Written by Tamar Fox. For more pieces by Tamar, check out Behind Closed Doors with Men and Women of the Bible.
When you read Fifty Shades of Grey did you think to yourself: I like this, but I wish it were Jewish? Why does the male lead have to be named Christian?
Well, Karen Exkorn thought that, and decided to do something about. She wrote a Jewish parody of Fifty Shades. How Jewish is it? Well, the male protagonist is named Jew Ishman. So: pretty Jewish. We got a chance to talk to Karen about the book, and she’s generously allowing us to reprint an excerpt from it. You can buy 52 Shades of Blu-ish here.
What got you into writing erotica?
I started reading erotica in college as part of a feminist literature course at Brown University. I loved reading it but felt intimidated to try to write it. But when “Fifty Shades of Grey” came along, I felt inspired to write my own erotica.
Other than Fifty Shades of Grey, what’s some erotica you enjoy?
Anaïs Nin is my favorite writer of female erotica. I remember reading “Little Birds” and “Delta of Venus” when I was in my early twenties. Do you know that Nin started writing porn for a dollar a page because she was broke? She’d never originally intended for her writings to become books. Her books were written in the 1940’s and still hold up today as some of the most sensual and creative erotica in existence.
What made you decide to do a Jewish knock-off of Fifty Shades?
I was sitting around the pool at my parents’ condo in Palm Beach, and I noticed that almost every woman, young and not-so-young, was reading the same book — Fifty Shades of Grey. They were all shouting to each other from their lounge chairs: “Can you believe Christian did that to her?” and “I’m so happy she left Christian!” and all I kept hearing was “Christian” this and “Christian” that. All of these Jewish women are kvetching about Christian! That’s when it hit me. Why not write a Jewish spoof? Instead of having Christian as the main character, why not have Jew?
Jew Ishman is clearly a parody of Nice Jewish Boy. What do you look for in an NJB?
Hmmm. Well, I’m pretty sure that the character Jew Ishman blurs the lines between naughty and nice. But I think that’s why I fell in love with him! I think a NJB should have a big heart, a big soul, and a big…
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Jewrotica is a great way to ask interesting questions about the interplay between sensuality and Jewish wisdom. Check it out.
The people behind Jewrotica are quite quality! I have confidence that any project these folks take on will be equally quality.
You may not tell your mom that you’re going to a live Jewrotica reading (or whatever clever name you will dub these events) but you will tell your friends. However, both would be jealous if they find out that they missed it. I think it will only be a matter of time before Jewrotica helps us reclaim the term “Dirty Jew” the way rap music has done for “The ‘N’ Word.” I know I am now proud to be a Dirty Jew!
I’m so glad that Jewrotica is represented here at Jewlicious! It’s bringing voices that need to be heard in the Jewish discussion and Jewish climate environment.
I stepped out of my comfort zone to be a part of this. I was glad to open up the topic of sexuality in my community. We are trying to build a safe space to talk about sex. The result I am most happy about coming from this event is that hopefully now my friends know they can come and talk to me, that I can be their ‘safe space’.
What an incredible night Jewrotica was!!!! There was this fantastic moment, in a sea of Jews of all sexualities, ages, backgrounds and denominations, that I realized we were all in this together! I hope that there are many more events coming to Austin soon!
Jewrotica is awesome. It expands the mind and for people who were raised with narrow views on sexuality. Whether you are Jewish or not, or in different sects of Judaism like Orthodox, Conservative or Reform, no matter what your background or where you’re from, Jewrotica gets you to see Judaism and how it relates to sexuality in new ways. I really appreciate Ayo being here and helping us learn different ways to connect with our sexuality.
Jewrotica is something that the community has needed for a long time so that people can actually learn, express and share and have good relationships without having to stumble through life. Check out the site and learn something. Have fun!
The Jewrotica event “Evening of Jewrotica: Bedside Reading” was awesome. As Master of Confessions, I got to read the deepest, darkest secrets of people in the room out loud… It was scintillating, titillating, and – yes – even educational!
I attended and participated in last month’s Jewrotica event. The engaging performers and Ayo, our inviting host, inspired the audience to feel like one big community. What a great way to inspire our community to embrace sex as a beautiful thing that can be fun, exciting, sacred, sensual, ridiculous, scary and everything in between!
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