So many workshops, books and theories exist on improving one’s communication skills, with a large portion of them focusing on how to “fight fair”. What is so often over looked is that there are more than one way to “fight fair”.  Brittany Steffen, a local Marriage and Family Therapist, is excited to awaken you to the different ways people engage in conflict and how that awareness can increase the strength of your relationships.

Tuesday, June 11 at Noon

Conflict Styles in Relationship with Brittany Steffen, MS LMFTA

Therapist Brittany Steffen

Whether it’s with your co-workers, lovers, family, friends, or just with inner monologue, occasional conflict (“a serious disagreement or argument, typically a protracted one”) is a natural byproduct of life. If you’ve ever wondered if your conflict skills could use improvement, this research based workshop is for you. Learn about the 3 different styles of conflict that lead to healthy long-term relationships (of any kind), identify your style, and practice proven ways to more successfully manage conflict.

Cost: $20 at the door, $15 in advance. – CSPC Members who are attending Daytime Playtime get $5 off at door.

Featured image by Jim Duvall.

Please welcome DV8House of Sydney, Australia to Seattle may 31st through June 3rd!

Mark is an internationally renowned bondage instructor and has trained in Japan with Osada Steve and Hajime Kinoko. Mark and Lani teach and perform throughout Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Japan and the US. Their skill and passion are always breathtaking.

Aleni teaches basics like spanking, flogging, caning, bondage and fetishism as well as the mental, emotional and spiritual concepts that go along with BDSM.

Take advantage of this rare opportunity to increase your skills! (Take special note of the day time class on June 3rd.)

Friday, May 31 – 6:30pm

Constructing D/s Connections With Rope with Aleni

During this class we unpack the personal experience of Dominance and submission by using mindfulness technique with a simple rope bondage to form purposeful connections in the Dominance/submission aspect.

Saturday, June 1 – 8pm

Hishi Fusion Takate Kote with Mark

This is Mark’s current suspension performance harness that complements a woman’s shape and focuses the energy on the core. It’s a hishi front and TK rear style harness.

Sunday, June 2 – 2:30pm

Lotus Seated Suspension with Mark

Kinoko describes this as the most beautiful kinbaku tie of all.

It is a hishi patterned body harness, culminating in a seated suspension.  It’s an advanced tie, so this class is best suited for experienced riggers

Monday, June 3 – Noon

Kinbaku Chaos with Mark

If you’ve learned the Japanese Takate Kote (TK) patterns it’s time to unlearn them.

This is an advanced class, and explores the rigger’s ability to push the boundaries of his/her knowledge and tie in a chaos manner whilst maintaining the basic rules of the Takate Kote (TK).

Interested in all 4 classes? Buy a bundled ticket and save 15%

Doing BDSM with elders and those with health concerns has it’s own set of rewards and pitfalls. There are many health and safety concerns that must be acknowledged and addressed that aren’t immediately apparent. Bob has been active in the leather community for over 25 years and teaching classes and workshops across the country including, Club X in San Diego, Living in Leather (Portland), Black Rose events (Washington DC), and many others.  As a transplanted New Yorker, he has been learning how to live in a new environment and is delighted to become active in the Seattle community.

Thursday, May 23 at 7pm

Aging Gracefully in the Scene with Bob

Each year more and more of us pass through middle age. Most of us either assume that nothing will change in our play lives, or we retire to a vanilla lifestyle. It’s true that we change, and that we sometimes wonder whether being active in the scene has an expiration date. It doesn’t. We do change. We lose some of the flexibility and energy we enjoyed in earlier years. Some of us have high blood pressure, diabetes, and other chronic issues. We don’t have to hang up our floggers and retire to the rocking chair.
Aging Gracefully in the Scene will offer help in discovering how to stay active, and enjoy hot play all through life.

Advance tickets can be purchased for $15 until 12:01 Thursday.  Tickets can be purchased at the door for $20 when doors open at 6:30pm.

This week, we have four skill-building, hands-on focused learning opportunities. Jim Duvall will share the art of shaving with a straight razor on Thursday evening before the Grind. Saturday evening is for flogging! Team Fluffy is presenting 2 workshops, a basic and an advanced class on flogging. The second Sunday of the month is Erotic Massage Night and the may edition features an instructional demonstration. For these workshops you will want to bring supplies and a practice partner. If you don’t come with a workshop buddy, there is always a lot to learn through observation and the chance of pairing up with another aficionado.

