BESS Events for February 2009

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BESS Events for February 2009

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Date Event Information

Wednesday
Feb, 4th [an error occurred while processing this directive]

Wednesday
Feb, 4th BESS Orientation Meeting

Orientation meetings ensure that you understand the basic ethical values of the Baltimore BDSM community. They also provide information about BESS and gives you an opportunity to ask any questions that you might have. The orientations are held at the same location as the BESS meetings and there is no need to reserve in advance. Just be sure to arrive promptly at 6:45pm and inform the BESS staff that you wish to attend an orientation.
Time: 6:45pm to 7:15pm.
Cost: Free of charge
Click for directions or a map.

For more information email:�� BESS Education Team.

Wednesday
Feb, 4th Topic: Refining Service Movement
With: Catherine Gross
This is a class for submissives/bottoms/slaves who wish to refine your movement, stance and body control. It's also a class for tops to learn how to manage your bottoms and add to your array of possibilities. Your every movement communicates your disposition. Each movement is rift with nuance, discipline and sentiment. Learn the language of your craft and refine your hands, various forms of kneeling, types of crawling, your overall body movements and service. Learn how to be invisible or a show piece and discern when each is appropriate.
Catherine Gross: Catherine Gross is a sex educator, consultant, writer and certified PCC personal coach. She offers classes that focus on physical skills, Master/slave relationships, dominance and submission, improving your sex life, personal development, house management, service, keeping relationships healthy and much more.

She has served on both local and national boards, judged contests, staffed conferences in a variety of positions, and emceed and produced fundraisers for several charities and organizations. She is currently the co-producer of SouthEast LeatherFest in Atlanta, GA.

Catherine enjoys both having the opportunity to interact with large groups as well as the one-on-one contact that smaller events offer. She has presented classes at Frolicon, Black Rose, South Plains LeatherFest, Living In Leather by NLA-I, San Diego Leatherfest, SouthEast LeatherFest, Southwest Leather Conference, Together in Leather, Northeast Master/slave Conference, Leather University, Boys Camp, International Ms. Leather, Leather Leadership Conference, Pantheon, TES, Folsom Fringe, Orlando Bash, Great Lakes Leather Alliance, Leather Reign and at many more events. She was presented with Black Rose's Vaughn Keith National Educator Award in 2002 and Pantheon of Leather Southeast Region Service Award 2006.

Catherine created Servant's Retreat, an intensive weekend for those who serve, which focuses on the internal issues of submission and service. In addition, her Nine Fold Path Seminar is a workshop on M/s and D/s relationship health. She also offers sessions for couples and individuals in her private practice.

She is the owner of Fetish Auctioneer�which received the Pantheon of Leather Business of the Year award in 2006�where she sells sex toys under the seller name Zipperdiva.
Time: 7:30 to 9:00 pm.
Cost: $5 for Contributors, $10 for Non Contributors.
Welcome Meeting: 6:45pm. - Free of charge.
Click for directions or a map.

For more information email:�� BESS Education Team.

Sunday
Feb, 15th Submissives & Slaves SIG Meeting

Join us for a lively discussion and hands-on skill-building, for submissives, slaves, and bottoms (or those who can 'switch' to that mindset).

Tops who wish to accompany their bottoms may participate in an informal, casual coffee/munch at a separate location from the SIG meeting.
Time: 1:30pm - 4:00pm
Cost: Free (Optional yummy snack to share.)
Location: Private Home, please RSVP for directions and info.

For more information, email [email protected].

Wednesday
Feb, 18th [an error occurred while processing this directive]

Wednesday
Feb, 18th BESS Orientation Meeting

Orientation meetings ensure that you understand the basic ethical values of the Baltimore BDSM community. They also provide information about BESS and gives you an opportunity to ask any questions that you might have. The orientations are held at the same location as the BESS meetings and there is no need to reserve in advance. Just be sure to arrive promptly at 6:45pm and inform the BESS staff that you wish to attend an orientation.
Time: 6:45pm to 7:15pm.
Cost: Free of charge
Click for directions or a map.

For more information email:�� BESS Education Team.

