A D.C.-area writer and advocate for polyamorous lifestyles will discuss her experiences outside of monogamy at a talk in East Falls Church tomorrow (Thursday).
One More Page Books (2200 N. Westmoreland Street) will host author Natalie Davis for a discussion on her new book, “Saying Yes: My Adventures in Polyamory,” from 7-8 p.m. The event will include a book reading, conversation with certified sex therapist Tamara Pincus, a Q&A session and a book signing.
Davis told ARLnow that “we expect quite a crowd.” Tickets were nearly sold out as of last week.
The event at One More Page Books is the third stop on a book tour that started with the book’s launch on Jan. 13 at People’s Book in Takoma Park, Md.
“Saying Yes: My Adventures in Polyamory” details how Davis came to terms with a polyamorous relationship with her husband of 20 years and his girlfriend, both of whom live with her. Davis, a former Department of Justice trial lawyer, is now the editor of the online publication Polyamory Today and has led workshops on communication and non-monogamy.
“I speak at relationship conferences and am a poly advocate who supports legal protections for the non-monogamous, such as those enacted to protect ‘family and relationship structure,” Davis said.
A book description is below.
Twenty years of marriage. One life-altering question. Natalie Davis’s brave and candid memoir chronicles the transformation of her traditional monogamous marriage into a vibrant polyamorous lifestyle.
When her husband suggests they have sex with strangers, Natalie is incredulous. Yet, in the aftermath of his infidelity and while battling the voice in her head urging her to leave him, she agrees to try non-monogamy. What follows surprises no one more than Natalie—a soccer mom and lawyer—as she embarks on a daring journey down the rabbit hole of polyamory. Fearing for her livelihood and community standing, Natalie must keep her new lifestyle secret. She navigates complex relationships, including increasing clashes with her boyfriend’s wife (her “metamour”), confronting a therapist who claims polyamory is abusive, and debating what to tell her family and friends. Along the way, she discovers her own bold sexuality, experiences the thrill of young lovers, finds empathy from her husband’s experienced poly girlfriend, and learns to weather heartbreak and find bliss.
“Saying Yes” offers an unvarnished look into her world, as she explores excitement, intimacy, and connection in unexpected places, including a few stairwells. With humor, heart, and raw honesty, this memoir is for anyone who has ever wondered what might happen if we say yes to what lies beyond conventional relationships.
