Cheers Sexy People!
We all hear that healthy polyamory involves communication, communication, communication. I am also VERY often asked: Where can I meet other poly folk in the community? Well today, I’m going tell you about three amazing events where you can connect deeply with other polk folk building relationships that may last lifetime, and you can dig in deeply into your own personal development and education thus increasing your communication skills. How does that sound? Sounds pretty freaking awesome, right?
Well then consider attending one (or all) of the following events…
1 – Endless Poly Summer – August 19–24, 2016, the wilds of West Virginia
Alan from Polyamory in the News summarizes this event so well, there is no need for me to rephrase it…
If you’ve wondered where to find deep poly community, I’m going to put in a plug for Endless Poly Summer coming up later this month at the Abrams Creek Retreat Center in West Virginia.
It’s put on by the same folks — principally Sarah Taub, Michael Rios, and Debby Sugarman — who run the Network for a New Culture Summer Camp East at the same site, which you’ve seen me rave about here; I’ve been going to it every summer since 2010.
The dates are August 19 – 24, though you can come for just the weekend. Endless Poly Summer, and their other quarterly poly events at Abrams Creek, are basically Summer Camp with a poly focus. As I’ve said, the New Culture values of transparency, curiosity, personal growth and self-responsibility, and its practices for community creation and relationship-skills development, are exactly right for building poly relationships and community. Guests/presenters this time include Elisabeth Sheff (author of The Polyamorists Next Door) and Mark Michaels & Patricia Johnson (Designer Relationships).
From the website: “Here is where you can meet other poly people at a deeper level, learn the skills needed to handle your relationships, and become a part of a supportive network of people who share your relationship values…. Spend up to 5 days in a rustic woods-and-water setting, hang out around a bonfire, enjoy a song circle, cuddle up at a snuggle party, learn to take your relationships to the next level, and build connections with others that last all year long! At Endless Poly Summer, we invite top-notch presenters, and live, work, learn and play together for up to 5 days or more.”
The location is in the cool mountains about 2 1/2 hours west of Washington DC. The website. Facebook event page.
Michael Rios told me the feedback they have gotten from previous attendees has been extraordinary. One of many examples:
“Polyamory For All Seasons programs are super-fun, warm, intimate, inspiring, transformational and sexy. Not to mention priced for the working-class🙂. I cannot recommend them more highly and I myself attend at every opportunity I can get. I believe this is some of the highest-level work on the creation of intentional loving community and authentic sexual expression that I have seen anywhere.”
2 – Lecture with Dr. Elisabeth Sheff – August 17th at 7:30pm, Alexandria, VA
It is my absolute honor to be hosting Dr. Elisabeth Sheff to speak on various topics at my home on Wednesday, August 17th in Alexandria, Virginia. I am so thrilled to enjoy watching Dr. Sheff share her wisdom with our local community in the Washington DC area. What an absolute treat! Here is the announcement from the Facebook Event.
Dr. Elisabeth Sheff, author of “Stories from the Polycule”, “The Polyamorist Next Door” and more, is touring the U.S. giving presentations based on her 15 years of research of polyamorous families. She will be speaking at a private home in Alexandria, VA on the below three topics:
TOPICS TO BE COVERED (Dr. Sheff will speak approximately 20 minutes on each topic, and take Q&A for 30 minutes)Advantages & Disadvantages of Polyamorous Families — Using date from her 15-year study of poly families, Eli provides a frank look at the advantages and disadvantages that kids and adults report in polyamorous families, and the strategies they used to manage.Disasters in Coming Out and How to Avoid Them — Using her own research and others on lesbian and gay families, Eli summarizes patterns in what it is like for people to come out and how others react, and identifies common pitfalls in coming out, some consequences of those pitfalls, and some strategies that may help avoid them.Strategies for Managing Jealousy — Drawing on years of interviews and participant observation, Eli identifies common triggers for jealousy in monogamous and openish relationships, some reasons polyamorous people seem to welcome them, and what happens when jealousy becomes difficult to manage. Sheff closes with strategies that have worked to manage jealousy, as well as some that fail.DATE: Wednesday, August 17thTIME: 7:30pm to 9:30pmCOST: $15 per person is requested at the doorPLACE: Private home (to be shared with confirmed attendees)BRING: Your curiosity, open-mind, and questions
HOST: Kitty Chambliss of Loving Without Boundaries
We hope to see you there! This is an incredible opportunity! I am honored to facilitate this awesome event. 🙂________For more information on Dr. Sheff, see below:Dr. Elisabeth “Eli” Sheff is the foremost academic expert on polyamory in the US, and the worldwide expert on polyamorous families with children. An expert witness and Guardian Ad Litem with a background in academic sociology, Dr. Sheff specializes in gender and sexual minority families, kink/BDSM, and issues facing trans* people. She is the CEO and Director of Legal Services at the Sheff Consulting Group, a think-tank of experts specializing in unconventional and underserved populations. Sheff has been interviewed by everyone; The Huffington Post, The Sunday London Times, The Boston Globe, Newsweek, The Atlantic, CNN. She has published extensively and blogs at Psychology Today, How Do I Date?, and at http://elisabethsheff.com.
I am elated to say that I have been selected to be one of the presenters at this year’s fantastic Beyond The Love polyamory conference! What an absolute honor! I am stoked! Here are the two topics that I will be presenting come this November:
The Effects of “The Poly Closet” on Metamours, Ex-metamours, and Pivot Partners – Are you in the “poly closet”? Is your partner? Doesn’t feel great, does it? In this workshop we dive deep into the poly closet pool, identifying ways in which this affects us and our partners. We discuss why many of us are still in the closet, and when might be an appropriate time to come out, and how to go about that as safely as one can. We also discuss strategies for supporting our partners if we are in the poly closet and they are not. Harmonious relationships are possible given some understanding and having the right tools.
The Effects of Breakups on Metamours, Ex-metamours, and Pivot Partners – Have you or your partner recently gone through a devastating breakup? Are you having difficulty learning to trust again after betrayal? In this workshop, we explore how to best practice self-love after a betrayal or breakup of an important relationship, how to gain support from loved ones during this crucial time, and how it affects our other partners and our metamours. Lastly we discuss ways to learn to trust again, starting with ourselves.
Beyond The Love is a 3 day polyamory convention in Columbus, Ohio, held on November 11-13th. We are in our fourth year and focus on education, workshops, social activities, meeting other polyamory people, and fun!
Beyond The Love 2016 enters our fourth year, bringing the largest three day polyamory event in the region! Join us in central Ohio for a celebration!
From classes and workshops to social spaces and fun. We are creating a place that is both welcoming to people new to polyamory as well as has great value to those who want more than 101 classes
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You have been properly alerted, wonderful community! Get out your calendars, talk to your loved ones, and consider creating space for more AWESOME in your life by attending one or all of these events listed here! If you’ve attended one before, please feel free to write in the comments section about your experience so that others may hear what you have to say.
Wishing you peace, love and happiness!
(and thrilling, fun sex too!)
Kitty