Wednesday
Feb, 18th Topic: Avoid the Pitfalls and Reap the Rewards of Polyamorous Relationships
With: Anita Wagner
Most people raised in Western culture under lifelong exposure to monogamous societal norms come to understand with little effort what emotions and reactions are commonly considered reasonable and likely to arise when the subject is relationship exclusivity. Those seeking to establish and maintain healthy, happy polyamorous relationships without the benefit of similar conditioning sometimes fail to recognize how ill prepared they are to achieve their goal, sometimes sending themselves on an emotional rollercoaster of drama, pain and confusion as a result.

This fast-paced workshop teaches ways to avoid the common pitfalls that attempting to create successful polyamorous relationships 'on the fly' can present. Common issues to be considered include The Kid In The Candy Store Syndrome; Jumping The Gun; Dealing Successfully With Fear, Guilt, And Jealousy; and Hunting Ducks Where The Ducks Are�and Where They Aren't.
Anita Wagner: Anita Wagner is a polyamory advocate, writer, spokesperson and educator. She serves as a member of the Board of Directors of LovingMore, is co-founder and past board member of Chesapeake Polyamory Network and is co-founder and former member of the Board of Directors of the Institute for 21st Century Relationships/the Foundation of the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom. She currently serves as CPN's representative to the Coalition Council of the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom, and is a past member of NCSF's Board of Directors. She is also a founding member of the Greater Washington Area chapter of Unitarian Universalists for Polyamory Awareness. Anita serves as a non-affiliated member of the Institutional Review Board ("IRB") of the Community-Academic Consortium for Research on Alternative Sexualities.

Anita has appeared on television in interviews on polyamory in Washington, DC and Baltimore, in newspaper articles in the Baltimore Sun, Washington Post and Salon.com, amongst many others, and has presented educational programs on polyamory at Dark Odyssey, Black Rose, Building Bridges, Free Spirit Beltane Gathering, Florida Poly Retreat, and the Loving More� West Coast and East Coast conferences. She was keynote speaker on polyamory and the media at Florida Poly Retreat 2008. She was a featured speaker at the 2007 and 2008 Polyamorous NYC Polyamory Pride celebrations. She authored articles on polyamory and bisexuality published in Loving More� Magazine and ITCR's Relating� newsletter, respectively.
Time: 7:30 to 9:00 pm.
Cost: $5 for Contributors, $10 for Non Contributors.
Welcome Meeting: 6:45pm. - Free of charge.
Click for directions or a map.

For more information email:�� BESS Education Team.

Sunday
Feb, 22nd Advanced and Edge Play SIG
Consensual Non-Concent
In February, we're going to be taking a look at "Consensual Non-Consent", what it is and what it takes to actually make it work in ways that don't violate anyone's trust. There is far more to it than most imagine and what stuns many is that the top has to be able to trust the bottom to be able to handle it just as much as the bottom has to be able to trust the top to not take advantage of the situation in ways that violate established boundaries.
Time: 2:00 pm
Location: Private Home

For more information please contact [email protected]

Sunday
Feb, 22nd M/s SIG Dinner and Discussion

This month's topic: A fishbowl discussion - 5 things you have always wanted to ask the Masters and slaves.
Time: 5:30-8:00
Cost: Please bring something yummy for the table!
Location: Private home in PA

For more information or to RSVP please contact [email protected] [email protected]

Monday
Feb, 23rd BESS Business Meeting

BESS Board of Directors' meeting. Please come out, learn more about BESS, and volunteer!
Time: 6:30pm to 9:00pm.
Cost: Free
Click for directions or a map.

Saturday
Feb, 28th Topic: His and Hers - a workshop double-header!
With: �Lady Kathryn and Ms. Angela
This month we're doing something for both sides of the coin, so to speak! We'll have TWO workshops going on at the same time - Female Genitorture and Fisting, and Urethral/Dilator/Sounds.

Female Genitorture and Fisting, with Ms. Angela
Description coming soon...

Urethral Dilator Sounds, with Lady Kathryn
Are you a male who likes sticking things down your penis? Or a female who likes to stick things down a mans penis? Then this class is for you!

