Robot Hearts: True & Twisted Tales of Seeking Love in the Digital Age
edited by Cara Bruce & Shawna Kenney
Love and technology have tied the proverbial knot, for better and for worse. Human interaction has gone hi-tech — it’s now both more immediate and global. Does courtship even still exist in the world of instant-everything? Can a real connection ever be made from afar? Robot Hearts is a collection of true stories from writers navigating the relationship maze of new media. Robot Hearts is available here.
Imposters
Millions trekking from the near and far ends of the Earth to Los Angeles every year head straight to the heart of Hollywood, with vain hopes for a close encounter of the celebrity kind. And despite the mid-90’s billion-dollar facelift of the “Entertainment District,” many are still shocked by Tinseltown’s lackluster façade. But have no fear: entrepreneurial souls live here, so visitors can still go home with one-of-a-kind portraits of themselves with their favorite superhero or movie character. Never mind that some consider these street performers to be panhandlers, or that local businesses have described them as a nuisance. Everyone who comes to Hollywood feels like they really could be somebody. In the meantime, it might just pay better to be somebody else. Imposters: words by Shawna Kenney, photography by James Knoblauch. Mark Batty Publisher, 2008. Buy Imposters from Mark Batty Publisher or Amazon.com!
_
I Was a Teenage Dominatrix
“This book is a page turner, a riveting romp with intellectual as well as sexual content, as well as being extremely personal in a universal way,” says Pleasant Gehman, author of The Undergound Guide to Los Angeles. “This is no vanilla attempt at erotica or sterile study on sexual perversion — the blood, sweat, and tears of real-life experience rings through loud and clear. There’s something here for everyone, from fetishists to punk rockers, sex-positive feminists to curious culture-vultures.” By Shawna Kenney. Last Gasp of San Francisco, 2002. Buy I Was a Teenage Dominatrix from Last Gasp, Powell’s Books, or Amazon.com!
_
Baldini Castoldi Dalai published an Italian translation of I Was a Teenage Dominatrix — Memorie di una dominatrice teenager — in 2005. From the book description: “Prima di intraprendere questa originale (e redditizia) carriera, la Kenney era una cameriera sommersa dai debiti e sul punto di abbandonare il college. Disperata, un giorno nota un annuncio su un quotidiano che promette: ‘Fatti pagare per fare la stronza.’ Decide di rispondere e, con una certa sorpresa, scopre di essere molto portata per il ruolo. E’ così che ha inizio la sua doppia vita: studentessa modello di giorno, severa castigatrice di notte. Nelle vesti di Padrona Alexis incontra persone normali, spesso eleganti uomini d’affari o padri di famiglia, e persino preti, che sborsano cifre notevoli per essere insultati e puniti. Lei li accontenta con severità, senza oltretutto permettere alcun contatto sessuale, accrescendo il loro desiderio.” Translated by Marco Rossari. Buy Memorie di una dominatrice teenager from the publisher’s website or from bol.it!
I Was a Teenage Dominatrix was published in Great Britain by Corgi Books in 2002. Michael N., an Amazon.co.uk reviewer, says, “From bossy big-sister to whip-wielding Amazon-for-hire, Kenney’s memoir is a unique coming-of-age tale told with insight, wit and absolutely no pretension. Even though her characters are Washington bankers and lawyers acting out charades in fancy dress (or some stage of undress), she manages to keep it real.” Buy new or used copies of the British edition of Shawna Kenney’s I Was a Teenage Dominatrix at Amazon.co.uk!
_
I Was a Teenage Dominatrix was first published by Retro Systems in 1999. This edition is no longer in print.
