Events • OpeningUp.net

Don’t miss the OpenSF conference in June!

May 142012

Have you registered for OpenSF yet? The OpenSF Conference will be held at the Holiday Inn Golden Gateway in San Francisco, June 8-10, and I’m keynoting! A description of the conference:

OpenSF is a vibrant new Bay Area conference, bringing together like minded people ready to share, explore and dialogue on creating acceptance of the non-monogamy community. OpenSF will have a diverse and rich menu of workshops, interactive seminars and after hours socializing. OpenSF strives to be welcoming and accessible across a range of backgrounds including race and ethnicity, sex, gender, sexual orientation, size, age, class and economic access, and physical and mental ability. Our goal is to create a conference where people find wonderful knowledge and experiences and forge amazing new connections.

Read all about the conference’s sessions, presenters, and special events (such as a play party and speed dating!).

World premiere of Yes, We’re Open this Sunday

Mar 092012

A fictional film about non-monogamy will be making its debut this Sunday at the 30th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival — and as the Centerpiece Presentation, no less! The feature film, Yes, We’re Open, was written by H.P. Mendoza and directed by Richard Wong. It was filmed in just 16 days in the San Francisco Bay Area, and acquired post-production funding with the help of a successful Kickstarter campaign.

The synopsis:

LUKE and SYLVIA think of themselves as a modern couple — always in the know and open to new experiences. Enter ELENA and RONALD — a provocative polyamorous couple that challenge Luke and Sylvia’s status in their circle of friends and with each other. With temptation around the corner, Luke and Sylvia must figure out where they really stand on love, sex, and honesty.

The premiere will take place at the historic Castro Theatre this Sunday, March 11th. Tickets can be purchased online here, where you can also read a more detailed synopsis.

Be sure to follow the film on Facebook and Twitter for info on future screenings.

Poly Living 2012 approaching

Jan 082012

The 7th annual Poly Living Conference in Philadelphia is about a month away! It’s happening February 10th through 12th at the Embassy Suites Philadelphia Airport Hotel. Poly Living has reserved a block of rooms at the hotel, and there are only a few days left to take advantage of a special, discounted room rate. Book a reservation online before Tuesday, January 10th to receive the reduced rate.

Here’s a description of the Poly Living Conference:

Since 2005 when George Marvil hosted the first Poly Living Conference in Philadelphia, it has been the best place to warm up your winter with fun, learning and polyamory community. Whether you are new to polyamory and wanting to find out more, a professional interested in helping clients or an experienced poly person looking to have fun with old friends, Poly Living is a great place to learn, explore and connect with real people.

This year’s keynote speaker is Alan M. of the blog Poly in the Media. His talk is called “Busting Loose: Polyamory in the Next Five Years.” There will also be a Friday night social and a variety of workshops from esteemed presenters. Attendees will be able to learn:

New models beyond marriage and monogamy
Communication skills
Being real and honest about what you want
Making agreements that work for you
Polyamory 101
Managing emotions and jealousy
Enjoying pleasure and letting go of shame
Poly living styles — knowing what you want

Registration for the conference is $125 and you can register online.

NYC Poly Pride Weekend approaching

Sep 192011

From Friday, October 7th through Sunday, October 9th, Polyamorous NYC is hosting the eleventh annual Poly Pride Weekend. So far, the list of festivities includes a rally in Central Park, a Super Massive Cuddle Party, and an Infinity Party.

In an email blast sent out a few days ago, Justen M. Bennett-Maccubbin wrote about the first ever Poly Pride rally, held on September 15th, 2001.

The city was in chaos. The entire country came to a halt. What purpose did an event about self-respect in a sexual identity with flamboyant drag queens and various forms of light-hearted entertainment have in a city just days after almost 3,000 of its citizens were killed?

. . . The original purpose of the event for that year shifted completely from one of cheerful celebration to somber communion. Vince, one of the planners brought little American flags to put in the ground around the stage, and many of the acts changed their tone.

. . . In times of great sorrow association can be a powerful defense against pain. At that moment we needed to be surrounded by friends, families and lovers. The turn out of the event demonstrated that Polyamory is about alot more than simply the freedom to have multiple partners. It’s about compassion and companionship. Empathy and understanding. Courage to live differently and strength to live honestly.

. . . Today we look back and realize if this event survived through 9/11 and is still around 10 years later, then there is probably not much that we can’t get through.

Polyamorous NYC is still on the look-out for volunteers, speakers, and entertainers for this year’s Poly Pride Weekend. They can also be followed on Twitter.

Alan launches listing of polyamory events

Sep 082011

Alan, the writer behind the awesome blog Polyamory in the News, has launched a new website which rounds up poly events. The site, Alan’s List of Polyamory Events, lists all major poly events (gatherings, festivals, cons, and more) coming up within the next 12 months. The site will be continually updated.