Thursday, May 9, 7pm

Straight Razor Shaving Basics with Jim Duvall

Straight razors are sexy, sophisticated and old fashioned. Jim has been using a straight razor to shave himself and his partners for the last decade. On Thursday he’ll share the tips you need to know for shaving your own face or legs and the adaptive techniques necessary to shave your partner. Jim will even demonstrate how to shave your partner’s more intimates areas!

Save $5 by purchasing your tickets in advance. Go to StrangerTickets.com before 12:01AM the day of the class.

Saturday May 11: Explore Flogging with Team Fluffy

6:30PM to 8PM

Flogging for Tops and Bottoms

This is a terrific opportunity to enhance your understanding of flogging irrespective of your experience or skill level, top or bottom. There will be plenty of hands on practice so be sure to bring your floggers and a practice partner.

8:30PM to 10:30PM

Florentine Flogging

This will be a hands-on workshop to learn the art of two-handed flogging.  We have developed a way to teach the muscle memory necessary to throw floggers with both hands, regardless of age or experience level.

Flogging for Tops and Bottoms is $15 in advance. Florentine Flogging is $20 in advance. Or pay for both Explore workshops for $30 in advance or $40 at the door.

Sunday, May 12, 5pm

Erotic Massage Night – Instructional Night

The first half of the evening will be a demonstration of an erotic massage on a female and a male model. For those interested in an evening of different erotic massage techniques and different genital strokes then this is the night for you to attend. The second half of the evening will be for you to practice what you learned.

Featured photo by Jim Duvall. Used with permissions.

Embrace the power of  “AND”.  This weekend we have two workshops scheduled for your fetish education.  As always, we try to pair up our educational offerings with the Center’s play parties so you can apply your new knowledge right away. On Friday, you can join Team Fluffy before the Asylum party for a tour of the bloodier forms of medical play. On Sunday, join Max for more instruction on rope bondage before Bondage is the Point.

Tonight! May 3, 6:30pm – 8pm

The Crimson Splatter, Blood Play on the Edge with Team Fluffy

This class is not for the faint of heart. Blood is a powerful fluid, capable of life and disease. It is an intense way to connect with your partner and bring your play to a new level. This is not a safety class. Please come prepared with a basic knowledge of blood borne pathogens and how to protect yourself. (A handout will be available.)

This class will have multiple demonstrations and plenty of opportunity to get your questions answered. Doors open at 6:15pm and class starts promptly at 6:30pm. Cost is $20 at the door. Open to the public.

Sunday May 5, 2:30pm – 5:30pm

Partial Suspension Bondage with Max

This workshop covers “almost” suspension, where the person being tied stays on the floor but with a vertical line taking some of their weight. If you’re already doing suspensions, this workshop will make you more thoughtful about your style and more confident with your technique.

The workshop covers concepts, equipment, knots useful for suspension, and a number of exciting positions – all with a constant regard for safety. You’ll learn basic vertical-line techniques and will acquire some of the fundamental skills required for suspension bondage.

You can pre-pay until midnight before the Sunday workshop and avoid the cashier line.

Featured photograph by Jim Duvall. Used with permission

This coming week we have an amazing line up of events and workshops. Join Max on Thursday to learn how to swing and crack a singletail whip at 7pm. On Saturday, during the day Sar Surmick is teaching a workshop that focuses on communication skills geared toward small groups. So whether you are in a traditional family, a polyamorous relationship or are looking to put together a group sex experience, this is the perfect class for you to acquire the skills necessary! In the evening,  Sabrina Chap will regale us with her dynamic stage presence and song from her new album, We Are The Parade. The weekend continues with Sabrina teaching a writing workshop, Rage to page on Sunday at 1pm. Before she leaves the PNW, Sabrina will also give us a reading and multi-media presentation about her new book, Live Through This, Tuesday evening.

Thursday, 4/18, 7pm – 9pm

Start Using the Singletail! with Max

Singletail whips have a powerful mystique and deliver a powerful experience.  This workshop focuses on the most common whips used for BDSM play – 3′ and 4′ signal whips. It’s specifically designed for the rank beginner who’s considering a whip purchase or who has a whip and hasn’t used it much.

Saturday, 4/20 Noon-6pm

Ride the Bicycle of Awareness with Sar Surmick

Communications Skills for 3-somes, 4-somes, and more-somes! Learn how to ride the Bicycle of Awareness and improve your communication skills to get the sexual experiences and relationships you want.

