Contact: Marcia Meier, Publisher Weeping Willow Books info@weepingwillowbooks.com
New Book Sheds Light on“Sex After 50” “Unmasked” essays, poetry from women writers over 50 spotlight “The Invisible Woman”
SANTA BARBARA (CA) – “Unmasked, Women Write About Sex and Intimacy After Fifty,” is already raising eyebrows and awareness across the country.
“Sex for women after 50 is invisible for the same reason that contraception, abortion, and sex between two women or two men has been forbidden: sexuality is supposed to be only about procreation. This lie was invented by patriarchy, monotheism, racism and other hierarchies. Sexuality is and always has been also about bonding, communicating, and pleasure. ‘Unmasked’ helps to restore a human right,” writes feminist leader and writer Gloria Steinem.
“Unmasked,” edited by Marcia Meier and Kathleen Barry, Ph.D., of Santa Barbara, is a collection of 33 poems and 20 essays set for release by Weeping Willow Books Oct. 1.
It features works by women who are published writers and also mothers, grandmothers, playwrights, professors, teachers, psychotherapists, copywriters, city council women, and a model for a foot fetish website. They come from places as diverse as Australia, California, Delaware, Iowa, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Washington; and Wisconsin, and more. Many have prestigious fellowships and Pushcart Prize nominations and other awards to their names. They range in age from 50 to 87.
“In a society that reveres youth – and particularly young, sexy women – little attention is paid to sex and intimacy among women in later life,” says ‘Unmasked’ co-editor and Weeping Willow publisher Marcia Meier. “ ‘Unmasked’ gives women from around the world an opportunity to share their stories.”
“Unmasked” readings, discussions and book signings by a variety of the 52 participants are already scheduled in:
San Diego, 5-7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7 at Writer’s Ink, 2730 Historic Decatur Rd No. 202.
Santa Barbara, 5:30- 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct 12, Seahorse Gallery, 12 Helena Ave.
Additional readings and book signings featuring participants are being scheduled in Los Angeles, Berkeley, Washington D.C., Boston, Chicago and Nashville.
The interest does not surprise Meier. “For every story of a harried mother who turns her husband away at night, or the older woman who long ago lost her libido, there are legions of others whose sex drives match those of men,” she said.
Meier points out that a recent study found that:
60 percent of women 50 to 59 are sexually active;
Almost 50 percent of women in their 60s are sexually active
Nearly 30 percent of women over 70 are sexually active.
Those who are not sexually active listed lack of a partner or partner with an illness as the main reason.
“Yet, other than a smattering of ‘how-to’ magazine articles and some academic books, there is a dearth of personal writing about women, sex and intimacy after 50. This collection of essays and poetry is meant to bring post-50 sex out into the open, to proclaim it is important, it is natural and healthy and, for some women, it is absolutely necessary,” Meier explained.
“Unmasked,” she said, is intended to surprise, inform, and encourage all women 'of a certain age' to (re)discover their sexuality."
The book is divided into four sections: Herbs (enticement), for sexual playfulness, flirting; Pomegranate (tasting), for dating and trying out different things; Bread (sustenance), for satisfying and/or long-term relationships; and Figs (sweetness), for the sweetness that can come from a delicious and loving bond that is both sexual and intimate.
Sexuality and intimacy are the key themes uniting the essays and poems of "Unmasked." The pieces range from erotica to musings on simple love -- both heterosexual and lesbian. The writers also reflect the full spectrum of race, ethnicity and socioeconomic status.
Ask questions and get on the ‘Unmasked’ email list at info@weepingwillowbooks.com.
Buy copies of the book at Weeping Willow Books, www.weepingwillowbooks.com.
About the “Unmasked” editors: Marcia Meier is an award-winning writer, developmental book editor, and founder and publisher at Weeping Willow Books. Her latest book of poetry and photography is “Ireland, Place Out of Time” (Weeping Willow Books, 2017). Her other books include “Heart on a Fence,” (Weeping Willow Books, 2016), “Navigating the Rough Waters of Today's Publishing World, Critical Advice for Writers from Industry Insiders” (Quill Driver Books, 2010) and “Santa Barbara, Paradise on the Pacific” (Longstreet Press, 1996). Her web address is www.marciameier.com.
Kathleen Barry, Ph.D., has been a licensed psychotherapist in California since 1995 and specializes in working with individuals as they face the crossroads of major life transitions. She has published a variety of writings about women, empowerment, grief, and sexuality at www.whispersofwisdom.com.
About Weeping Willow Books: Weeping Willow Books is located in Santa Barbara, CA, and publishes high-quality fiction and nonfiction books that inspire, uplift, inform and entertain. Our authors are accomplished writers whose work illuminates, as Abraham Lincoln said, “the better angels of our nature. Find out more on its website at www.weepingwillowbooks.com.