Additionally, at the bottom of the page, one can find resource lists for finding local poly groups and get-togethers.

If you have an event (of wide geographic interest only) you’d like Alan to add to the listing, post about it in the comments section of the site, or email it to alan7388 [at] gmail [dot] com.

Loving More 25th Annual Polyamory Retreat

Jun 282011

On September 9-11, like-minded poly people from around the country will gather at the Easton Mountain Retreat Center in New York for Loving More’s 25th Annual Polyamory Retreat. Attendants are encouraged to swim, hike, hot tub, connect with nature, and connect with each other.

From opening circle to closing circle all workshops are done as a group to facilitate connection, community and learning. Loving More creates a safe welcoming environment in which to explore, communicate, play and find out what works for you and your partners. You choose your level of participation and take home lessons and connections that last a lifetime.

The basic retreat fee includes all meals, workshops, and use of Easton Mountain facilities. 175 acres provides ample space for camping, and there are a limited number of bunkhouse rooms/beds available for an extra price.

The early registration deadline is this Friday, July 1. Register here.

Play about an open relationship premieres this week in Ottawa

Jun 132011

The Ottawa Fringe Festival starts this Thursday and runs through June 26th. One of the plays, entitled Complex Numbers, deals with open relationships. Complex Numbers is written by Nadine Thornhill and directed by Ken Godmere of Silent QUEMB Productions.

The play is described as “an unconventional romantic comedy about making love work.” Thornhill was inspired by Opening Up and strove to depict ”an honest yet positive story about an ordinary couple that have chosen to open up their marriage.” The synopsis reads:

As a mathematician, Fiona knows how to find answers for complicated problems… except when it comes to her relationships. As she tries to solve the equation of first dates + kinky sex + commitment, she learns that the best solutions aren’t always the obvious ones.

Go check out Complex Numbers at the Ottawa Fringe Festival!

Poly House Party Weekend coming up fast!

May 302011

This coming weekend, June 3rd through 5th, is Poly House Party Weekend, an international event created by a group of volunteers from the Polyamory Leadership Network. This event urges people everywhere to plan their own unique poly get-togethers:

It is barbecues, keggers, potlucks, raves, picnics, blues dances, play parties, tantric retreats, game nights, field days, movement fundraisers, cuddle parties, and fancy dinners. It is raising awareness about our culture, our relationship preference, and the idea that freedom of relationship choice is important to society at large. It is a community bonding experience, our way — because everyone will do it a little differently.

Currently there are events scheduled in California, Washington, Colorado, New York, Maryland, New Hampshire, Georgia, British Columbia, and Ontario. There’s still time for you to host a party of your own as well!

(Poly House Party Weekend can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.)

Documentary about triad screening May 10

May 052011

Next week, the documentary “Three of Hearts: A Postmodern Family” (2004) will be screened as part of the Stranger than Fiction series at the IFC Center in NYC. The documentary chronicles 8 years of a relationship between three people:

THREE OF HEARTS follows the experiment of a New York menage a trois to sustain a lasting relationship. We watch the trio go through trials and tribulations of explaining the relationship to outsiders, trying to have a baby, and running a business. Filmed over 8 years, they go through dramatic changes that raise provocative questions about relationships in general.

The screening takes place on Tuesday, May 10th at 8 p.m. and includes a Q&A with the director, Susan Kaplan. Tickets are $16 and can be purchased online.

Sacred sex retreats from the Body Electric School

Apr 292011

The Body Electric School is hosting two sacred sex retreats for women and queers in May. The first is a residential workshop from May 13 to 15 in New York. This workshop is called “Power, Surrender & Intimacy” and is taught by Alex Jade. Here’s a description of it.

This workshop explores techniques of BDSM practice, using the circle of women as a grounded, respectful container in which to discover and clarify edges of empowerment, liberation and embodiment. Learn to recognize aspects of yourself that are continually engaged in power dynamics, and hence become more choiceful about how you can share power with compassion and skill. Learn ways that power and sensation can be wielded for a healing intention, and experience the intense fire generated by a surrender to trust. Expect heightened awareness of your body’s capacity for sensation, a greater sense of personal empowerment, and appreciation for the connection between the divine energy of power and the human energy of surrender.

You can register online for this retreat.

The second retreat is called “Celebrating the Body Erotic for Women.” It takes place in Oakland from May 20 to 22 and is taught by Lizz Randall.

In a safe, serious and playful space that respects boundaries, embrace pleasure and experience your body as powerful, expressive and sacred. The class expands awareness and sensation through a process of breath, movement and touch. Each woman’s choices and rhythms are honored and celebrated. This workshop is for women of all sexual orientations and ages who are ready to learn about their own power to illuminate and enjoy sexuality and sensuality within a community of women.