Assuming the Ecosexual Position

The Earth as Lover

By: Annie Sprinkle, Beth Stephens, Jennie Klein

Narrated by: Sarah Beth Pfeifer

What's sexy about saving the planet? Funny you should ask. Because that is precisely - or, perhaps, broadly - what Annie Sprinkle and Beth Stephens have spent many years bringing to light in their live art, exhibitions, and films. In 2008, Sprinkle and Stephens married the Earth, which set them on the path to explore the realms of ecosexuality as they became lovers with the Earth and made their mutual pleasure an embodied expression of passion for the environment. Ever since, they have been not just pushing but obliterating the boundaries circumscribing biology and ecology, creating ecosexual art in their performance of an environmentalism that is feminist, queer, sensual, sexual, posthuman, materialist, exuberant, and steeped in humor.

Assuming the Ecosexual Position tells of childhood moments that pointed to a future of ecosexuality - for Annie, in her family swimming pool in Los Angeles; for Beth, savoring forbidden tomatoes from the vine on her grandparents' Appalachian farm. The book describes how the two came together as lovers and collaborators, how they took a stand against homophobia and xenophobia, and how this union led to the miraculous conception of the Love Art Laboratory, which involved influential performance artists Linda M. Montano, Guillermo Gomez-Peña, and feminist pornographer Madison Young.

©2021 Elizabeth Stephens and Annie Sprinkle (P)2022 Tantor

Fun, Inspiring and Well-Performed

This book details Annie Sprinkle and Beth Stephens’s work and art integrating environmentalism with sex positivity. A chronology of how eco sexuality evolved and the performance art they’ve made around it, with often juicy details about how it went down, who was there, derailing challenges and ultimate impact. Sarah Beth Pfeiffer is so easy to listen to, and sounds like she’s savoring each tale just as the authors clearly do in telling it. A fun, inspiring and thought-provoking listen!

fascinating and enlightening

I loved this book. it engaged me immediately, and I couldn't "put it down" until I finished. It gave me a wonderful insight into a type of art I never really understood. The alternating narration between Annie and Beth revealed their sometimes different perspectives on the same event or issue, and yet also showed how similar they are when it came to their collaborative art. I also saw how their work fit into the larger international art world and artistic trends. the way they have used their art for environmental activism is amazing. The narrator/performer captured some of the humor and other emotions in the words she was reading. A really great read. I highly recommend it.