SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — “Guide to Wicked Sex” creator Jessica Drake will present a lecture at UCSB on May 20 as part of Dr. Constance Penley’s “Film and Media Studies” class. drake will speak for a half hour and then answer questions.
“Speaking at universities gives me a great opportunity to have an intelligent conversation with students, share my experiences and let them draw their own conclusions,” Drake said. “I’ve always approached my public appearances as an opportunity to learn and gain knowledge, as well as share my own experiences. Growing together as a community is how we are all able to succeed. I’m looking forward to seeing what sexual discourse Dr. Penley’s class and I can create together.”
The “Film and Media Studies” course description reads, “[the class] approaches pornography as a major instance of film and popular culture, from the prehistory and history of cinema and video to the Internet and virtual worlds. Course content [is] augmented by guest lectures from the adult industry and academia.”
“Jessica Drake is a wickedly compelling and articulate sex educator, who is also smart, funny and compassionate,” Dr. Penley said. “I am delighted that Jessica Drake is willing to take time out of her busy schedule to speak to my students about her work as a producer, sex educator, and humanitarian. We are grateful for her generosity.”
Penley’s major areas of academic interest are film history and theory, feminist theory, cultural studies, contemporary art, and science and technology studies. She is the co-editor of “The Feminist Porn Book: The Politics of Producing Pleasure” and serves on the editorial board of the forthcoming white-page journal “Porn Studies.”
Recently, Drake was a guest lecturer at Pasadena City College for Dr. Hugo Schwyzer’s “Navigating Pornography” class; she also spoke at Chapman University with the “Psychology 340: Human Sexuality” class taught by assistant professor David Frederick for the Crean School of Health and Life Sciences.
"Jessica Drake was an exceptional speaker,” Dr. Frederick said. “She not only shared her views on the pornography industry, but more broadly spoke to students about sexual health. She communicated to students ways of learning to become comfortable with one's own body and learning how to communicate their desires to their partners.”
The upcoming lecture is open to enrolled students only. Each of the 70 students in the class are invited to bring one guest.
Drake writes, produces and directs the video series “Jessica Drake's Guide to Wicked Sex” to help proliferate sexual education. "Jessica Drake’s Guide Wicked Sex: Anal" received the 2012 XBIZ award for Specialty Release of the Year.
For more information about Jessica Drake’s appearances and sex education seminar series, visit http://www.guidetowickedsex.com/seminars/.
