Jouissance Diary

"It was while writing a Diary that I discovered how to capture living moments," Anaïs Nin wrote. "In the Diary I only wrote of what interested me genuinely, what I felt most strongly at the moment, and I found this fervour, this enthusiasm produced a vividness which often withered in the formal work. Improvisation, free association, obedience to mood, impulse, brought forth countless images, portraits, descriptions, impressionistic sketches, symphonic experiments, from which I could dip at any time for material."

In tribute to Anaïs Nin, one of our foremost inspirations for Jouissance, our DIARY captures our most treasured moments, our obsessions and preoccupations, our research and the lessons we learn, and the work of our cherished friends and collaborators.

An Excerpt

The Rebound

After the day’s meetings, she stopped in a boutique and misted herself with a fragrance sample. She breathed deeply. I need this, she said to the clerk, who was reading behind the register. A fresh scent for a new beginning.

A Day Out

Erotica Digging

An Erotic Writing Exercise

Imagine a Body

An Excerpt

Holds

The technique works like this: if your arms are tiring, stretch them out so your hands have to take the full weight of your body. This can be useful at height – transferring pressure from your biceps to the tips of your fingers, quick shift, delicious loosening of temporary pain.

A Literary Guide

How to Throw a Party

An Excerpt

House of the Sleeping Beauty

She could still smell the perfume. As she often did as a teenager, she had spritzed the scent between the pages. The opening of yuzu and blood orange was long lost, but the heart of moist green basil and grassy vetiver drydown remained.