Berkeley, CA (PRWEB) June 18, 2014 -- Partners in Passion authors Mark A. Michaels and Patricia Johnson, award-winning writers and experts on intimate relationships, discussed the changing cultural landscape of relationships and monogamy on Alternet.org.
"A decade ago, it was almost inconceivable that marriage equality would be the law in so many states and that a substantial majority of Americans would support it. It would also have been hard to imagine that Time Magazine would feature a transgender television star on its cover while calling the trans movement 'America’s next civil rights frontier,'" writes Michaels and Johnson. And amid these world-changing shifts, acceptance and exploration of non-monogamous relationship styles are growing.
Michaels and Johnson use the term "designer relationships," a phrase coined by Kinsey Institute’s Polyamory Archive founder Dr. Ken Haslam, to describe these alternative relationships. Designer relationships allow people to create and build their own relationships without constraint or limits; they can be exclusive, non-exclusive, serious, casual, or more - it is whatever each partner agrees upon. Clear and open communication is key, and flexibility and change is understood and non-judged. For people choosing to be strictly monogamous, the emphasis on communication and understanding "may also be monogamy's salvation," write the authors. After all, people change and evolve over time, assert Michaels and Johnson. Having the space to discuss any issue freely will strengthen a relationship - whether monogamous or not.
See Mark and Patricia in person at these events:
6/23: Shining Lotus Metaphysical Book Store, Denver - 7-9pm
6/24: Beyond the Bedroom Conference, Denver - 6:30-8pm
6/25: NV Boutique, Lone Tree, CO - 7-8:30pm
6/26: For Heaven's Sake, Denver - 6-7:30pm
7/8: Long Island Leather & Roses, NY - 8-10:30pm
7/17: Bluestockings, New York - 7-9pm
7/18: Secret Pleasures, Washington, DC
7/22: Sexploratorium, Philadelphia -
8/7: Good for Her, Toronto - 7-8:30pm
10/16: Banyan Books and Sounds, Vancouver - 6:30-8pm
About Partners in Passion
Happily married partners in passion themselves, award-winning authors Mark A. Michaels and Patricia Johnson provide readers with a fun, step-by-step manual to creating a lasting, loving and erotic relationship.
Partners in Passion proposes alternative models of long-term connection, founded on mutuality, a collaborative mindset, empathy and transparency. It features interviews with long-term couples and includes an extensive resource guide that covers everything from health to erotica, with excellent advice from many of today’s leading sexuality and relationship educators. Partners in Passion is also available in audio.
About Cleis Press
Cleis Press publishes provocative, intelligent books in the areas of sexuality, gay and lesbian studies, erotica, fiction, gender studies, and human rights.
Brenda Knight, Cleis Press, INC, http://www.cleispress.com, +1 (510) 845-8000, [email protected]
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