Best Lesbian Erotica 2011 - book by Cleis Press Inc. - review by Sammi

Best Lesbian Erotica 2011 was published in 2010 by Cleis press. It’s edited by Kathleen Warnock, an editor, writer, and playwright. Her writings, both erotica and fiction, have appeared in many magazines, including Bust, Gargoyle, and the American Book Review. Her plays have found audiences in the United Kingdom and New York and she has won several awards for drama and play writing.

Lea DeLaria, who selected the stories in this collection, is a comic, actor, writer, and jazz vocalist with several albums under her belt. The first openly gay comic to appear on national TV, Lea has also appeared in specials on Comedy Central, HBO, and Showtime.

All 20 of the featured authors have a small section about them at the end of the book. The authors have wide and varied backgrounds, and run the gamut from new erotica writers to veteran writers of the genre. Some of the names are fairly well known and include D. L. King, Sinclair Sexsmith, and Xan West.

All 20 stories in this collection are about women loving women and geared towards anyone who enjoys reading about the sexual escapades of lesbians, whatever their guise. The majority of the stories are told from one of the participant’s point of view. All of the stories are well written and the content is quite varied, with many of the tales featuring a butch character as one of the pair. Many of the authors spend some time developing their characters and making them much more than cutouts.

The sex here takes place in a variety of settings, both indoors and outdoors, and even over the computer (KiKi DeLovely’s “The Third Kiss”). Sometimes it happens in a club, like in Sinclair SexSmith’s “A Quick Fuck in a Shadowed Corner,” or in the alley behind a strip club, as in Renee Strider's "The Stripper and the Butch Wannabe." A car is the place for the lovers in D. L. King’s “Walk Like A Man,” while it’s a closed business for the women in Giselle Renarde’s “Painted Nails and Puppy Dog Tails.”

In Theda Hudson’s “Signs” sex happens in a maze, while in “Most Valuable Player” by Nairne Holtz, steamy locker room sex is where it’s at. The great outdoors is the location of choice in Catherine Lundoff’s “Tree Hugger”, while sex on the slopes is for the women in Sarah Ellen’s “Ann’s Adrenaline Rush.” A few stories are set in foreign contries, like Anamika’s “Ladies’ Coupe” and Betty Blue’s “The Garden of Earthly Delights.”

The lovers are in many cases strangers, as in Heidi Champa’s “The Number 91,” while a few stories feature friends who take the next step (Charlotte Dare’s “Carried Away In Santa Fe”), and others feature current couples (Kenzie Mathews’ “Art School Confidential”) or couples who have recently split (Rachel Charman’s “Ice” and Erica Gimpelevich’s “The Sweet Tooth Never Fades”).

The sex varies wildly, from tender (Kirsty Logan’s “Witch”) to rough (Gala Fur’s “Little Lou”), from the sensuous (A.D R. Forte’s “Snapshot”) to the fairly brutal (Xan West’s “My Precious Whore”). Many stories feature a dominant/submissive theme with a degree of humiliation play, and some of the stories involve toy use. While not all of the stories will appeal to everyone, readers will likely find several to their liking.

Best Lesbian Erotica 2011 is an over sized paperback with a glossy cover. Two female bodies are in semi-silhouette on the front. The book is 199 pages and set in easy to read type.