Hey everybody! Just a gentle reminder to go check out the new swag at the CSPC Store on Redbubble! Celebrate the CSPC’s 25th Anniversary in style! There is also a Frolic Collection for cool duds dedicated to our week-long campout in August! Just follow the magic footprints…
Consent Corner 24.09
by Emma Atkinson
Hello, loveliest of people! Go ahead, let your light shine bright, especially in Pride month. Mary Oliver wrote a breathtakingly beautiful poem called, “The Buddha’s Last Instruction.” Spoiler alert: “make of yourself a light.”
We’ve been considering the situation when someone says that you’re being too emotional. Last time we talked about checking in with yourself to see how you’re doing. Let’s say that you’ve found nothing too amiss.
Don Miguel Ruiz, the author of The Four Agreements, wrote a book with his son in which they outlined the “Fifth Agreement”: Be skeptical, but learn to listen. In our imaginary scenario, this is the perfect time to put your listening cap on. Let’s assume that you’re already wearing your skepticism hat. Throw on your Sherlock Holmes investigating mode cap while you’re at it. Please feel free to add your own amazing caps as you see fit.
Life can be complicated. And juggling all those hats while still making a fashion statement is a super complicated challenge unto itself! I think that honing your listening skills will bring you benefits beyond your imagination. Try it and let me know!
Homework: Please show off your fabulous self this Pride month. And, it’s a perfect time to thank those in our community who are always working hard to build the community that treasures you and is proud of you, exactly as you are.
“Be excellent to each other.” —Bill and Ted
“Be sexcellent to each other.” —Emma
PPMT Update!
Come join PPMT on July 13 for a little pre-Frolic fun! Model your Frolic outfits! Put up a tent for people to voyeur you in! Try out items that could be used as pervertables and get ideas from everyone! Play hard, play lighter, no matter what, and get consent to take it higher!
Check out our party on the CSPC Event schedule
Note: August PPMT is canceled. Why? Because we will be kinkin’ it up in the woods at The Frolic 2024!
GRIND REBOOT IS COMING IN JULY!
by Teeebone
This year, the CSPC is celebrating its 25th Anniversary and part of that celebration will include bringing back some classic parties from the past! On Thursday July 25th, the CSPC will present Grind Reboot as a throwback party! An homage to Grind, which was a weekly club favorite during the Interbay days, this is the CSPC’s first weekday event held as a one-off to see how things go!
What will this party be like? What it says on the can: A Reboot of Grind, which turns our dungeon into a nightclub with music by professional DJs and lots of space to play. If you miss the classic Grind party, like it dark and loud, or want to dance and play in the same space, this event has it all! BDSM and sex are encouraged. Come celebrate our 25th Anniversary with this blast from the past!
There is no dress code enforced, but we encourage you to please dress for a night out. Fetishwear is welcome. If you would like to know more about how Grind was, check out my article on the subject HERE!
Presenter Spotlight
IMPACT Presenters
If you don’t see a bio or class description, go to:
The Basics of Canes, Your Flexible Impact Toy! - Sir Panda
Level 1, BDSM, Canes, Impact
If your bottom loves a little sting — or a lot — caning is a great way to bring some zing to the scene. If you’re a bottom who loves stingy, you owe it to yourself to try a little caning!
We’ll present the basics of caning and scenes that integrate canes into your play as a creative option. You’ll learn about cane types, sizes, and materials; the flexibility of different selections; and how these options and the force applied affect the feel and pain level. We’ll cover different caning swings, beats, and rhythms — from a gentle tap, tap, tapping to an intense, agonizing strike.
Canes have their own mystique and are great for bondage and punishment scenes. Even a small, hidden cane can be brought out for a big flashy effect! Canes offer a sensual and stingy sauce all their own and unlike heavier thuds can be applied almost anywhere below the neck – depending on the size and flexibility of the cane, and the force used (let's be careful out there!). We’ll discuss cane care and safety, and how canes can be a sweet and tasty addition to your toy menu.
What to bring: (OPTIONAL) Bring your canes and bottoms if you have them.
