevent you from discussing subjects of love, sex and romance? Please share your thoughts.
Karen Kreps interviews Gayle Michaels about The Intimate Dance
Video blogging and intimate wisdom with Gayle Michaels
I met Gayle Michaels of the Institute of Spiritual Wisdom, when she was my special guest at BookPeople a couple of years ago. She talked about introducing the world to sacred sexuality. Two days ago, she introduced me to video blogging, as she interviewed me about my book for her blog.
Gayle has made a series of terrific videos in which she speaks explicitly about improving your sexual experience. Look for the SensuousVirtuosa on YouTube.com. She pulls no punches, sharing what she knows about superior penetration technique, circumcism, penis size and how to prevent sexual boredom. I’m going to invite my husband to take the class in The Intimate Dance she’s to teach next month . It’s open to singles and couples.
