Shameless Self-Promotion: Two NY Pieces

[Illustration by Deanna Staffo, via TONY]

Hey there you guys. I thought I’d just quickly indulge in a little bit of shameless self-promotion by linking to my latest two published pieces.

Last week, an essay of mine about finding love in the Lincoln Tunnel ran in New York Press. I tweeted a link, but didn’t mention it here on the blog. Though it had been awhile since I’d sent anything to the alternative weekly, I got the idea to submit something to their Flavor of the Week column after reading through mediabistro’s series on personal essay markets. It was fun concentrating on the personal essay again, after so much time focusing on short-form blogging. Once upon a time, they were all I wanted to write. The only problem with that idea? Though some editors will express interest in an essay before seeing the finished product, most editors prefer that you submit them whole. A time-consuming proposition when you consider the fact that there’s no guarantee of acceptance.

This week, my third piece for Time Out New York went live — Sex Play for Prudes. It’s a resource piece for the sexually shy, (obviously) based in NYC. It was a good deal of fun to research, and also very important for me to write. If you’ve read my piece on getting my nude portrait done up, you know that I have my own share of sexual dysfunctions. (I am also amused by how much the guy in the illustration above reminds me of my husband, all tall, scrawny, and with geek-chic glasses.)

Looking at the pieces I have coming out — and the ones I’m working on — makes me wonder if I need to specialize a little bit more (where does wine fit in with sex and dating…or career content, for that matter?). But, much in the same way that I love receiving a patchwork paycheck, I also love mixing things up when I write. I hope you enjoy my latest!