I will cover the anatomy of the male penis, the different types of Urethral/dilator/sounds that are used on men. I will cover the Five (5) degrees of cleanliness and how to clean your sounds.

We will talk about the supplies needed and how to prep for using your urethral sounds and ways to play with them.
Lady Kathryn and John: Lady Kathryn is a Bi-poly switch who has been in the BDSM scene for almost four years. She started off as a swinger before adding BDSM to the mix. She shares her life with her husband, lover and two collared submissives. She shares her home with her husband and lover and has been in a committed relationship with them for over ten years now.

She is a member of Black Rose, ClubFEMVA and the Crucible where she holds a Jr Staff position. Her Volunteer work has included positions at the yearly BR events as well as at Floating World.

She truly believes in being Safe, Sane and Consensual.

Her love of Horseplay is evident with her winning awards at both Camp Crucible and Floating World. Her ponies have also won awards under her care and training. Currently she is the proud owner of a pony and a mule.

She met her pony, "hansom pony" at a bondage class at BR. They met again at a pony play weekend and have been inseparable ever since. The bond they share is evident to all who see them together.

Aside from the pony play, her passions in play include mixing sensual play with pain play. She loves to use her dragon's tongue and enjoys the responses it provides.

Lady Kathryn spends her vanilla time in her garden and around the pond she loves. She enjoys reading and crafts. She loves to travel and does so when time permits.

John is a het male just past the half century markand working for another half in this life style. John started this journey in early youth with improvised sounds and what ever was available for ass play. However, a strong Christian family,military, wife and kids all severly limited this enjoyment and kept it at a well hidden and guilt level. After seperating from his wife in 1998 he was at last free to explore the physical urges he had denied for so long. He jumped right into solo urethral play and being ignorant of sounds and sterility, miraculously, still has a dick. Then came piercing, tattoos, solo ass play with the addition of stretching, cock and ball pumping and then his first Camp Crucible in 2003, and his world has never been the same since.

John is now Lady Kathryn's pet and proudly wears Her collar and stable brand the K bar, thats right, he also answers to hansom pony and Her bridle, answers only to Her tug on on the reins and Y/you can usualy find him nuzzling Her shoulder.

John has won pony awards at Camp Crucible and Floating World, is a member of Black Rose and junior staff at the Crucible as well as a lifer there.
Ms. Angela: Ms. Angela's imagination, curiosity, skill, and sense of adventure have taken her into many exciting areas since she discovered BDSM as a teen. She cherishes her relationships with friends across the community and she's thankful to have had many wonderful opportunities to learn and share with them. Known for her teasing, humorous, and creative style, Ms. Angela enjoys presenting on topics of feminine dominance, protocol and etiquette, communication and relationship dynamics, training, disability, and political advocacy. She has presented for the Leather Leadership Conference, TES, Black Rose Annual and weekly events, the Master slave Conference, MAsT DC Pan, and in 2004, was responsible for reactivating the ClubFEM concept to the Greater Washington-Baltimore Metroplex after a loooong hiatus. She developed an anthology of e ssays from the broader leather community entitled "Playing with Disabilities" that was published as a book in 2008. Ms. Angela has a passion for classical art, jazz and the blues.
Time: 5:00 to 7:00 pm.
Cost: $10 per person -- RSVP necessary -- buy your tickets early.
Location and direction information will be provided when you purchase your tickets.

For more information and/or to RSVP, email:�� BESS Education Team.

Saturday
Feb, 28th BESS Social: It's time for BESS to party!
BESS Mardi Gras!
BESS is having it's monthly social and all contributors and their guests are invited. ok, so it will be a few days past Fat Tuesday, but when have we ever been all that concerned about picky details anyway?? So, let the good times roll. . .or, for those purists, come start your Lenten penance early!! :) Remember, 3 things to get through the door: 1) reservation to [email protected] 2)payment at the door -- $20 for members and reciprocal groups, $25 for guests 3)food for the munchie table Let the good times roll -- and make play happen!!
Time: 9:00pm to 2:00am.
Cost: $20 for Contributors, $25 for Guests.
Welcome Meeting: None
Location and direction information will be provided when we get your RSVP.

