I am excited about participating in Chattanooga’s Start Up Week. My first workshop on Monday, Crash Course in Design Thinking, will hopefully help with the redesign of this website. There are so many interesting workshops happening this week that there is no way I can go to everything that appeals to me, but for now I have my eye on making a podcast, low cost marketing, tips on how to negotiate, funding for small businesses, and the kombucha brewery tour.
Filed under coaching, Conference, convention, diversity, Media, Uncategorized
Dr. Kelly and Chelsea at Let’s Talk Relationships interviewed me for their show and labeled it Rebel Relationships. Check out our conversation on different types of consensual non-monogamy, kinds of love, and dealing with the possible complexities of CNM relationships.
Filed under consensual nonmonogamy, dating, Families, Gender, interview, jealousy, love, marriage, Media, non-monogamy, open relationships, podcast, Polyamory, relationships, Research, romance, sex, sexuality, Uncategorized
I will be presenting on the Skeptic, Alternative History, and Science tracks at Dragoncon this year, as well as being one of the banner carriers for the Skeptic banner in the parade on Saturday. My presentation schedule is:
Friday 9/1/17, 11:30 pm Crystal Ballroom, Hilton
Title: The Polyamorists Next Door
Description: We can learn a lot about polyamory from a 15-year study of its practice & effects on families. We’ll cover issues like finding partners, coming out, and passing, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of with poly families and the strategies kids and parents use to deal with disadvantages.
Saturday 9/2/17, 10 am, Parade
Saturday 9/2/17, 2:30 pm, Athens Room, Sheraton
Title: SAM Talk
Description: Alternate Relationships in Alternate History, or how we might have different relationships if things had turned out differently.
Monday 9/4/17, 11:30 am, Hilton 204-207
Title: Debunking Legal Myths about Polyamorous Families
Description: Erroneously equated with polygynous or cheating families, polyamorous families often labor under mistaken ideas about their family structure. Empirical data to demonstrate significant differences between polyamorous and polygynous families in how they treat women and children.
Monday 9/4/17, 2:30 pm, Hilton 204-207
Title: Wrap-Up And Feedback
Description: Come and join the Skeptic Track folks for a discussion about the past weekend. What worked, what you liked, and what should we strive to do for 2018?
Brian Reynolds’s new play Mono/Poly is a laugh-out-loud exploration of the shenanigans that ensue when two monogamous couples meet a polyamorous triad. This delightful and rousing play just opened at the Hudson Theater in Los Angeles, and I had the pleasure of seeing it twice and sitting on the panels after each performance.
Having attended many, many plays I am well aware of how painfully bad theater can be, and I must admit that I was a little bit nervous about sitting on the panels after the show. What would I say if it was terrible? To my absolute delight (and a little bit of relief), Mono/Poly was fantastic! Great dialog that was both witty and believable, a completely plausible and yet interesting plot, and incredible actors perfectly cast in their roles made the show an amusing and satisfying experience. I was sad to see it end and could definitely have watched a third act, which is a major statement for my ADHD-short-span-of-attention-for-entertainment self.
This was the first showing, and Reynolds is in talks with other theaters in the LA area who may host another performance of the production in a larger space. Let us all hope that those talks come to fruition with another staging of Mono/Poly sooner than later. If you get the chance to see this wonderful play, jump at it! I can’t wait to see it again — on Broadway.
Filed under BDSM, bisexual, consensual nonmonogamy, dating, diversity, Families, Gender, jealousy, love, marriage, Media, non-monogamy, open relationships, Polyamory, relationships, romance, sex, sexuality, Theater, Uncategorized
In my most recent blog on Psychology Today I explore the experiences that polyamorous folks report with prejudice and discrimination.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-polyamorists-next-door/201707/polyphobia
Filed under Blog, children, consensual nonmonogamy, diversity, Families, human rights, love, marriage, Media, non-monogamy, open relationships, Polyamory, Psychology Today, race, Race and Ethnicity, racism, relationships, Research, sex, sexuality, social equality, social justice, Uncategorized, White Privilege
Zoe Weiner at Well and Good interviewed me recently about when open relationships work, and when they don’t.
https://www.wellandgood.com/good-advice/health-pros-cons-of-open-relationship/
Filed under consensual nonmonogamy, dating, diversity, Families, Gender, Health, interview, love, marriage, Media, non-monogamy, open relationships, Polyamory, relationships, romance, sex, sex education, sexuality, Uncategorized
Alexandria Gomez from Women’s Health Magazine interviewed me recently for a piece on polyamory and consensual non-monogamy. You can find the article here.
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/sex-and-love/open-relationships
Filed under dating, diversity, Gender, interview, jealousy, love, marriage, Media, non-monogamy, open relationships, Polyamory, relationships, romance, sex, sex education, sexuality, Uncategorized
Written by Dr. Elisabeth Sheff
Book Description
Marriage and monogamy are not what they used to be, and today many couples are opting to start families before getting married, or deciding not to get married at all. At the same time, gay couples in states that recognize same-sex marriage are getting married in droves. Some people prefer non-monogamy and have relationships that include swinging and polyamory. The landscape of American marriage and relationships is changing, and a variety of family systems are developing and becoming more common.
Dr. Elisabeth Sheff is the author of The Polyamorists Next Door, a blog featured on Psychology Today.
Using empirical information based in academic research, this blog explores the issues facing polyamorous relationships and families. It covers topics as diverse as sexuality to parenting, jealousy to coming out to families of origin, and employment and housing discrimination to online dating.
