The Cleis Press Sextionary: for those voracious for vocabulary

Ever wondered what a unicorn or a pearl necklace refers to when you’re talking dirty? Or what a fetish for heels, sound, or breaking rules is called? Or where the term ‘walk of shame’ came from? Well, there’s a great new glossary by the name of The Cleis Press Sextionary out there for you narratophiliacs – that is, people with a fetish for words or language that have to do with sex! We spoke to Sarah Rogers, an editor with Cleis Press who helped create the Sextionary, about this fun and informative resource. Pornhub Sexual Wellness Center: What does Cleis Press do? Sarah Rogers: Cleis Press is the largest independent sexuality publishing company in the US. We are passionate about discussing sex and sexuality in an open and understanding environment. Whether it is kinky, lesbian BDSM erotica or a historical book on the LGBT+ rights movement or a how-to guide for giving your partner the best oral sex… ever, you’ll find it at Cleis Press. SWC: How did the idea come about? SR: Our internal meetings are often a blend of business-oriented seriousness which ultimately find their way to discussions on topics trending on twitter, what we heard on the news last night, and brainstorming sessions about our next big book idea. After one particularly random tangent about dictionaries, one of our editors said, “Is there a sex-themed dictionary?” That’s all it took. After a bit more research, we realized there was a need that needed to be filled, and we filled it. SWC: What is the goal of the Sextionary? SR: The Sextionary is meant to be an educational, reference tool that you can use to answer questions about other sexual preferences or discover a few new ones. Many of the definitions are worded in a very non-dictionary like matter. You can think of the Sextionary as a new friend who knows way too much about sex/the art of getting off! SWC: Who is the Sextionary for? SR: Everyone! The Sextionary is meant to appeal to straight, homosexual, bisexual, transgender, and all non-binary persons out there! We composed this book with this in mind. We wanted to be all-inclusive. Everyone deserves to learn and be equipped with the right tools they need to communicate properly and from an informed place about sex – whether it’s to a partner, colleague, or yourself. SWC: How did you compile the list and come to a consensus on the correct definitions? SR: We had three separate editors comb the internet and talk to a few experts about what we should include. It was quite a process! So much of sex and sexuality changes in depending on if you participate, in what position you participate, or if you are just curious and happen to stumble across that rabbit hole. You may choose to dive in or you may chose to pass it by. We wanted to give you the basics and it would be up to you to explore the rest. Well, sometimes we did dive in a bit further with detailed explanation, but only for some cases. Needless to say, there are A LOT of kinky terms… There were more fetishes out there than even we realized! SWC: One of my favorites is yeastiality: “A sexual fetish for bread, dough, or pastries. This can include eating dough items while having sex, physically having sex with a bread item (such as a doughnut or bagel), or smelling yeast.” What were your favorite or funniest entries? SR: If you didn’t “lol” when encountering “yeastiality,” I don’t think we could be friends. Words like that on a page in a sex-related book normally don’t bode well, but that one fetish is not what you would expect! (Or perhaps I just have a dirty mind!) That being said, mine would be “vajankle,” because when I first heard it, all I could think of was “vajazzle” and I had no idea why or how someone would consider a rhinestone-encrusted ankle sexy unless we were in 1893. I was way off… SWC: What are some other books from Cleis Press that people who enjoyed the Sextionary might be interested in? SR: There are tons! We have a great “Ultimate Guide” series with books on almost every topic you can think of: anal sex for men, kink, cunnilingus, sex after fifty, prostate pleasure, sex and disability. Our newest edition to this series is The Ultimate Guide to Sex Toys by Erin Viereck out in June 2018. And, of course, we have erotica that covers everyone on the spectrum, in every position, in every kink… well maybe not EVERY kink. The Cleis Press Sextionary is available now, and you can follow Cleis Press on Twitter to catch excerpts from the Sextionary, or to tweet them your additions to it!