Month: February 2025

To view this content, you must be a member of Wicked’s Patreon at $1 or more Unlock with PatreonAlready a qualifying Patreon member? Refresh to access this content.

Hello beloved folks – Well, here’s the email I’ve been doing everything possible not to send. Things I’m proud of: staying in business in general, supporting our staff unionization efforts, retraining all our baristas as event hosts. Things we’re looking forward to: new classes, new instructors, new formats (like daily journaling and six-week intensives), more fairs, and a kick-ass new website we’re working on to bring you lots more information in one place. We have three conferences and street fairs this very month! Things are on a positive path for Wicked Grounds overall, but our near-death experience trying to keep the cafe open post-pandemic dug us a hell of a hole. We have to survive two to three more months of truly crushing daily and weekly debt payments before we’ll be back on a generally even keel. We also see your love and support. Thank you! If you believe in what we’re doing, we really need your support this weekend. Like, today. (Honestly, a few days ago.) At any level. Those fairs, conferences and new classes are coming, but in the meantime we have expenses, bills to pay, and a full staff we’ve committed to keeping. Here are some things that would be enormously helpful right now: Mir, I have no doll-hairs to give you! Sharing this email — or hitting RSVP on our weekend sale for visibility — is free. ​FetLife event link​ ​Facebook event link​ I want to pay it forward Mir, can I stop reading if I just give the scholarship $5-$10? Thank you! Every bit helps, and every dollar you drop here will get credited to our scholarship program unless you ask us directly to put it elsewhere: ​Venmo (we get this same-day – a HUGE help) Zelle (use this email address for the account – also same day) ​PayPal​ ​ConvertKit Tips ​ ​Scholarship Tickets at WickedGrounds.com​ Literally, if every person who reads this drops $5-$10 in one of those buckets, we’ll get through this week with no worries and some cushion to spare. I want to buy stuff now for Future Me, or a gift! Wait, you do event passes?! Future you is going to like this! Go, you! Again, using our new Venmo and Zelle payment options at checkout avoids many fees and helps us avoid a payout wait. Check em out! Join our daily journaling program for only $5.50/month! ​Digital gift card for online shopping! ​ ​Class passes for future classes! ​ ​Go book a future class — or several! — right here! ​ Go ahead and sign up for our six-week intensive now, rather than waiting! Show me the goodies! Take me to the Virtual Fair Buying through WickedGrounds.com? Venmo & Zelle payments cut down on fees and get funds in our pockets instantly rather than days and days later! We know that shipping adds a lot of cost to ordering with a small business, so we offer free shipping for all orders over $200, no code required. Use code FAIR_ENOUGH to get 20% off all items in our Virtual Fair this weekend. Since some people have a holiday weekend, I’ve just extended the sale through Monday. Use code FAIREST in the same category to get 25% off if you pay with PayPal, Venmo or Zelle. Head over to WickedGrounds.clothing to get our soon to be vintage designs! Kink isn’t really your thing? Don’t forget we have an excellent set of magickal and occult books over at MagickalCrossroads.com! Use code SAMHAIN to get 20% over there. Want a wider selection of gear? Our lovely friends at The Stockroom are allowing us to pay some of our wholesale fees in trade by referring folks to them. I’m warmed by their flexibility and smarts, so go support them. (They are going through it right now, too!) I really want a bunch of books but don’t want to pay for shipping! All order over $200 now ship for free. We are also happy to arrange for pick-ups at Trellis or even Dark Odyssey by appointment. Email me! I want to be a member, or upgrade my membership! Thank you! Membership options are at Patreon.com/WickedGrounds ​ We also know that people have had serious problems having payments go through at Patreon. If you’re one of them, consider our new ways to subscribe through ConvertKit at the $10/ month and $30/month levels. I want to help, but I’d like my money back please! I’m happy to talk, but I’d really like to avoid taking on new loans right now if we can help it. I want to own a piece of Mir’s brain for a minute. Well, 50 minutes. I mean . . . sure! Why not book me for a consulting session? I want to teach with you / use you to book & run and event for me / otherwise collab with you! Sounds good. You have my email address! Do you have other questions? Other ways you’d like to help? I’m all ears. I sincerely appreciate any and all things you can do to put some wind in our sails this weekend. No contribution too small! xoxo Mir

To view this content, you must be a member of Wicked’s Patreon at $1 or more Unlock with PatreonAlready a qualifying Patreon member? Refresh to access this content.

