Hi, everyone! I wanted to give an update about the book, as it's been awhile since I've posted on here and a lot has happened since my last blogpost.
Update, 11/4/2023: This post is quite outdated, and I only keep it up to maintain a historical record. First and foremost, my book is now divided into four volumes, the first of which is now live on my website; go to my website's 1-page promo and pick up a copy for free (it's non-profit)! While you're there, you can also learn about the other three volumes, project history of Sex Positivity and logo design. Second, the changelog that used to be in this blogpost has been consolidated into a single document you can also access at the same location on my website.
As many of you know by now, I've been working since July 2022 on a book called Sex Positivity vs Sex Coercion, or Gothic Communism. A large, semi-censored sample—including my manifesto—is currently available on the original blogpost. That post initially started as a smaller article, but has gradually turned into a full-blown book—containing multiple volumes and dozens of personal illustrations made in collaboration with various sex workers. I haven't made a new blogpost since August for several reasons:
Around December of last year, the manuscript was around 50,000 words. After January it was over 100,000, requiring me to move the document over to my personal computer. As I write this, the book currently stands at 271,000 words.
Initially I was just writing the book on my blogpost, not illustrating it. That is, I wasn't really including my own art or promoting the book itself with my art. Now that the book is much further along, I've retailored my drawing approach
The combined artwork has been used to promote Sex Positivity on my various galleries and social media accounts, while also inviting more people to join in the creative process. The need for large amounts of artwork, short-notice, has led me to get creative when working with photos and old gallery pieces. While I've focused on touch-ups, photobashes and other shortcuts that don't sacrifice the creative vision I have it mind, it's also had the unintended side effect of allowing me to blaze a trail through my own galleries (something I've wanted to do for years)!
My name's Persephone van der Waard; I have my MA in Gothic English literature and independent PhD in Gothic poetics and ludo-Gothic BDSM (focusing partially on Metroidvania), and I am the author of the multi-volume, non-profit book series, Sex Positivity vs Sex Coercion, or Gothic Communism—its art director, sole invigilator, illustrator and primary editor (the other co-writer/co-editor being Bay Ryan). A rape survivor/granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor and Dutch Resistance member—and someone anti-war (as a business), anti-Zionist and anti-racist/anti-white-supremacist who specializes in tokenism (e.g., TERFs, SWERFs, and fascist feminism)—I'm a MtF trans woman, Tolkien and Amazon enthusiast, former YouTuber, anti-fascist, loud critic of Marxist-Leninism/state vampirism, atheist and Satanist, poly/pan kinkster with multiple partners, erotic artist/pornographer and anarcho-Communist; i.e., under my brand of Gothic (gay-anarcho) Communism as a holistic, intersectional discipline: one devised in 2022-2023, and which my friends and I currently achieve together. / Originally this blog explored my love of movies when I was cis-het; now I use it to write about the Gothic—horror, but also sex, heavy metal, and videogames in a queer way (especially Metroidvania).
I take donations for my work (which goes towards helping sex workers, trans people and other minorities). I currently take payment on PayPal, Patreon, and CashApp, etc; all links are available on my Linktr.ee. Every bit helps!
Regarding Formatting Issues for Blogposts (Older than October 2025): Recently Josey Howarth helped transfer my old blog from Blogger to WordPress, which—while vital for security reasons—altered their formatting. On a phone screen, the posts are mostly readable, but look slightly "jank" on computer screens. Many also contain outdated "About the Author" sections—meaning inside the posts-in-question, alongside the blog website "footer" (as added by Josey after the transfer). Such things are temporary. Eventually we plan to overhaul their visual design, remodeling my blog and website (thus fixing the issues in the question)!