This is always an interesting time of year for ENM people because we always have to sort out whether or not we’re all doing gifts for each other or not… Luckily… we have a new guest writer to help us sort that out. Ellecia Paine, who is a sex, love, and relationship coach, has sent in a great article to help you sort through some of your Valentine’s Poly troubles. We’re excited to have her on board with us, and even more excited for the excellent work she is doing in her own practice. We hope to see more from her in the future!

We decided that since February is the month of love… that it seemed like a great time for us to pay homage to the lovey side of ENM, and make February our annual Polyamory issue. In this issue we will explore Polyamory in greater focus, and feature some kind of Polyamorous Temptation… We are incredibly lucky this year to have the CCM Triad… They are some really cool people, who are super geeky about Polyamory… So much so, they are actively involved with Sex Positive Portland, organizing events, performing, teaching classes,… and still somehow manage to juggle a very busy social life! You get to get to know them through our article and pictorial in our super-sized Temptation of the Month article this month!

Following along in the same vein… Michael Love takes a stab at putting together a primer for Polyamory for his ENM series. We’re excited to feature this column, where we will discuss all of the different ways people connect… and this month being Poly month… It only seemed like the perfect time to tackle this huge project!

Ellie reminisces on some of her favorite dishes in her For the Love of Food column this month, where she talks about the various aphrodisiac qualities of the varied foods she has prepared. If you’re looking for some inspiration for your Valentine’s sweetie… You should definitely check out this article.

Marilyn Belle follows up her previous installment of Confessions… with an introduction to her current Dom… Kennedy. You’ll get to learn the story behind how they met, how they connected, and the interesting dynamic they have. It’s not for the faint of heart… So be warned, you may encounter some triggers along the way.

Keeping writers has always been our biggest challenge. Writing for a monthly publication is a huge commitment, and can be a huge task. As we’re putting the finishing touches on this issue, Michael himself is just wrapping up his fourth 15+ hour day in a row. We’re sad to see Larry having to take a step back… his work with the art community was a huge part of this magazine… Michael is going to pick it up, and hopes to do it justice, but he’s already got a full plate. If you’d like to get involved in something super cool, and have some good organization and communication skills, with a moderate aptitude for writing (none of us are really writers) There’s an opportunity to jump into what will very likely be one of the first positions on our staff to get paid (it’s still a ways off yet)

We also have some opportunities for people like Ellecia, relationship coaches, sex therapists, and other legal sex workers to step up and do some limited trade writing for advertising spots. We won’t be able to sustain it forever… But it’s a great opportunity to jump on with us now and help us create a magazine worth reading while also promoting your work! We really want to get as diverse a group of voices in our magazine as we possibly can!

Whether you’re a reader, or a potential writer, or maybe a potential advertiser… We appreciate your support. We hope you love what we’re doing here!

You can get your own printed copy of this months issue but you have to act RIGHT NOW! Pre-orders close at Midnight on Sunday, February 2nd… after that there will be no other opportunities to order without paying archive pricing. Click here to place your order now!