Susie Bright

Susie Bright is a feminist sex writer, erotic forensics expert, and political activist with a big fountain pen instead of a sword.

She's been called: "#23 out of 62 Reasons to Love America," (behind Tofu Pups) -- and "a national treasure right up there with the Grand Canyon, the battlefield at Gettysburg, the Okefenokee Swamp, and the Smithsonian Nancy Reagan Memorial Dress Collection."

Lesser-known details include:

1958 - Born in Arlington, VA, conceived in Jakarta in by expat linguists. Raised all over California, and Edmonton, Alberta, attending eleven schools before dropping out in 1975, and moving to Detroit to start industrial revolution.

1966 - Wrote first political pamphlet in Crayola Orange-Red, begging neighbors to vote against Reagan in California gubernatorial race.

1974 - Joined notorious high school underground newspaper, The Red Tide, and sued the L.A. School Board for the right to distribute without prior censorship or approval- a struggle not without sit-downs, walkouts, and overturned police cars.

1975 - Co-founded the rank-and-file activist group, "Teamsters for a Democratic Union."

1984 - Editor and Co-founder of "On Our Backs," the first sex journal by and for women, the first entirely-out-of-the-closet lesbian magazine, and the first print publication about anything produced with Apple Desktop Publishing.

1987 - Began publishing the first "real" film criticism of porn movies. Named the "Pauline Kael of Porn" by Alice Kahn.

1986 - Taught first university class on porn, "How To Read a Dirty Movie" at the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, California.

1990 - Baby Aretha born; perfect happiness. Writes "Egg Sex," the first story about childbirth and sexual knowledge.

1993 - Founded "The Best American Erotica" series; published ~400 short stories of literary erotic fiction.

1995 - Made everyone cry in "The Celluloid Closet."

1996 - Inspired the lesbian lovers for the Wachowski Brothers' "Bound" and wrote the sex scenes.

2004 - Blog debut: "Susie Bright's Journal." First Post: 'Moral Values I'd Like to Revive!'

2001 - Started first audio program about sex that was censor-free: In Bed With Susie Bright. Interviews with Betty Dodson, Erica Jong, and the last candid conversation with the late Jeane Palfrey, "The DC Madam."

2006 - Bong-Wrangler and Guest Star on "Six Feet Under"

2007 - Chief Sewing Columnist at Craft magazine. Writes: "The Case of the Missing Curve."

2008 - "Got my first mountain bike. Guest-blogs at Boing Boing; my Work is Done. Daughter off to college

2010 - Susie's first lovers' game of cards, the "Dare Cards," becomes international bestseller

2011-- coming soon, Susie's memoir, "BIG SEX, LITTLE DEATH" in the Spring!

My favorite ways to blow an afternoon include: Sexual politics, writing and editing, cooking, sewing, labor upheaval, movies, drug debates and adventures, pop culture queerities, photography, feminism, fooling around outside, raising teenagers, and words of all kinds. I'll try anything once. You can email me anytime at susie at susiebright dot com.