Flogging Variations: Mild to Wild - Eirikah Delaunay
Level 1, BDSM, Flogging, Hands-On
In this experiential workshop, we will explore some of the many sensations and techniques for using this iconic toy. We'll cover basic anatomy for safety, then dive into the different kinds of sensation you can create by pairing a specific toy with a specific style of swing. A range of floggers will be available for exploration; please bring your flogger(s) if you have them. If you are willing to bottom for inexperienced Tops in a learning environment, please bring clothes for your own added protection.**Note: All partnered practice will require negotiation and mutual consent.
Impact Play (giving and receiving) - Mac McGregor
Featured Presenter, Level 2, BDSM, Hands-on, Impact
As a world champion fighter, we learn to give and take shots and how to maximize power when giving. This is the full circle of both sides of the coin in one class. You will learn tricks of the trade that fighters use to learn to take hits and keep going as well as how to conserve and maximize power when you are giving the impact. Each person will participate in learning both sides of the skills of the game of impact play. Come ready to sweat, learn and be empowered by knowledge and skill.
What to bring: Wear comfortable clothes that you can move freely in and tennis shoes.
Sweet, Seductive, and Serviceable: Dessert Topping 101 for Everybody! - Teeebone
Level 1, BDSM, Sensual, Topping
Have you ever heard of a Dessert Top? BDSM has been perceived as being rough, brutal, and painful, thanks to our dear friends in the media. So, let’s step away from that and approach this subject from a different angle, one that focuses on fun and sensual domination! In this workshop, we will explore the sensual side of BDSM and find out more about what being a Sweet Service Top is all about!
Often, we think of boundaries as rigid limits that keep us safe but might also prevent us from stretching into new experiences. Some of us — especially those of us who thrive on pleasing our partners — also feel super awkward about communicating our boundaries to others for fear that we will be perceived as rude or mean. In this workshop, we’ll practice feeling in our bodies the fluidity of our boundaries in a specific moment so that we will recognize that feeling as it arises in negotiations, in scenes, and other parts of our lives. We’ll also practice communicating boundaries lovingly so we can better invite people into truly connected, consensual relationships with us.
What to bring: Bring your toys and pervertables for a live demo and guided practice!
Dessert Topping 201 - Teeebone
Level 2, BDSM, Sensual, Topping
Come join Teeebone as he continues to wax poetic on the subject of sensual domination and the fine art of sweet service topping; Sometimes silly, sometimes serious, and even a little scary!
What to bring: Bring your toys and pervertables for a live demo and guided practice!
Whip it into Shape: Create your own dragon’s tongue pocket whip! - trinity
Level 1, BDSM, Craft
Going beyond household pervertables and commercially available impact toys, making your own offers endless options. In this session, you’ll learn some basic paracord weaving skills to create a stingy dragon’s tongue pocket whip with a woven paracord handle and rubber whip end. This session will also cover safety considerations, materials and sourcing, additional learning resources, and examples of other DIY impact toys.
What to bring: All tools and supplies will be provided, but if you would like any particular color, please bring 25-50 feet of Type 550 paracord in the color of your choice.
BIOGRAPHIES
Sir Panda - bio
Sir Panda (He/Him) is a Dominant, Owner, and kink community volunteer living in Seattle, Washington. A CSPC member since 2010, Sir Panda founded and championed the Passport Program, a “welcome wagon” for new members that included socials and consent education. He has served the CSPC in a variety of volunteer roles including event host, Communications Committee member under Allena Gabosh, and impact tasting top with a specialty in canes. Other volunteering has included two years at Leather Reign and serving as Program Lead for KinkFest 2023.
Sir Panda founded the Dominant’s discussion group View From the Top in 2015, and in partnership with the submissive’s discussion group Right Side of the Slash, formed the umbrella organization D/s Pacific Northwest in 2017. Since 2023 he has co-hosted “Sexy Game Night," a quarterly play party at Arborea Falls in Woodinville, WA.
Sir Panda has practiced polyamory since his colorful days in college and entered the wider BDSM community in 2009. He collared his current submissive/life partner in 2015 and has maintained an ethically non-monogamous marriage for over 35 years.
Sir Panda’s guiding values are honesty, integrity, and empathy. He believes that inclusive sex positivity and loving human connections are vital elements in living an authentic life.
Classes:
When D/s Met Poly: Blending Power Exchange and Polyamorous Relationships
The Basics of Canes, Your Flexible Impact Toy!
