Open Relationships – Page 4

TED talk with Dr. Meg Barker: rewriting the rules

Dr. Meg Barker is a writer, academic, therapist, and activist in the area of sex and relationships. They are a senior lecturer in psychology at the Open University and have published many academic books and papers, including The Bisexuality Report and Rewriting the Rules: An Integrative Guide to Love, Sex and Relationships.

Barker was asked to speak at TEDxBrighton, a local, self-organized event featuring live speakers. Barker's talk at TEDxBrighton was based off their book, Rewriting the Rules, so it is focused on ways we can re-examine our ideas about modern relationships. Check it out!

Find out more about Dr. Meg Barker on their Twitter account and blog.

Buy The Polyamorists Next Door today!

Dr. Eli Sheff's new book, The Polyamorists Next Door: Inside Multiple-Partner Relationships and Families, has been released -- and I encourage you to buy it today. Doing so can help it become a top seller in its category, which can lead to a less expensive paperback version and hopefully more mainstream recognition.

Eli Sheff is an important voice in the poly world. She was a guest on my radio show, Sex Out Loud, and has been on panels about polyamory, an expert on TV shows discussing polyamory, and a frequent source of quotes for mainstream articles exploring non-monogamy.

Sheff is one of the premiere experts on children in polyamorous families, and so The Polyamorists Next Door is a fascinating and important look at families:

In colorful and moving details, this book explores how polyamorous relationships come to be, grow and change, manage the ins and outs of daily family life, and cope with the challenges they face both within their families and from society at large. Using polyamorists own words, Dr. Elisabeth Sheff examines polyamorous households and reveals their advantages, disadvantages, and the daily lives of those living in them.

. . . This book provides information that will be useful for professionals with polyamorous clients, educators who wish to understand or teach about polyamory, and especially people who wish to better understand polyamory themselves or explain it to their potential partners, adult children, or in-laws.

Go buy The Polyamorists Next Door today to help push it to the top of its category -- where it belongs!

2013 so far: poly reading list

A lot has happened so far in 2013! Although I try to keep abreast of the latest news, sometimes articles fall through the cracks. So here's a list of interesting stuff that wasn't covered on this blog -- but is totally worth a read!

A fascinating article discussed polyamory and neurodiversity.
The Sydney Morning Herald published a lengthy profile of several poly folks.
Samantha Fraser and her family were featured in the February issue of Toronto Life Magazine.
For Valentine's Day, Colorado's Westword published a cover story about a long-term triad.
Jessica Burde announced the official launch of her new book, Polyamory and Pregnancy.
A polyactive triad in Johannesburg were profiled in a South African newspaper.
Following the Supreme Court arguments on gay marriage, there were a flurry of articles addressing the so-called "slippery slope" argument that gay marriage will lead to polygamous marriage. VICE published perhaps the most balanced article on the issue. Angi Becker Stevens and a writer for Slate also weighed in.
Three poly couples shared screen time on Australian national TV. One of the couples was later featured in Time Out Melbourne.
On the heels of Atlanta Poly Weekend, Alan posted the text of his keynote.
Feminista Jones wrote about polyamory for Ebony.
A Seattle paper tackled poly families.
The Guardian wrote about a triad that includes two trans partners.
A Londoner wrote about the perks of polyamory.
Several polyamorous configurations were profiled in an article focusing on folks in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
On xoJane, a contributor wrote: "It Happened To Me: I'm In A Happy Polyamorous Relationship."
Polycon was held in Vancouver, B.C., leading to a plethora of media attention.
A writer for Slate argued for the legalization of poly marriage.
VICE interviewed Zoe Duff, director of the Canadian Polyamory Advocacy Association.

Online tool solidifies open relationship details

Cat Maness is Registered Marriage and Family Therapist Intern in Berkeley, California, and a proud member of my Open List, so I was thrilled when she emailed me to tell me about a new online tool she has launched entitled Our Open Agreement.

Maness writes:

As a psychotherapy intern with over 15 years of personal experience with open relationships, I've considered how I might further contribute to our growing community.

I know that many of the clients that come to work with me often feel like they're lost in a sea of choices when it comes to what they want their open relationship to look like. So I began thinking about how I could create a tool that would be accessible by anyone online at a reasonable price, which could be used either in conjunction with therapy or as a stand-alone guide.

That’s where OurOpenAgreement.com comes in. It's an easy to follow guide for couples (currently dyads) who are considering opening their relationships or who are seeking more structure to their existing agreements. In fact, Our Open Agreement asks many of the same questions that I pose as a therapist in my work with couples. It takes them through several decision points and then compiles their responses into a pre-formatted PDF and emailed to them automatically.

This is a great resource that could bring deeper conversations and clarity to your open relationship -- with a tangible end result to boot. Currently one week of access costs $20. All of Maness' clients can access the tool for free.