The V-Word (23 page)

There is always an inner circle. They come bearing wine and Kleenex and encouragement and the belief that I am capable of translating an idea into a real book. Thank you, Kiersi Burkhart, for being the first one on the roller coaster. Thank you, Elizabeth Rusch, for reminding me at every turn that this work was important and beautiful. Thank you, Fiona Kenshole, for making me tea and eggs and being the best knight-in-shining-armor a writer could ask for.

And thank you, Seth Isenberg, for ALL THE THINGS!

The beating heart of
The V-Word
is, of course, the brave women who shared their stories within its pages. Each of them dug deep and then went deeper into experiences that were sometimes painful, sometimes embarrassing, but always honest to the core. I am in awe.

About the Author

Amber J. Keyser
did not anticipate writing a book about sex for young adults. In fact, she's always been closemouthed about her own sexual history. But through her work on
The V-Word
, she came to believe that engaging in honest conversations about sex with young people is her responsibility as a parent and as a woman. Everyone deserves a deeply pleasurable and wholly chosen sex life. That doesn't happen by accident. Amber's other work includes numerous nonfiction titles and the young adult novel
The Way Back from Broken
(Carolrhoda Lab, 2015). Learn more about her work at
www.amberjkeyser.com
and on Twitter at
@amberjkeyser
.

“Wanting Everything” Copyright © 2015 by Amber J. Keyser

About the Contributors

Molly Bloom
is the nom de plume for an author of books for children and young adults. She grew up in a small town in the Midwest but she currently makes her home in New York City. She sports the words of Molly Bloom, from James Joyce's
Ulysses
, on her arm: “and yes I said yes I will Yes.”

“Power in the Blood” Copyright © 2015 by Molly Bloom

Kiersi Burkhart
was raised as a cowgirl in Colorado, and even though she now lives in Portland, Oregon, she has never forgotten her frontier roots. Her debut middle-grade novel
Shy Girl and Shy Guy
releases in 2016 and taps into her love of stories about bravery, friendship, and horses. Find out more about Kiersi on Twitter at
@kiersi
and at
www.kiersi.com
.

“The First Rule of College” Copyright © 2015 by Kiersi Burkhart

Chelsey Clammer
has been published in
The Rumpus
,
Essay Daily
, and
The Water~Stone Review
among many others. She is the managing editor and nonfiction editor for
The Doctor T. J. Eckleburg Review
, the essays editor for
The Nervous Breakdown
, and senior creative editor of
www.insideoutediting.com
. Her first collection of essays,
BodyHome
, was released from Hopewell Publishing in Spring 2015. Her second collection of essays,
There Is Nothing Else to See Here
, was published by the Lit Pub in Summer 2015. You can read more of her writing at
www.chelseyclammer.com
.

“Ear Muffs for Muff Diving” Copyright © 2015 by Chelsey Clammer

Christa Desir
writes contemporary fiction for young adults. Her novels include
Fault Line
,
Bleed Like Me
, and
Other Broken Things
. She lives with her husband, three small children, and an overly enthusiastic dog outside of Chicago. She has volunteered as a rape victim activist for more than ten years, including providing direct service as an advocate in hospital ERs. She also works as an editor at Samhain Publishing. Visit her at christadesir.com.

“I Would Have a Heart” Copyright © 2015 by Christa Desir

Kate Gray
is a poet and novelist. For more than twenty years, Kate has tended her students' stories as a teacher at an Oregon community college. Her first novel,
Carry the Sky
, attempts to stare at bullying without blinking. She has published essays and three poetry collections. She and her long-time partner just married and live in a purple house in Portland, Oregon, with their sidekicks, Rafi and Wasco, two very patient dogs.

“How to Make a Braid” Copyright © 2015 by Kate Gray

Justina Ireland
enjoys dark chocolate and dark humor, and is not too proud to admit that she's still afraid of the dark. She lives with her husband, kid, and dog in Pennsylvania. She is the author of
Vengeance Bound
and
Promise of Shadows
. Visit her at justinaireland.com.

“Me, Some Random Guy, and the Army of Darkness” Copyright © 2015 by Justina Ireland

Laurel Isaac
is the pen name of a queer essayist and student in the Pacific Northwest. More of her sexual memoir writing can be found in the collections
Shameless Behavior: Brazen Stories of Overcoming Shame
and
The Big Book of Submission: 69 Kinky Tales
. Laurel's work also addresses issues of queer community, navigating contradictory identities, and how to make queer theory more accessible. Formerly a volunteer and contributor for the feminist sex ed website Scarleteen, she is particularly interested in the intersection of sex education, sex-positive activism, and LGBTQ history. She enjoys hiking and practicing the clown-free circus arts.

“The Lion Poet” Copyright © 2015 by Laurel Isaac

Karen Jensen,
MLS, has been a young adult services librarian for twenty-one years. She is the creator and administrator for the Teen Librarian Toolbox, where she reviews YA literature and hosts the #SVYALit Project, where young adult literature is used to discuss sexual violence and consent in the lives of teens. In 2014 she was named as a
Library Journal
Mover & Shaker. She is the coeditor of
The Whole Library Handbook: Teen Services
published by ALA Editions in 2014. When she isn't doing librarian things, she is trying to raise two daughters.

“It's a Nice Day for a White Wedding” Copyright © 2015 by Karen Jensen

Kelly Jensen
is a former teen and youth services librarian turned associate editor and community manager for Book Riot (bookriot.com) and she blogs about young adult fiction, reading, and serving teens (stackedbooks.org). She is also the author of
It Happens: A Guide to Contemporary Realistic Fiction for the YA Reader
from VOYA Press. Her writing has been featured in The
Horn Book Magazine
,
School Library Journal
, and
VOYA
, as well as on
The Rumpus, Rookie
, and
The Huffington Post
.