An Immersive workshop with a light lunch included.

Saturday, 4/20 6:15pm – 9pm

We Are The Parade – Concert with Sabrina Chap
We are thrilled to have the amazing, the talented, the sexy and the twisted Sabrina Chap back at the Center for Sex Positive Culture for an early evening of music and fun.  If you missed her the last year she, don’t miss her this time.

Sunday, 4/21 1pm – 3pm

Rage to Page with Sabrina Chap

A Workshop for Writers and Non-Writers. Sabrina will introduce students to several exercises that will reign in the power of their emotions and channel them into artistic creation.

A special discount is available for students and those in need. Use the code 7AF79 when purchasing your ticket online.

This event is supported by Poets & Writers, Inc.

Tuesday, 4/23 7pm – 8:30pm

The Themes That Bind Us by Sabrina Chap

A Reading, multi-media lecture and book signing event for Live Through This – On Creativity and Self-Destruction.
While editing the stories in ‘Live Through This”, writer and editor Sabrina Chap noticed a series of themes inherent in the essays. Shame, political consciousness, isolation, power versus control: these are just some of the topics that are inherent in anyone’s self-destructive journey.

This event is supported by Poets & Writers, Inc.

Featured photo of author/songwriter/performer Sabrina Chap by Jolene Siana.

You’ll want to look through this month’s calendar and make room in your schedule. There are nine workshops, a concert with Sabrina Chap and Naked Girls Reading to choose from!

Max starts us off with the Fundamentals of Rope Bondage for the first Sunday of the month workshop. Please note that we have another Tuesday lunchtime workshop with Lee Harrington on Dark RolePlay. This is part of the Kink Nosh series of workshops, lectures and Q&A with sex positive community educators that was inaugurated by Mollena Williams last month.

Sunday, April 7 at 2:30pm

Fundamentals of Rope Bondage with Max

This workshop begins with an overview of rope bondage techniques and materials, with lots of “show and tell” items and pointers on buying appropriate bondage materials.

The remainder of the class is a hands-on workshop, full of useful knots and easy-to-tie positions.

Reserve your tickets in advance.

Tuesday, April 9 at Noon

“Dark” RolePlay with Lee Harrington

We have been “playing pretend” since we were young… but the realm of kinky sexuality opens up all new directions role playing can take.  Join us as we explore the shadowy realms of our fantasies.

We will discuss the joys and challenges of playing in our closet, how to make it happen, why it turns us on, how to bring it up to our partners, negotiating our desires and troubleshooting the challenges this stuff can bring up.

Purchase Advance Tickets.
Daytime Playtime attendees can RSVP to education@thefspc.org and pay the advance price at the door.

Lee will have copies of his books, including Playing Well With Others, available for purchase.

We hope you have your creative engines revved up and your wheels turning! Seattle Erotic Art Festival Call for Art is now open! The Festival, the flagship program of the Foundation, is now accepting art submissions for the 11th anniversary event, June 20-24. Register and pay your submission fees before 11pm PST on February 24th and receive a $10 discount for each call for art that you enter. The Festival anticipates over 10,000 attendees — don’t miss your chance to be part of another amazing year!

The Festival is seeking:

• Visual art of all kinds
• Short film/video
• Literary Art
• Installation Art
• Performance Art
• Pieces for the popular Festival Store

All artists 18 years old or older are encouraged to submit art for consideration. We accept submissions and feature art from artists across the nation and world, and there are no submission fees to apply if you live outside of North America.

Click here to apply now!

New for 2013

Due to your feedback, you can submit even more art! Visual and Literary Artists now have the option pay a second $30 fee to upload an additional 5 entries for consideration by the jury.

This fee may be paid at the time of your original submission fee or at any other time during the call for art. The early bird discount does not apply to the additional submission fee.

Deadlines (and Discounts!)

Take advantage of early-bird (discounted) submission fees up until 11pm PST on Sunday, February 24. (Note that all artists outside of North America apply for free.)

Call for Art closes at 11pm PST on Saturday, March 10 for Visual, Performance, DJ, and Installation.

The deadline for Short Film/Video, Literary and Festival Store art is Sunday, March 31 at 11pm PST.

Submissions may be edited up until the deadline.

More Information

Learn more about the Call for Art.

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