A Queer Conversation on Pleasure and Desire
Join us at The Common Press on Monday, 20th October from 7pm - 9pm for Soles and Sins, a special discussion with Prishita Maheshwari-Aplin (Roses for Hedone) and Adam Zmith (Solemates) hosted by BoiWyfe. Explore queer pleasure, hedonism, and desire from transformative practices and raves to a deep dive into the fascinating history of foot fetishism.
ROSES FOR HEDONE
What more can pleasure offer us, and how can we transform this pleasure into intentional practice in pursuit of a collective liberatory future? When a society marginalises a people, their humanity is revolutionary in all its hunger and joy. As the queer community worldwide faces rampant transphobia, rising hate crime, and unequal access to support services – all in the context of humanitarian crises, a climate crisis, and a destabilised political landscape – hedonism can play a central role in how we seek to organise as a symbiotic system. When viewed through a queer lens, hedonism undergoes a process of transformation, embodying the power for change and much more. Borrowing from the Ancient Greeks’ understanding of love’s multiplicity, Roses for Hedone explores queer hedonism not as a momentary phenomenon or indulgence, but rather a transformational route – whether via euphoric raves, inspired art, marching side by side in protest, or sharing simple delights – through which we can learn from our past, connect in the present, and look towards a more fair, hopeful future together.
SOLEMATES
Why are feet so hot? When Jesus washed his bros’ feet, what kind of love was he showing? Why did feet show up in poetry written during a medieval outbreak of gonorrhoea? How did early sexologists convince us that loving feet is deviant? And what did Victorian lesbians make of all this? These are the questions thrusting Adam Zmith into a history of toe-botherers who will guide the reader through the sex archives, the online forums and a millennium of art, with his trademark queer lens. Solemates will bring to light the history of this peculiarly popular kink. From Tarantino films to Bible stories, from Renaissance paintings to OnlyFans, Solemates is the rich and messy tale of our obsession with everything below the ankle, and what it reveals about how we view our bodies and our sex lives.
About Prishita Maheshwari-Aplin (they/them)
Prishita (they/them) is interested in the historical, personal, and political stories of the queer community, and has written extensively on these matters while drawing on their experiences as an LGBTQ+ rights campaigner and community organiser. Previously Politics Editor at BRICKS Magazine, they have by-lines in Gay Times, gal-dem, Dazed, Metal, and Cosmopolitan, among others. Prishita has also written for a range of scientific publications, including Triple Helix Cambridge, and is a co-author on a paper on the second plague pandemic published in Nature Communications.
About Adam Zmith (He / Him)
Adam Zmith is a writer and podcast producer whose work explores the beats of our bodies, in the past, present and future. He is the author of Deep Sniff: A History of Poppers and Queer Futures (Repeater Books, 2021), which won the Polari First Book Prize, 2022. As a writer he has also made work for theatre and film. In podcasts he co-produced The Log Books, wrote and produced the BBC series The Film We Can’t See, hosts Free Sex, and co-director of the production company Aunt Nell.
Host: BoiWyfe
BoiWyfe is a burlesque performer and drag clown with a penchant for devilish delights. Their practice centres genderqueer identities, neurodivergence, and eroticising the absurd.
Event information
- Doors open at 19:00
- Discussion from 19:15 - 20:00
- Book Signings & network until 21:00
Please note: The Common Press is wheelchair accessible