erotica news stories on Newser

Florida County's Libraries Ban 50 Shades of Grey

Matt Cantor — Tue, 08 May 2012 15:29:05 CDT

A Florida county's library system has banned the erotic-fiction 50 Shades of Grey trilogy in light of its "perceived pornographic nature," a spokesman tells NBC Miami . Brevard County's 17 libraries had ordered 19 copies of the three EL James books, and there was a waiting list of readers. After reviews...

The Erotic Novel That Went Viral

Neal Colgrass — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 13:28:00 CST

Nothing like a female protagonist who likes being slapped, stalked, and whipped by a ruthless tycoon. But Anastasia Steele is such a sensation with women readers that Vintage Books, part of Knopf Doubleday, is setting its highbrow literary reputation aside to run off 750,000 copies of a runaway pulp...

Let's Celebrate Sex in Literature

Kevin Spak — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 14:43:05 CST

Every year the Literary Review of Britain hands out its Bad Sex in Fiction Award, and every year it draws loads of press and snarky giggles at the expense of big-name nominees (who have included Tom Wolfe, Norman Mailer, and, this year, Jonathan Franzen). Well, Laura Miller of Salon is...

Playboy TV Hot for Women

Evann Gastaldo — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 07:45:16 CST

Now that you can get porn for free on your computer, Playboy TV is struggling to convince men to pay $15 a month for its soft-core offerings—some of which are even softer than HBO shows. Enter its new strategy: Market to the female audience. How? By adding a block...

How to Take and Not Take Nude Pics of Yourself

Harry Kimball — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 15:50:27 CDT

"I don't have any experience in the realm of taking nude photos," admits Sam Greenspan on 11 Points, but he's "looked at millions" of them. Here are his tips for taking pics in the buff: Don't shoot them yourself: Among other terrible things, MySpace has popularized the outstreched-arm self-portrait. "That's...

Superman Artist Turned to Erotica

Ambreen Ali — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 06:46:05 CDT

Mild-mannered Clark Kent, holding a red-hot poker and spanking Lois Lane? Not exactly, but an artist who helped create Superman in 1938 later drew sadomasochistic comics with characters resembling the famous pair, USA Today reports. The bawdy panels, which once sold at drugstores in the 1950s, are revealed in a...

Mom's Spicy Book May Make Anderson Cooper Do a 360

Harry Kimball — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 11:04:32 CDT

Anderson Cooper’s mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, is a published author with a romantic novel to her credit, sure, but her new book could give the CNN anchor pause, the New York Daily News reports. Obsession , an erotic tale, hits stores in June. “Master, I whisper as you surrender to our ecstasy,...

Gay Gallery Owner in Fla. Alleges Police Discrimination

Drew Nelles — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:17:51 CDT

The owner of an erotic art gallery in St. Petersburg plans to sue the city following a police raid, the St. Petersburg Times reports. Bill Schramm was arrested last week on charges of unlawfully exposing private parts—his exhibit featured a naked man hanging from the ceiling, running afoul of...

French Library Loosens Morals, Unveils Erotica

Jason Farago — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 11:15:00 CST

Turns out the auguste Bibliothèque Nationale has one of the world's biggest official collections of pornographic books and prints, and today it's going on view—to those over 16—for the first time in 170 years. The erotic works, which have been hidden away in a section called l'enfer , or...