“It's All in the Choosing” Copyright © 2015 by Kelly Jensen

Sidney Joaquin-Vetromile
is the pseudonym for a Filipina American writer and college English instructor. She's been published in The
New York Times
,
Gawker
, and
The Rumpus
, among other places, and is at work on a memoir and a young adult novel. She divides her time between the Philippines and the United States. Sidney no longer identifies as Catholic but she definitely believes in love.

“Sharing My Anatomy” Copyright © 2015 by Sidney Joaquin-Vetromile

Alex Meeks
holds an associate's degree in Young Adult Education from Washington State Community College in Marietta, Ohio, (
cum laude
) and a BA in English from Wells College in Aurora, New York. She lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she writes, plays housewife, and surrounds herself with the finest freaks and outcasts the Delaware Valley has to offer.

“Iterum Vivere, to Live Anew” Copyright © 2015 by Alex Meeks

Carrie Mesrobian
is the author of three young adult novels:
Sex & Violence
,
Perfectly Good White Boy
, and
Cut Both Ways
. She teaches teenagers about writing at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis. Visit her at
www.carriemesrobian.com
.

“What Counts” Copyright © 2015 by Carrie Mesrobian

Sarah Mirk
is a Portland-based journalist who mostly writes about gender, sex, and social justice. She's the online editor of feminism and pop culture for
Bitch Media
and the host of the podcast
Popaganda
. She is also the author of the open-minded guidebook to dating,
Sex from Scratch: Making Your Own Relationship Rules
.

“Who Needs a Map?” Copyright © 2015 by Sarah Mirk

Sara Ryan
is the author of the graphic novel
Bad Houses
with art by Carla Speed McNeil, published by Dark Horse Comics; the young adult novels
Rules for Hearts
and
Empress of the World
, both published by Viking; and various comics and short stories on themes including but not limited to teen angst, female celebrity, joining the military, the 1962 escape from Alcatraz, and circuses. She grew up in Michigan, and now lives in Portland, Oregon, where she works as a librarian and writes at night and on the weekends. She still has all the journals she kept as a teenager. Find her at
sararyan.com
and
@ryansara
on Twitter.

“Openly Bisexual” Copyright © 2015 by Sara Ryan

Erica Lorraine Scheidt
's young adult novel,
Uses for Boys
was a 2014 PEN Center Literary Award finalist, a 2014 Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, and a Best First Book for Youth by the American Library Association's
Booklist
. A teaching artist and advocate for literary arts programming for youth, Erica is the founder of the Berkeley Writers' Workshop, a creative writing workshop for teens; a founding team member at Chapter 510, a made-in-Oakland creative writing and literacy project; and a longtime volunteer at 826 Valencia, a creative writing center in San Francisco. She was a 2012 Artist in Residence at Headlands Center for the Arts and a 2014 recipient of the Creative Work Fund award. Erica lives with her wife and stepdaughter in Berkeley and spends her days with tenth grade students at Oakland's MetWest High School.

“It Would Not Be an Overstatement to Say I Knew Nothing” Copyright © 2015 by Erica Lorraine Scheidt

Jamia Wilson
is a feminist media activist, organizer, and storyteller. By day, Jamia is the executive director of
Women, Action, and the Media
, and by night, she is a staff writer for
Rookie
, an online magazine. Jamia has been recognized as one of Refinery29's “17 Faces of the Future of Feminism” and as a #SmartFeministofTwitter by the
Ms. Magazine
blog. Jamia's words and works have been featured in
CBS News
,
Essence
,
CNN
,
Forbes.com
,
Al-Jazeera
,
Slate
,
Salon
,
New York Magazine
,
The New York Times
,
The Guardian UK
,
The Today Show
,
The Washington Post
, several anthologies, and more. Follow her on twitter at
@jamiaw
.

“My Name Is Jamia” Copyright © 2015 by Jamia Wilson

About the Sex Educators

Amy Lang
helps parents discover talking to kids about “it” doesn't have to be scary or overwhelming. Her engaging, humorous, and inspiring style shows parents how to turn conversations they dread into something they look forward to and wholeheartedly embrace. Through her business Birds + Bees + Kids
^®
Amy helps parents of all beliefs have easy, open and effective conversations about sex with their kids. She is the author of
Birds + Bees + YOUR Kids: A Guide to Sharing Your Beliefs about Sexuality, Love, and Relationships
and
Dating Smarts: What Every Teen Needs to Know to Date, Relate, or Wait
. Amy has been featured in
The Wall Street Journal
,
The Huffington Post
, and
Babble.com
. Learn more about her work at
www.birdsandbeesandkids.com
.

Jo Langford
is a dad and a Master's-level therapist and sex educator for tweens, teens, and parents in Seattle. For the last twenty years he has worked with teens, parents, and professionals to promote healthy, positive, and safe sexual behavior. He uses information, education, and humor to help families increase their knowledge and self-confidence as a proactive defense against the unfortunate consequences that sometimes accompany teen sexual activity. His mission is to provide healthy social and sexual information to teens and their parents in a multi-pronged approach, consisting of live speaking events, his book
The SEX-EDcyclopedia
, and a series of social and dating-themed apps for the iPhone. Learn more about Jo and his work with youth, parents, and professionals to promote healthy, positive, and safe sexual and social behavior at
www.beheroes.net
.