Farewell Best of American Erotica

After 15 years of collecting the best of America (and Canada)’s smart, funny erotica, editor and writer Susie Bright puts her series to bed.

I caught the writer/editor at her book reading in Los Feliz, Calif., at Skylight Books, which was more like a reunion than a reading. She spoke at length about the changing face of publishing and how the book just wasn’t giving the returns it should. In the audience, were contributor’s from over the years and, surprisingly, a one-time editorial assistant to Bright and former University of Southern California classmate Ari Levenfeld. Bright was upbeat, but underlying the reading was a certain sadness that Best of American Erotica is passing like a shooting star, albeit one that shot for a decade and a half.

The series itself represents the kind of erotica that proves that sex is something that happens between the ears, the brain being the most powerful sexual organ. Her swansong edition, The Best of Best of American Erotica, showcases just that. From Bright’s own “Story of O Birthday Party” saga to a review of the Fleshlight that spun out of literary control (by Joe Maybard), Best of Best of feels like the best kind of seduction. Bonuses to this edition are the “Behind the Scenes” commentaries by the author’s themselves about the genesis of their stories. If you fall in love with this text, don’t worry Susie Bright has 26 books out and maintains a daily blog at SusieBright.Blogs.com.