For more information or to RSVP email:�[email protected]

�

Date	Event Information
Wednesday Feb, 4th	[an error occurred while processing this directive]
Wednesday Feb, 4th	BESS Orientation Meeting Orientation meetings ensure that you understand the basic ethical values of the Baltimore BDSM community. They also provide information about BESS and gives you an opportunity to ask any questions that you might have. The orientations are held at the same location as the BESS meetings and there is no need to reserve in advance. Just be sure to arrive promptly at 6:45pm and inform the BESS staff that you wish to attend an orientation. Time: 6:45pm to 7:15pm. Cost: Free of charge Click for directions or a map. For more information email:�� BESS Education Team.
Wednesday Feb, 4th	Topic: Refining Service Movement With: Catherine Gross This is a class for submissives/bottoms/slaves who wish to refine your movement, stance and body control. It's also a class for tops to learn how to manage your bottoms and add to your array of possibilities. Your every movement communicates your disposition. Each movement is rift with nuance, discipline and sentiment. Learn the language of your craft and refine your hands, various forms of kneeling, types of crawling, your overall body movements and service. Learn how to be invisible or a show piece and discern when each is appropriate. Catherine Gross: Catherine Gross is a sex educator, consultant, writer and certified PCC personal coach. She offers classes that focus on physical skills, Master/slave relationships, dominance and submission, improving your sex life, personal development, house management, service, keeping relationships healthy and much more. She has served on both local and national boards, judged contests, staffed conferences in a variety of positions, and emceed and produced fundraisers for several charities and organizations. She is currently the co-producer of SouthEast LeatherFest in Atlanta, GA. Catherine enjoys both having the opportunity to interact with large groups as well as the one-on-one contact that smaller events offer. She has presented classes at Frolicon, Black Rose, South Plains LeatherFest, Living In Leather by NLA-I, San Diego Leatherfest, SouthEast LeatherFest, Southwest Leather Conference, Together in Leather, Northeast Master/slave Conference, Leather University, Boys Camp, International Ms. Leather, Leather Leadership Conference, Pantheon, TES, Folsom Fringe, Orlando Bash, Great Lakes Leather Alliance, Leather Reign and at many more events. She was presented with Black Rose's Vaughn Keith National Educator Award in 2002 and Pantheon of Leather Southeast Region Service Award 2006. Catherine created Servant's Retreat, an intensive weekend for those who serve, which focuses on the internal issues of submission and service. In addition, her Nine Fold Path Seminar is a workshop on M/s and D/s relationship health. She also offers sessions for couples and individuals in her private practice. She is the owner of Fetish Auctioneer�which received the Pantheon of Leather Business of the Year award in 2006�where she sells sex toys under the seller name Zipperdiva. Time: 7:30 to 9:00 pm. Cost: $5 for Contributors, $10 for Non Contributors. Welcome Meeting: 6:45pm. - Free of charge. Click for directions or a map. For more information email:�� BESS Education Team.
Sunday Feb, 15th	Submissives & Slaves SIG Meeting Join us for a lively discussion and hands-on skill-building, for submissives, slaves, and bottoms (or those who can 'switch' to that mindset). Tops who wish to accompany their bottoms may participate in an informal, casual coffee/munch at a separate location from the SIG meeting. Time: 1:30pm - 4:00pm Cost: Free (Optional yummy snack to share.) Location: Private Home, please RSVP for directions and info. For more information, email [email protected].
Wednesday Feb, 18th	[an error occurred while processing this directive]
Wednesday Feb, 18th	BESS Orientation Meeting Orientation meetings ensure that you understand the basic ethical values of the Baltimore BDSM community. They also provide information about BESS and gives you an opportunity to ask any questions that you might have. The orientations are held at the same location as the BESS meetings and there is no need to reserve in advance. Just be sure to arrive promptly at 6:45pm and inform the BESS staff that you wish to attend an orientation. Time: 6:45pm to 7:15pm. Cost: Free of charge Click for directions or a map. For more information email:�� BESS Education Team.