It’s a big day today! Here’s what’s happening: Sales Today is the last day of our Decompression Sale! Use code DECOMPXL to get 20% off plus free shipping for all 127 items in our temporary Decompression category. This includes most items from KinkLab, Stockroom, Tantus and more. Sale ends at midnight Tuesday, September 26th! Use code HOTNHEAVY to get 20% off all books in stock. VIP members: Did you know that you can enter up to two discount codes for the same order? You can use this to “stack” your VIP discount into your order.  LAST DAY: Shop our Decompression Sale here! Five live events today! Did you see and fall in love with a custom piece we don’t usually offer on our website? Want to get in touch with our makers for custom work? Can’t remember the title of that book or class we recommended? Join Wicked Grounds’ Assisted Shopping Hours from 10am-11am or 3pm-4pm. Connect with us live and let’s help you make it happen!​ Thanks to everyone who joined us yesterday for our Drop-in Drop Clinic. We’re hosting another today! From 4pm-5pm Pacific, we’ll have an open Zoom room where you can drop in and pick Mir’s brain about anything. No ticketing, no charge. We’re just here for you.​ Embracing that we D-types are fundamentally human means facing our egos and practicing humility. We are good leaders precisely because we can be vulnerable! During The Vulnerable Dominant with Sinclair Sexsmith, a roundtable discussion, talk about ways to undefend and share strategies to face the challenges of being both fallible humans and also Divine Infallible Doms. Details & ticketing here!​ Whether you believe in magick, want to believe in magick, or think this is all just a fun metaphor for how the mind works, you are sure to gain new tools and perspectives on BDSM play by attending Sex Magick for Kinksters with Miriam BatAsherah Green at Trellis or online! We’ll talk about the nature of the soul, how to engage the deeper mind, creating a safe container for a scene, and what one can do with the energies we raise in BDSM play. Details & ticketing here!​ And, our writing group! We launched our new writing group just last week, and over a dozen kinksters have already signed up for Adventures in Daily Kink Journaling! Want to join them? Sign up here, and get new prompts in your inbox at 3pm daily! Please, keep taking care of yourself. Drop is real, and we love you, ok? xo Mir & the Wicked Grounds team

To view this content, you must be a member of Wicked’s Patreon at $1 or more Unlock with PatreonAlready a qualifying Patreon member? Refresh to access this content.

To view this content, you must be a member of Wicked’s Patreon at $1 or more Unlock with PatreonAlready a qualifying Patreon member? Refresh to access this content.

To view this content, you must be a member of Wicked’s Patreon at $1 or more Unlock with PatreonAlready a qualifying Patreon member? Refresh to access this content.

A huge thank you to all of Wicked Grounds Patreon members, without whom we literally would not be here. You support: – Dozens of classes per month – Safe playshops for hands on learning – Independent authors, instructors and artisans – A fully unionized staff of community ambassadors Thank you!