A View From the Top Discussion Group - Sir Panda & Drew
Teeebone - bio
Teeebone (he/him) is a long-time member and volunteer of the CSPC, a graphic designer, DJ, and a writer who identifies as a cis-gendered, heterosexual, polyamorous, and neurodivergent male Dominant. His journey with the CSPC began in the summer of 2003 and he began to work as a volunteer in the spring of 2005. In 2008 he became an Event Coordinator and helped run the Hump, a weekly Wednesday party. Teeebone was also involved in many other parties and events at the CSPC, such as OMG SX! and Power Play Mixed-Tape.
Classes:
Dessert Topping 201
Sweet, Seductive, and Serviceable: Dessert Topping 101 for Everybody!
Eirikah Delauney - bio
Eirikah Delaunay (she/her) is a writer, mama, Witch, and sexual rebel who identifies as a polyamorous, queer, white cisgender woman, Dominant-leaning Switch, and sadomasochist. Both/and is her magic word. The founder of Desire Alchemy (https://DesireAlchemy.com), Eirikah is a somatic sex+relationship coach and initiated priestess who offers individual and partnered coaching for people curious and excited about using effective communication, magic, sexuality, kink, and/or power exchange relationships as vehicles for personal growth and bliss. She has 30+ years of lifestyle BDSM practice and more than a decade of connection, education, and service in the Seattle sex-positive community, where she currently serves on the Board of the Center for Sex-Positive Culture.
Classes:
Flogging Variations: Mild to Wild
Self-Care for Switches: Tools for Sustainably
Establishing Rules of Engagement: Preparing for Things to Go Wrong
Frolic Updates!
Ooooooo! Getting so close that I’m counting the days to The Frolic 2024! Forty-eight if you were wondering! The fourth yurt auction closes on June 24. The final yurt auction closes on July 15. That last yurt has electricity! We’ve sent more than 20 volunteers down to the Grove for our Stewardship Days. “You exceeded all our expectations!” I was told by one of the owners. The Quest for Paradise is just waiting for you, me, and a friend to make three to bring our camping fantasies to fruition. All the Team Leads are on full-forward motivation to complete planning and organizing tasks before camp. BTW, have you asked your friends to attend camp?
To Come:
This newsletter: We are publishing a list of camping supplies you may wish to bring (see image below)
Newsletters: more updates and Presenter/class Spotlights
PPMT July 13 theme: Test out your kinky camping gear!
Pre-Frolic virtual 411 meeting: July 17, 7-9 pm Everyone welcome!
Make plans and learn more in our Frolic Discord channels on the CSPC server!
We do need some items that we will not be able to purchase. Please email froliclogistics@thecspc.org if you can loan us any of the listed items below. We promise to use them respectfully.
Borrowables we need:
1. Hepa filters for the downstairs social area in case of fire nearby
2. Electric fans (as many as we can get)
3. Portable air conditioners (2)
4. Easels (5)
5. White Boards (5 or so)
6. Massage tables (2)
7. Extra pop-up canopies (4)
8. An extra projector
9. Round shop lights with a clip (4)
10. A safe, six-foot ladder
11. Power strips (5–6)
12. Long (100-foot) extension cords (5)
13. A large commercial coffee pot/hot water pot
14. Water dispenser
Call for Pride Volunteers
CSPC PRIDE 2024 - CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS!
Where’s Your Flair? Pride Volunteers Needed!
It’s June 6 today, and Pride is June 30.
Wow! Three weeks to work on our 25th Anniversary theme, source decorations, recruit marchers, build a float, and show up to share in the ecstasy of energy that is Seattle Pride.
We are looking for a few people to help with the prep work and the day of execution including:
Tabling volunteers for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Float builders (working June 15 and June 23rd at Kinky Acres)
Float decorators morning of the 30th downtown
Parade Marchers for the 30th.
Email Pride@thecspc.org to express interest or ask questions.
Frolic 2024 on the Fly
June 16th Stewardship Day
Sunday, June 16th, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
We look forward to joining The Grove’s residents in laughter, elbow grease, and property primping, followed by hot tubbing and hob-knobbing with new friends! Email frolic@thecspc.org if you have questions not covered by the instructions below.
The Frolic 2024 Stewardship Day!
Once you follow the link to VolunteerLocal, do the simple join process with a chosen name and email.
Sign in if you already have done so.
