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Michael Smith/Michelle Zee

Michelle Zee has presented workshops at the Free Spirit Beltane and Gathering festival, at Loving More East, at Poly Living, at 'Building Bridges' conferences, and at the Community for Spiritual Living. Ze (ze is a pronoun that means he/she) has studied both Brad Blanton's Radical Honesty and Susan Campbell's Getting Real. Ze runs the Free the Artist Within group in DC. Michelle is also known as Michael when ze changes genders and is active in the Washington DC area trans, pagan, poly and bi communities.

Ze is out to most friends, neighbors and came out at work last year. Telling people is not always easy (though the more people I have told my "secret" to the easier it gets). Most people either don't care or are accepting. Let's face it if they don't like it then it is their problem - and do I what to be with that kind of person anyway? No!

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Better Sounds of Sex
Do you have difficulty making sounds during love making? Would you like to experiment with making louder and more passionate noises and moans? Would you like to enhance your and your partner(s) orgasms with sound? The come and have fun at this workshop! We will play with sounds in a safe environment and practice different love noises. Either come with a partner(s) or be prepare to match up with new people or do solo sound sex work!

Getting Real: Practicing Honesty in Sex and Relationships
The key to good sex and relationships is honest communication - but how often do we get to learn how to communicate honesty in a safe environment? Whether your interest in communication is for polyamory, S/M, coming out or other relationship reasons this workshop will help you get started learning the difference between thinking, noticing and feelings. This is a workshop where you participates in speaking honesty and noticing how language affects how we communicate. There will also be some fun exercises including playing an honesty game that contains sex and relationship questions you might ask a partner. We will explore:
-- What if I decided to let go of my need to control things, and see what happens?
The need for control is revealed:
-whenever I try to play it safe;
-whenever I try to look good in others' eyes;
-whenever I think you are right or attempt to prove that I am right;
-whenever I try to avoid upsetting someone, making a mess, or causing a hassle;
-whenever I attempt to appear more "together" than I really am;
-whenever I "make nice" insincerely for whatever purpose;
-whenever I make assumptions or jump to conclusions rather than live with the uncertainty of my situation;
-resist listening to viewpoints that differ from mine.
I imagine that you recognize yourself in at least a few of these examples. I know I do! Come see how to change.