Hot and Bothered 3: Short Short Fiction on Lesbian Desire

Britta Santowski is a freelance writer in Victoria, B.C.

This third book in a series of the same name is destined to be as
popular as its predecessors (the first volume sold out even before its
first printing, and both first and second remained on bestseller lists
for weeks). The 72 stories in this collection are very short and very
intense. The authors, who come from various countries around the world,
range from novice to renowned. Names include Donna Allegra, Elena
Dykwomon, Joan Nestle, Susan Fox Rogers, Marcy Sheiner, and Jess Wells.

For anyone who doesn’t read introductions, it’s time to begin. In
her introduction, Karen Tulchinsky outlines her personal and very
successful mandate—to fill that void that mainstream media dares not
touch. “This is not a book of erotica. This is a book on sexual
desire,” she explains. This subtle but important distinction provides
the framework for this collection. Sexual desire is very personal and
can range from swooning daylight kisses such as those in “One Fine
Day,” to simple touch as in “Holding Hands,” to quickies on
construction sites as in “Porta-Potty Passion,” to masturbatory
explorations as in the not-so-subtle “Fucking Barbie.” It promises
something for every palette.

There are two ways to read this collection: one is to read it from
front to back, and the other is to dabble by author or tantalizing
title. If you approach it systematically from front to back, like I did,
you might notice a gentle rhythm, where like-minded stories are grouped
together and fold gently into the next cluster. Tulchinsky has produced
high-calibre publications before, and this one is no exception.