Rachel Kramer Bussel (born 1975) is an

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

columnist A columnist is a person who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Column (newspaper), Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs. They take the fo ...

, and editor, specializing in

erotica Erotica is literature or art that deals substantively with subject matter that is erotic, sexually stimulating or sexually arousing. Some critics regard pornography as a type of erotica, but many consider it to be different. Erotic art may use a ...

. She previously studied at the

New York University School of Law New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1835, it is the oldest law school in New York City and the oldest surviving law school in New ...

and earned her

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

and

women's studies Women's studies is an academic field that draws on feminist and interdisciplinary methods to place women's lives and experiences at the center of study, while examining social and cultural constructs of gender; systems of privilege and oppress ...

from the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

Career

Bussel has been a Senior Editor at '' Penthouse Variations'', a Contributing Editor to ''

Penthouse Penthouse most often refers to: *Penthouse apartment, a special apartment on the top floor of a building *Penthouse (magazine), ''Penthouse'' (magazine), a British-founded men's magazine *Mechanical penthouse, a floor, typically located directly u ...

'', and a blogger for ''

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

''. In addition, she is a rotating interviewer for the

Gothamist Gothamist LLC is the operator, or in some cases franchisor, of eight city-centric websites that focused on news, events, food, culture, and other local coverage. It was founded in 2003 by Jake Dobkin and Jen Chung. In March 2017, Joe Ricketts, ...

and a columnist for '' SexIs Magazine''. She has written for the ''

Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the creat ...

''. She has authored many erotic

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

and has collected her own works, as well as others', in dozens of published collections, including specialized volumes on

BDSM BDSM is a variety of often erotic practices or roleplaying involving bondage, discipline, dominance and submission, sadomasochism, and other related interpersonal dynamics. Given the wide range of practices, some of which may be engaged ...

(two volumes of ''Naughty Spanking Stories from A to Z'' and the ''He's On Top'' & ''She's On Top'' collections) and

lesbian erotica Lesbian erotica deals with depictions in the visual arts of lesbianism, which is the expression of female-on-female sexuality. Lesbianism has been a theme in erotic art since at least the time of Culture of ancient Rome, ancient Rome, and many ...

(''Glamour Girls'' & ''First-Timers''). She has also co-edited a number of collections with other editors and writers, including

Alison Tyler Alison Tyler (born 1969) is the pseudonym of an American author, editor and publisher of erotica living in Northern California. She has authored over 20 explicit novels, hundreds of short stories and has edited more than 60 erotic anthologies. S ...

, Stacy Bias, Wendy Caster, Julie May, and Christopher Pierce. From 2005 to 2010, she was the curator for a monthly erotic reading series, ''In the Flesh'', in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Personal life

She identifies as

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...

, saying in 2006, "I think ideally I'd like to have a male lover and a female lover, either a triad situation or one on one." Kramer has been a resident of

Teaneck, New Jersey Teaneck () is a Township (New Jersey), township in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a bedroom community in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States census, 2010 U.S. census, th ...

Awards

She received a 2009

Independent Publisher Book Award The Independent Publisher Book Awards, also styled the IPPY Awards, are a set of annual book awards for independently published titles. They are the longest-running unaffiliated contest open exclusively to independent presses. The IPPY Awards ar ...

for the ''Tasting Him'' and ''Tasting Her'' anthologies. She received the

National Leather Association International National Leather Association International (NLA-I) is a BDSM organization, based in the United States with chapters in various cities in the United States and Canada. It was founded in 1986 as the "National Leather Association" (NLA), as a nationa ...

’s

Samois Samois was a lesbian- feminist BDSM organization based in San Francisco that existed from 1978 to 1983. It was the first lesbian BDSM group in the United States. It took its name from Samois-sur-Seine, the location of the fictional estate of Ann ...

Anthology Award for 2012 for ''Surrender: Erotic Tales of Female Pleasure and Submission'', for 2016 for ''Dirty Dates: Erotic Fantasies For Couples'', and for 2019 for ''The Big Book Of Submission Volume 2''.

Bibliography

As author

* ''The Lesbian Sex Book: A Guide for Women Who Love Women'' with Wendy Caster (2003) * ''The Art of the Erotic Love Letter'' (2011) * ''Everything But'' (2011)

As editor

* ''Naughty Spanking Stories from A to Z'' (2004) * ''Up All Night: Adventures in Lesbian Sex'' with Stacy Bias (2004) * ''First-timers: True Stories of Lesbian Awakening'' (2006) * ''Caught Looking: Erotic Tales of

Voyeur Voyeurism is the sexual interest in or practice of watching other people engaged in intimate behaviors, such as undressing, sexual activity, or other actions of a private nature. The term comes from the French ''voir'' which means "to see". A ...

s and

Exhibitionist Exhibitionism is the act of exposing in a public or semi-public context one's intimate parts – for example, the breasts, Sex organ, genitals or buttocks. The practice may arise from a desire or compulsion to expose themselves in such a mann ...

s'' (2006) * ''Secret Slaves: Erotic Stories of Bondage'' with Christopher Pierce (2006) * ''Ultimate Undies: Erotic Stories About

Underwear Undergarments, underclothing, or underwear are items of clothing worn beneath outer clothes, usually in direct contact with the skin, although they may comprise more than a single layer. They serve to keep outer garments from being soiled o ...

and

Lingerie Lingerie (, , ) is a category of primarily women's clothing including undergarments (mainly brassieres), sleepwear, and lightweight robes. The choice of the word is often motivated by an intention to imply that the garments are alluring, fashio ...