As we mentioned in our last post, Wicked Grounds is running a sale on all kink & sexuality books now through September 30th — just use code HOTNHEAVY at checkout to get the discount applied. Orders over $200 always ship free (or get some e-books for instant gratification!) Take me directly to the books! And now for the fun part — some book recommendations from Mir! We’ll roughly match this up to the categories in our class roster. ​ <figure>Our old bookshelves at Wicked Grounds, with a legacy Wicked Grounds black ceramic mug in front!</figure> S/m & the physical side of play Want to explore impact play hands on? Janet Hardy’s Spanking for Lovers is a great place to start! Want to learn about CBT? Hardy Haberman’s Family Jewels will allow you to proceed safely and with pleasure — from soup to nuts! Curious about medical play? Just need enough information to know whether or not to learn more? Check out The Toybag Guide to Medical Play to learn the basics. ​ Bondage & Fetish We love, love, love Shay Tiziano! We are out of stock on physical copies at the moment, but we have her Tying and Flying as an e-book available immediately! (If you order a paperback as well, please be patient!) ​ Sexy times We are huge fans of Erica Moen’s Oh Joy Sex Toy, and her sex education book Drawn to Sex: The Basics is a delight. (Just one in stock!) No partner? No problem! Carlyle Jansen has the solutions in Sex Yourself! Spice up your solo sex life and be your own best date! Meika Hollender’s Get On Top is a straightforward take on female sexuality, navigating periods, safe sex, self pleasure, and all the other aspects you might not have thought about until this book. Great sex isn’t just for younger folks. Michael Castleman’s Sizzling Sex for Life: Everything You Need to Know to Maximize Erotic Pleasure at Any Age will help you adapt and renew your sex life for every life stage. ​ When sex is challenging . . . Over half of women report having a sexual complaint, whether that’s lack of desire or difficulty reaching orgasm. Sarah Barmak takes the issue seriously in Closer and promotes an entire re-thinking of how we approach and center women’s sexual pleasure. Did the pandemic blow a hole through your libido? That’s understandable and not uncommon. Want it back? We have a couple of books that might be useful. Look into Jill Blakeway’s Sex Again: Recharging Your Libido, Laura Zam’s The Pleasure Plan, and particularly Jill Notte’s The Monster Under the Bed: Sex, Depression and the Discussions We Aren’t Having. STDs have been shrouded in mystery and taboo for centuries. Why do we know so little about our cooties? Strange Bedfellows ventures far beyond the bedroom to examine the hidden role and influence of these widely misunderstood infections. ​ D/s & the mental side of play Our single most recommended D/s book is Anton Fulmen’s The Heart of Dominance. Hands down, this is my favorite D/s title — funny, accessible and descriptive without being prescriptive. Fulmen breaks down six distinct styles of D/s and why they work for the people they work for, so that you can find the ones that work for you! We’re out of stock on the physical book right now, but you can get the e-book immediately. Another Wicked Grounds instructor on D/s is the amazing Auntie Vice, who brings us The Big Workbook for Submissives, which we offer as an e-book or in softcover. Looking to find your sense of dominance as a woman in the scene? Lady Green’s The Sexually Dominant Woman is a classic for a reason. Joyce Snyder takes an amusing look at the relationships between dominant women and submissive men in Mistress Pussycat. ​ Self-knowledge, negotiation & consent I’m basically just going to recommend everything Faith Harper has written here. So, here goes: ​Unfuck Your Consent​ ​Unfuck Your Intimacy​ ​ Community: Friends, dating, relationships & kink culture! It’s marketed for women, but The Kinky Girl’s Guide to Dating contains good advice for everyone. Just ignore the dated technology recommendations (AOL!) and focus on the evergreen wisdom of safety and navigating the scene. Curious about navigating kink dating and relationships as an autistic person? You are not alone! Faith Harper and Joe Biel have some great advice in our inexpensive e-book The Autism Relationships Handbook: How to Thrive in Friendships, Dating, and Love​ ​ Polyamory & Ethical Non-Monogamy When you’re ethically non-monogamous, you probably get a zillion questions about what your life is like. It’s Called Polyamory is what we call an emotional labor book — it’s the one you hand out when folks ask you these questions for the zillionth time. Beyond the basics of polyamory lies a complex web of negotiations, agreements, pitfalls and rewards. Kathy Labriola, a relationships counselor who has worked for many years with singles, couples and groups in polyamorous and open relationships, sets forth some of the realities of alternative lifestyles in Love in Abundance​ Are you interested in a frank discussion of open relationships among gay men, paired with photos of popular porn stars in their underwear? Open Love is the book for you! ​ Magick & Occult (with Magickal Crossroads) Actually, I’m going to recommend you bop over to MagickalCrossroads.com for stock on hand. We’re running a sale over there for 18% off with code BIBLIOMANCY at checkout now through Sept 4th! — And of course we have a lot of other titles over at WickedGrounds.com right now. Head on over and make this 20% discount yours with code HOTNHEAVY!

To view this content, you must be a member of Wicked’s Patreon at $1 or more Unlock with PatreonAlready a qualifying Patreon member? Refresh to access this content.