Wednesday Feb, 18th	Topic: Avoid the Pitfalls and Reap the Rewards of Polyamorous Relationships With: Anita Wagner Most people raised in Western culture under lifelong exposure to monogamous societal norms come to understand with little effort what emotions and reactions are commonly considered reasonable and likely to arise when the subject is relationship exclusivity. Those seeking to establish and maintain healthy, happy polyamorous relationships without the benefit of similar conditioning sometimes fail to recognize how ill prepared they are to achieve their goal, sometimes sending themselves on an emotional rollercoaster of drama, pain and confusion as a result. This fast-paced workshop teaches ways to avoid the common pitfalls that attempting to create successful polyamorous relationships 'on the fly' can present. Common issues to be considered include The Kid In The Candy Store Syndrome; Jumping The Gun; Dealing Successfully With Fear, Guilt, And Jealousy; and Hunting Ducks Where The Ducks Are�and Where They Aren't. Anita Wagner: Anita Wagner is a polyamory advocate, writer, spokesperson and educator. She serves as a member of the Board of Directors of LovingMore, is co-founder and past board member of Chesapeake Polyamory Network and is co-founder and former member of the Board of Directors of the Institute for 21st Century Relationships/the Foundation of the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom. She currently serves as CPN's representative to the Coalition Council of the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom, and is a past member of NCSF's Board of Directors. She is also a founding member of the Greater Washington Area chapter of Unitarian Universalists for Polyamory Awareness. Anita serves as a non-affiliated member of the Institutional Review Board ("IRB") of the Community-Academic Consortium for Research on Alternative Sexualities. Anita has appeared on television in interviews on polyamory in Washington, DC and Baltimore, in newspaper articles in the Baltimore Sun, Washington Post and Salon.com, amongst many others, and has presented educational programs on polyamory at Dark Odyssey, Black Rose, Building Bridges, Free Spirit Beltane Gathering, Florida Poly Retreat, and the Loving More� West Coast and East Coast conferences. She was keynote speaker on polyamory and the media at Florida Poly Retreat 2008. She was a featured speaker at the 2007 and 2008 Polyamorous NYC Polyamory Pride celebrations. She authored articles on polyamory and bisexuality published in Loving More� Magazine and ITCR's Relating� newsletter, respectively. Time: 7:30 to 9:00 pm. Cost: $5 for Contributors, $10 for Non Contributors. Welcome Meeting: 6:45pm. - Free of charge. Click for directions or a map. For more information email:�� BESS Education Team.
Sunday Feb, 22nd	Advanced and Edge Play SIG Consensual Non-Concent In February, we're going to be taking a look at "Consensual Non-Consent", what it is and what it takes to actually make it work in ways that don't violate anyone's trust. There is far more to it than most imagine and what stuns many is that the top has to be able to trust the bottom to be able to handle it just as much as the bottom has to be able to trust the top to not take advantage of the situation in ways that violate established boundaries. Time: 2:00 pm Location: Private Home For more information please contact [email protected]
Sunday Feb, 22nd	M/s SIG Dinner and Discussion This month's topic: A fishbowl discussion - 5 things you have always wanted to ask the Masters and slaves. Time: 5:30-8:00 Cost: Please bring something yummy for the table! Location: Private home in PA For more information or to RSVP please contact [email protected] [email protected]
Monday Feb, 23rd	BESS Business Meeting BESS Board of Directors' meeting. Please come out, learn more about BESS, and volunteer! Time: 6:30pm to 9:00pm. Cost: Free Click for directions or a map.
Saturday Feb, 28th	Topic: His and Hers - a workshop double-header! With: �Lady Kathryn and Ms. Angela This month we're doing something for both sides of the coin, so to speak! We'll have TWO workshops going on at the same time - Female Genitorture and Fisting, and Urethral/Dilator/Sounds. Female Genitorture and Fisting, with Ms. Angela Description coming soon... Urethral Dilator Sounds, with Lady Kathryn Are you a male who likes sticking things down your penis? Or a female who likes to stick things down a mans penis? Then this class is for you! I will cover the anatomy of the male penis, the different types of Urethral/dilator/sounds that are used on men. I will cover the Five (5) degrees of cleanliness and how to clean your sounds. We will talk about the supplies needed and how to prep for using