In an earlier column, I briefly mentioned Audre Lorde’s “Uses of the Erotic,” an essay that explores how we derive joy from the deepest part of ourselves. That eroticism comes from many avenues of our life: community, activism, identity and so forth. For me, it has become the basis for how I go about my relationship-making, writing and creative pursuits.
I want to dive deeper into that intention, as the idea of joy takes root in the realm of pleasure. ...