Then, under the list of Community Service options, choose Stewardship Days and sign up! (June 16th)
Have You Checked Out the Website?
This newsletter is spotlighting our two amazing Featured Presenters: the dynamic duo Mac Scotty McGregor and Dawn Celeste McGregor! Read on to discover an Olympic athlete and deeply thoughtful transman, as well as a passionate soul-expansive woman. She’s the type of doctor you will love! Check out their profiles!
All Presenters Bios HERE
All Class Descriptions HERE
The Grove
The Grove has added four dedicated RV spots and two pairs of composting toilets! There’s a lot more space to camp in too!
Registration
Don’t wait to buy your ticket!
Our online ticket registration includes a quick-ish orientation video and asks for all the information we needed to have you fill out last year onsite. You will literally drive up to the Loop, park, show your legal identification, get a swag bag, and go find your campsite!
Join in the discussion on Discord and Fetlife!
NOTE: Our Orientation also counts as a CSPC New Member Orientation! Once you watch the 26-minute video, you’ll be a CSPC member*! Bonus! (*after registration processing)
We will also have a virtual Pre-Frolic 411 again so store up those questions for Wednesday, July 17, 7-9 p.m. Add it to your calendar!
Redbubble displays all the fantastic swag you can order. Check it out!
Yep, I said it! Click on the link to be wowed by their awesomeness! The Gaia Yurt was won for $610 at auction! The Prism Yurt is up now and runs through 12 p.m. on June 24.
One yurt left after this!
Celestial Yurt: Auction starts June 25. Ends July 15. (16-foot dome yurt with electricity)
Commonly Asked Questions
Are there bathrooms?
Yes, one VIP/ADA full bathroom, two outdoor hot/cold showers, two pairs of composting toilets, several portable toilets, and two pairs of handwashing stations.
Is there water available?
Yes, from a hose and the hospitality tent, where you will also find coffee, hot water for tea, and various snacks.
I have a special diet.
No worries. There is a section of the registration process to delineate specialty diets. We will do our best to address everyone’s needs. It may not be possible to accommodate EVERY request though, so we will publish our best efforts of a menu plan with plenty of time for you to add yumminess to your camp packing plans.
Ummm…what do I wear?
Be legally covered when you can be seen by the neighbors. Mostly though…whatever you do or don’t want. If you prefer to go naked, make sure you judiciously apply sunscreen. If you prefer to wear clothing, just make sure you are making eye contact with naked folx, no staring. Now in the clothing department, go crazy! Go leather, go latex, be a horse, wear a onesie. You do you!
I don’t know ANYONE. I’m super nervous!
It’s ok. We’ve all been there! And there will be plenty of opportunities to meet people in a variety of situations.
I don’t know how to get what I want or make sure no one does anything crazy to me. I want to feel safe.
Visit our trained staff in the Consent Canopy. They will be happy to discuss these concepts with you. If you feel unsafe, for any reason, visit the Consent Canopy, security personnel (in red shirts) or any on-shift Lead (in yellow shirts.)
Any other questions? Join the Frolic channel in Discord for answers or email us at frolic@thecspc.org.
The Frolic 2024 - Featured Presenters!
Mac Scotty McGregor [Featured Presenter]
Mac is the author of the best-selling book, Positive Masculinity Now and a radio show host of "The You Can Make A Difference Show" on Rainier Avenue Radio. The Mayor appointed Mac as a Seattle City Commissioner as chair of the LGBTQ commission in 2011 and he served until 2016. Mac worked on a small team to help the Seattle Police Department develop policy and training around how police officers deal with the transgender and gender-diverse community and has given gender training to the U.S. Border Patrol.
Mac has been a keynote speaker at many events including the University of Washington, Mayo Clinic, numerous colleges, corporate events, organizations, and conferences. He is the co-founder and Executive Director of Positive Masculinity, a non-profit that educates about dismantling toxic masculinity and creating a model of healthy masculinity.
Mac's experience prior to transition was that of a successful female athlete and business owner. This experience led him to be a champion for women's rights, closing the pay gap, and equal opportunity for women and folks who are gender variant. He was a former U.S. karate team member, champion martial arts competitor, coach, and teacher. He has extensive training in conflict resolution and arbitration through being a certified coach and referee through the AAU and U.S. Olympic committees.