your urethral sounds and ways to play with them. Lady Kathryn and John: Lady Kathryn is a Bi-poly switch who has been in the BDSM scene for almost four years. She started off as a swinger before adding BDSM to the mix. She shares her life with her husband, lover and two collared submissives. She shares her home with her husband and lover and has been in a committed relationship with them for over ten years now. She is a member of Black Rose, ClubFEMVA and the Crucible where she holds a Jr Staff position. Her Volunteer work has included positions at the yearly BR events as well as at Floating World. She truly believes in being Safe, Sane and Consensual. Her love of Horseplay is evident with her winning awards at both Camp Crucible and Floating World. Her ponies have also won awards under her care and training. Currently she is the proud owner of a pony and a mule. She met her pony, "hansom pony" at a bondage class at BR. They met again at a pony play weekend and have been inseparable ever since. The bond they share is evident to all who see them together. Aside from the pony play, her passions in play include mixing sensual play with pain play. She loves to use her dragon's tongue and enjoys the responses it provides. Lady Kathryn spends her vanilla time in her garden and around the pond she loves. She enjoys reading and crafts. She loves to travel and does so when time permits. John is a het male just past the half century markand working for another half in this life style. John started this journey in early youth with improvised sounds and what ever was available for ass play. However, a strong Christian family,military, wife and kids all severly limited this enjoyment and kept it at a well hidden and guilt level. After seperating from his wife in 1998 he was at last free to explore the physical urges he had denied for so long. He jumped right into solo urethral play and being ignorant of sounds and sterility, miraculously, still has a dick. Then came piercing, tattoos, solo ass play with the addition of stretching, cock and ball pumping and then his first Camp Crucible in 2003, and his world has never been the same since. John is now Lady Kathryn's pet and proudly wears Her collar and stable brand the K bar, thats right, he also answers to hansom pony and Her bridle, answers only to Her tug on on the reins and Y/you can usualy find him nuzzling Her shoulder. John has won pony awards at Camp Crucible and Floating World, is a member of Black Rose and junior staff at the Crucible as well as a lifer there. Ms. Angela: Ms. Angela's imagination, curiosity, skill, and sense of adventure have taken her into many exciting areas since she discovered BDSM as a teen. She cherishes her relationships with friends across the community and she's thankful to have had many wonderful opportunities to learn and share with them. Known for her teasing, humorous, and creative style, Ms. Angela enjoys presenting on topics of feminine dominance, protocol and etiquette, communication and relationship dynamics, training, disability, and political advocacy. She has presented for the Leather Leadership Conference, TES, Black Rose Annual and weekly events, the Master slave Conference, MAsT DC Pan, and in 2004, was responsible for reactivating the ClubFEM concept to the Greater Washington-Baltimore Metroplex after a loooong hiatus. She developed an anthology of e ssays from the broader leather community entitled "Playing with Disabilities" that was published as a book in 2008. Ms. Angela has a passion for classical art, jazz and the blues. Time: 5:00 to 7:00 pm. Cost: $10 per person -- RSVP necessary -- buy your tickets early. Location and direction information will be provided when you purchase your tickets. For more information and/or to RSVP, email:�� BESS Education Team.
Saturday Feb, 28th	BESS Social: It's time for BESS to party! BESS Mardi Gras! BESS is having it's monthly social and all contributors and their guests are invited. ok, so it will be a few days past Fat Tuesday, but when have we ever been all that concerned about picky details anyway?? So, let the good times roll. . .or, for those purists, come start your Lenten penance early!! :) Remember, 3 things to get through the door: 1) reservation to [email protected] 2)payment at the door -- $20 for members and reciprocal groups, $25 for guests 3)food for the munchie table Let the good times roll -- and make play happen!! Time: 9:00pm to 2:00am. Cost: $20 for Contributors, $25 for Guests. Welcome Meeting: None Location and direction information will be provided when we get your RSVP. For more information or to RSVP email:�[email protected]