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A Whore’s Manifesto: An Anthology of Writing and Artwork by Sex Workers

Kay Kassirer (Editor),

Clementine von Radics (Goodreads Author) (Foreword)

4.20 · Rating details · 40 ratings · 11 reviews

Sex work was once thought to be anathema to women’s liberation. Now, to some, we represent the tenacity of women’s struggles under patriarchy and capitalism—that is, at least, the white, straight, cis, able-bodied sex workers who don’t engage in actual sex with clients. These are the workers who get the glossy media profiles and get touted as feminist icons. But the red um ...more

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Paperback, 104 pages

Published October 18th 2019 by Thorntree Press

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Aug 15, 2019 Kristin rated it it was amazing

This book was simply amazing. It was emotional, uplifting, unnerving, and inspiring.

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Aug 09, 2019 Lucsbooks rated it it was amazing

Trigger warnings: sexual harassment, homophobia, transphobia, sex work...

More than the theme of this book, I ended up requesting it because I was already familiar with Clementine’s work. Clementine does not contribute with any poems of her own but her introduction completely sets the mood and pace for the rest of the book.

Every poem, photo, drawing demand respect rather than asking for it. The title itself has the perfect balance between political and eye-catching and the first thing you get to Trigger warnings: sexual harassment, homophobia, transphobia, sex work...

More than the theme of this book, I ended up requesting it because I was already familiar with Clementine’s work. Clementine does not contribute with any poems of her own but her introduction completely sets the mood and pace for the rest of the book.

Every poem, photo, drawing demand respect rather than asking for it. The title itself has the perfect balance between political and eye-catching and the first thing you get to read is Clementine’s introduction, setting the rules and the tone for the rest of the poets as well as what the reader should look for in each poem.

This book promises honesty from the start and sometimes that can be uncomfortable or even unpleasant to read. Sex work has traditionally been looked down by “polite” society even though practically everyone is a consumer in various degrees. The reality that a lot of the people working in the industry belong to minorities and disenfranchised groups while most of the clients are white cis men that make the rules is felt throughout every page with different results. While sometimes that leads to a feeling of power over the “johns”, a lot of the times sex workers, not being protected by law or recognized as meaningfully employed are an easy target for violence and discrimination in addition to the abuse they already face thanks to their race, gender, sexual orientation and so many more..

I was looking forward to learning and see the world through a different perspective but I was wholly unprepared for how much I loved this collection. Of course, books with different contributors are always a gamble, because you will not connect with every one of them but there were only a couple of poems that I found more difficult to understand. And let me tell you, I don’t think I ever enjoyed an anthology more than this.

At the very end, there is a small blurb for every one of the poets which I found genius because not only it helped disband some of the preconceived ideas we might have about the authors, it also provided some of the poems with context and allowed me to look for more of their works.

All in all, this is a very short book with a pretty heavy theme and pretty heavy poems but I find that works like this are more and more necessary in a society that is obsessed with sex but embarrassed by sexuality.

Thank you to Edelweiss+ and Thorntree for this ARC. ...more

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Sep 04, 2019 Melissa rated it really liked it

Content warnings: sex, sexual abuse, anti-sex worker comments, graphic sexual language and scenes, sexual trauma, nude images and illustrations of feminine-presenting bodies, strong language

This was a powerful read. It took a lot out of me to read. I really connected to the poems surprisingly, more than I thought I would. It is not just a commentary on the lives of sex workers, the anthology discusses society and patriarchy’s view of bodies and sexuality. There is an absolute double standard whe ...more

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Aug 31, 2019 Amelia rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, anthology, non-fiction

I received an ARC via Edelweiss.

I hadn't realised before starting this collection by sex workers that it was poetry not essays or prose, so was well out of my comfort zone but ended up really delighted to be there. I found this anthology moving, elucidating, and enjoyable, and I'd definitely recommend it. ...more

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Jan 05, 2021 Xylia rated it really liked it

Like any other sort of anthology, I enjoyed some of the poems and others weren’t my cup of tea. What I did love about this collection is that it gives a voice to those that are marginalized and treated as a monolith. Two poems in particular stood out to me, ‘Reluctance’ by June Sayers and ‘Latex & Lube’ by Kay Kassirer.

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Aug 30, 2020 Katie Weber rated it really liked it

I loved the different voices throughout this anthology and deeply connected with some of these authors. Much love ❤ It's so so important to hear these stories from the individuals who have been through them. Thank you for sharing your story, your life, and your words. ...more

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Dec 12, 2019 Daniel rated it really liked it

Shelves: art-photography, sex, short-fiction, poetry

This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 4.0 of 5

When I saw this book offered up to reviewers I was really interested in getting a copy. I felt that a book like this would contain works that really come from the gut. Visceral emotions. And I wasn't disappointed.

The subtitle of the book is "An Anthology of Writing and Artwork by Sex Workers" and one of the first things I learned in this book is what constitutes a 'sex worker.' It seems pretty obvious, right? But I'll adm This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 4.0 of 5

When I saw this book offered up to reviewers I was really interested in getting a copy. I felt that a book like this would contain works that really come from the gut. Visceral emotions. And I wasn't disappointed.