Mac has used his extensive 50+ years of martial arts training and teaching to help educate folks in the sex-positive and kink community about how to play rough in a safe way. He has a 4th-degree black belt of above in 17 styles of martial arts. He is an expert in striking, grappling, jujutsu, sword, staff, knife fighting, and take-aways, as well as a certified defensive tactics instructor for law enforcement. He has been a bodyguard for many famous celebrities and dignitaries. Mac has appeared on Ripley’s Believe it or Not, The Learning Channel, The Discovery Channel, the 700 Club, and Univision, and has been featured in People Magazine and many more. Mac has been inducted into the Martial Arts Hall of Fame in two categories.
Class List:
Grappling for BDSM play
Impact Playing: Giving & Receiving
Erotic Energy Play (co-teaching with Dawn Celeste)
READING from his book Positive Masculinity
Grappling for BDSM play - Mac McGregor
Featured Presenter, Level 1, BDSM, Grappling, Hands-on
Do you want to learn how to incorporate ground grappling into your BDSM play? This is a class for you. We will start with basics, this is a hands-on class where you will get to practice these jujutsu techniques. This can add new excitement to your play and in this class, you will learn how to grapple safely.
What to bring: You can bring and wear knee pads as we will be doing much of this from a kneeling position.
Impact Play (giving and receiving) - Mac McGregor
Featured Presenter, Level 2, BDSM, Hands-on, Impact
Want to master impact play? If you do, this class is for you! Tops and bottoms can learn how to strike with effectiveness as well as how to take a hit so you can play longer and with more intensity. All levels can benefit from this class. We will start with the basics and build on them. This is a hands-on class where you will pair up and practice with one another.
What to bring: Wear comfortable clothes that you can move freely in and tennis shoes.
Positive Masculinity in a Patriarchal World (book reading & signing) - Mac McGregor
Featured Presenter, Activism, Book Signing, Journey, Psych, Reading, Society,
In a world where traditional gender norms often perpetuate harmful stereotypes and inequalities, cultivating positive masculinity is not only beneficial for men but for society as a whole. This book delves into the concept of positive masculinity within the context of a patriarchal society, exploring how men can redefine masculinity in constructive and empowering ways.
Books available to purchase
Dawn Celeste McGregor [Featured Presenter]
Dr. Dawn Celeste McGregor is an adjunct professor and scholar. She is passionate about her research on women’s empowerment and is currently studying female socialization and its effect on agency. She has published research on awe and the connection between grief and gratitude and recently published her dissertation on The Development of Sexual Agency as Effective Toward the Empowerment of Women. Further publications are in national and local magazines for her advocacy around LGBTQ+, women’s issues, and sexuality. She has a section in the revolutionary book, Sex Positive Now, and is in the process of publishing her spiritual adventure novel. Dr. Dawn has been active and teaching within the sex-positive community since 2015 and has worked with sex, sexuality, and magic for 30 years
Class List:
Sexual Intuition: Reading Your Lover’s Body
Sexual Freedom and Agency
Erotic Energy Play (co-teaching with Mac McGregor)
Sexual Freedom and Agency - Dawn Celeste McGregor
Featured Presenter, Level 1, Consent, Negotiation, Sex
What is sexual freedom? What is agency? Why is it important to understand the intricacies of these concepts in the kink and sex-positive communities? Based on Dr. Dawn’s academic research on the actualization of sexual agency, we will uncover psycho-social conditioning around sexuality and why it is more complicated than we think to BE agentic. This is an opportunity to explore what holds us back from freedom, and how consideration of other people’s agency is equally as important to our own. Finally, we will discuss useful tools to develop further agency and recognize when we or others cannot access the inner truth. This workshop will further each participant's access to sexual freedom through the development of internally directed will.
Sexual Intuition: Reading your Lovers Body - Dawn Celeste McGregor
Featured Presenter, Level 1, Body Language, Energy, Sex
This workshop will dive into the depths of intuition by giving you the keys to unlocking your inner wisdom. As you begin to understand how to interpret the feelings and signals in your own body you will receive access to your lover in ways you never imagined possible. Once you learn the secrets of interpretation we will move into the subtlety of significance in physical response and how to ride the wave of erotic intuition towards mutual satisfaction. This workshop will be a combination of understanding and practice woven together to optimize each participant's openness to the internal and external cues available to them.