The subtitle of the book is "An Anthology of Writing and Artwork by Sex Workers" and one of the first things I learned in this book is what constitutes a 'sex worker.' It seems pretty obvious, right? But I'll admit that I hadn't thought much about this and I hadn't pictured phone sex workers, internet camming, and 'sugar babies' (I had to think for a bit about what that meant - and then it never occurred to me that some thought of this as a job) as sex workers. I had definitely thought more along the lines of physical touch.

The book is primarily poetry, which I guess isn't a surprise, but I was definitely wishing that there was more artwork/photography included - there was one drawing and one photo. The drawing was a little too obvious for me (an idea I've seen many times [given its nature, I won't say too much about it, other than it is genitalia]) though the photo was interesting and artistic.

I am not typically a fan of poetry - it's just a literary form I've never been real fond of - but there were some poems here that I thought were really well done and powerful. Starting with the first piece, "naked on the internet" by Vivienne L'Crave, which was really raw and powerful and definitely set a tone for the rest of the book. Though I'm happy to say that not all the works here were as gritty or dark as this.

Gigi Genet's "AFTER ANIMORPHS" is shorter, but no less dark and powerful.

I also really liked Lux Aeterna's "Gods & Monsters" and all the pieces by someone referred to as 'Strawberry' and the two poems by the editor, Kay Kassirer. Kassirer's "Work Follows Me Home" is probably my favorite poem in the book. It might be the shortest work in the book, but it packs a lot into it.

In short fiction, "The Retiree" by Kristy Lin Billuni stuck out for me as one of the few works here with a bit more upbeat tone and deals with a subject that I quite expected to read more of - women looking for work after leaving the sex industry.

"Reluctance" by June Sayers was a little strange to me, but I liked seeing the intelligence of the sex worker. Still, she's a 'for hire' worker and despite very likely being the smarter, wiser of the pair, she's the one trying to do the impressing.

While not everything impressed, that's not unusual with an anthology. Fortunately there weren't any real written works that were duds. Kassirer has done a really fine job of putting this collection together.

Looking for a good book? The Whore's Manifesto is a collection of poems and stories written by sex workers and is a powerful assortment that makes it pretty clear that this is a line of work that doesn't offer up very many positives.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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Dec 26, 2019 Julene rated it really liked it

Shelves: sex, poetry

This anthology out of Canada is an excellent and diverse range of writing and art from sex workers. It is a similar book to the one Amber Dawn recently published, "Hustling Verse." During the Q&A after the reading at Babesland in Seattle, I asked the editor, Kay Kassirer, if she knew Amber's book, of course she did. They came up with the idea separately and she called Amber who was very gracious about two similar books being published around the same time, to her it meant more writers would be p This anthology out of Canada is an excellent and diverse range of writing and art from sex workers. It is a similar book to the one Amber Dawn recently published, "Hustling Verse." During the Q&A after the reading at Babesland in Seattle, I asked the editor, Kay Kassirer, if she knew Amber's book, of course she did. They came up with the idea separately and she called Amber who was very gracious about two similar books being published around the same time, to her it meant more writers would be published, a win-win!

Julia Laxer introduced me to the book on Facebook. The writing in "A Whore's Manifesto" is sharp and honest. It's a fast and engaging read that shows a range of the what this world is like for women and trans women who do the work. On the back of the book one of the paragraphs states: "But the red umbrella is wide and covers many: escorts, sugar babies, strippers, session wrestlers, cam performers, fetish models, DIY queer porn stars, and the full range of gender, race and ability. Our work and our identities are as vast and variable as the spectrum of sexuality itself." The word manifesto in the title speaks volumes to intersectionality and women bonding for safety. Uniting and speaking out is a force.

The book is mostly poetry, but the few stories are where I found the most lasting power. In "The Retiree" by Kristy Lin Billuni, she is leaving the business to go back to the art world and applying for a job in an art gallery. When told she will hear more after a background check is done she is left deflated assuming she will not get the job. I won't do a spoiler, but the ending of this story is great.

One of my favorite stories, "Margaretha" by J. Mork, the woman is a nanny who is making a change. When the father , she refers to as the "jerk husband," asks her if she can babysit while they go on vacation, she answers:
"I can't" I said. "I'm going to be working nights. I'm becoming a dominatrix." I got up to go to my car and they never called me for childcare again. I left them to their messy family life."
Later, closer to the end:
"I want to travel. I want to know new people. I want different experiences than are offered to most women in the United States."

...more

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Nov 18, 2019 -RadioactiveBookworm- rated it really liked it

Though I didn't take very many notes while I was reading this book, It really packed a punch. Not sure what I was getting myself into, I read haunting stories of coming into your own skin, sexual assault, hard work days and distant memories. Personal poems and short paragraphs and occasional pictures all meshed together, this book is definitely something that's going to stick with me, whether on my shelf or just in my mind.

Check out my full review here!

https://radioactivebookreviews.wordpr... ...more

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Sep 25, 2019 CR rated it it was amazing

This one was very good. It was a collection poems and short stories. It contained women's feels and insight to their lifestyle and I loved every second of it. This is one of those titles where you read a few pages put it down and come back to it later to read a few more. It's a book to take your time with it and enjoy each story. ...more

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Jan 11, 2020 James rated it really liked it

Valuable for its unique perspectives. I don't usually read poetry, but this was worthwhile reading. The prose portions were my favorite, especially Reluctance by June Sayers.

Also, don't miss the short bios at the end of the contributors. ...more

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