'' with Christopher Pierce (2006) * ''Sexiest Soles: Erotic Stories About Feet And Shoes'' with Christopher Pierce (2006) * ''Second Skin: Erotic Stories About Leather and Latex'' with Christopher Pierce (2006) * ''Glamour Girls: Femme/Femme Erotica'' (2006) * ''Naughty Spanking Stories from A to Z, Volume 2''(2006) * ''

Crossdressing Cross-dressing is the act of wearing clothes usually worn by a different gender. From as early as pre-modern history, cross-dressing has been practiced in order to disguise, comfort, entertain, and self-express oneself. Cross-dressing has play ...

: Erotic Stories'' (2007) * ''Hide and Seek: Erotic Stories'' with

(2007) * ''Sex and Candy: Twenty Succulent Stories'' (2007) * ''He's on Top: Erotic Stories of Male Dominance and Female Submission'' (2007) * ''She's on Top: Erotic Stories of

Female Dominance A dominatrix (; ) or femdom is a woman who takes the dominant role in BDSM activities. A dominatrix can be of any sexual orientation, but this does not necessarily limit the genders of her submissive partners. Dominatrices are known for inflic ...

and Male Submission'' (2007) * ''Best Sex Writing 2008'' (2007) * ''Yes, Ma'am: Erotic Stories of Female Dominance'' (2008) * ''Yes, Sir: Erotic Stories of Male Dominance'' (2008) * ''Dirty Girls: Erotica for Women'' (2008) * ''Rubber Sex: Erotic Stories'' (2008) * ''Spanked: Red Cheeked Erotica'' (2008) * ''Tasting Her:

Oral Sex Oral sex, sometimes referred to as oral intercourse, is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a person by another person using the mouth (including the lips, tongue, or teeth) and the throat. Cunnilingus is oral sex per ...

Stories'' (2008) * ''Tasting Him: Oral Sex Stories'' (2008) * ''The Lust Chronicles Anthology'' (2008) * ''Bedding Down'' (2008) * ''Best Sex Writing 2009'' (2008) * ''Love Notes: A Music and Sex Anthology'' (2009) * ''Do Not Disturb: Hotel Sex Stories'' (2009) * ''

Mile High Club The mile high club is slang for the group of people who have had sexual intercourse on board an aircraft in flight. An alleged explanation for wanting to perform the act is the supposed vibration of the plane. Some theorize that people who enga ...

: Plane Sex Stories'' (2009) * ''Bottoms Up: Spanking Good Stories'' (2009) * ''

Peep Show A peep show or peepshow is a presentation of a live sex show or pornographic film which is viewed through a viewing slot. Several historical media provided voyeuristic entertainment through hidden erotic imagery. Before the development of the ci ...

: Erotic Tales of Voyeurs and Exhibitionists'' (2009) * ''Best Sex Writing 2010'' (2009) * ''Please, Sir: Erotic Stories of Female Submission'' (2010) * ''Please, Ma'am: Erotic Stories of Male Submission'' (2010) * ''Fast Girls: Erotica for Women'' (2010) * ''Orgasmic: Erotica for Women'' (2010) * ''Smooth: Erotic Stories for Women'' (2010) * ''Passion: Erotic Romance for Women'' (2010) * ''Best Bondage Erotica 2011'' (2010) * ''Surrender: Erotic Tales of Female Pleasure and Submission'' (2011) * ''Gotta Have It: 69 Stories of Sudden Sex'' (2011) * ''Obsessed: Erotic Romance for Women'' (2011) * ''Women in Lust: Erotic Stories'' (2011) * ''Best Bondage Erotica 2012'' (2011) * ''Best Sex Writing 2012: The State of Today's Sexual Culture'' (2012) * ''Irresistible: Erotic Romance for Couples'' (2012) * ''Curvy Girls: Erotica for Women'' (2012) * ''Going Down: Oral Sex Stories'' (2012) * ''Anything for You: Erotica for Kinky Couples'' (2012) * ''Hungry for More: Romantic Fantasies For Women'' (2012) * ''Cheeky Spanking Stories'' (2012) * ''Instruments of Pleasure: Sex Toy Erotica'' (2012) * ''Best Bondage Erotica 2013'' (2012) * ''Only You: Erotic Romance for Women'' (2013) * ''Best Sex Writing 2013: The State of Today's Sexual Culture'' (2013) * ''Twice the Pleasure: Bisexual Women's Erotica'' (2013) * ''Serving Him: Sexy Stories of Submission'' (2013) * ''Baby Got Back: Anal Erotica'' (2013) * ''Big Book of Orgasms: 69 Sexy Stories'' (2013) * ''Best Bondage Erotica 2014'' (2014) * ''Big Book of Submission: 69 Kinky Tales'' (2014) * ''Best Bondage Erotica 2015'' (2015) * ''Naked Desire: Erotic Romance for Women'' (2015) * ''I Want You Bad: Obsessed Erotic Romance for Women'' (2015) * ''Dirty Dates: Erotic Fantasies for Couples'' (2015) * ''Come Again: Sex Toy Erotica'' (2015) * ''Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 1'' (2016) * ''Begging For It: Erotic Fantasies for Women'' (2016) * ''Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 2'' (2016) * ''On Fire: Erotic Romance Stories'' (2017) * ''Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 3'' (2017) * ''The Big Book of Submission, Volume 2: 69 Kinky Tales'' (2017) * ''Candy Lovers: Sugar Erotica'' (2018) * ''Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 4'' (2018) * ''Erotic Teasers'' (2019) * ''Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 5'' (2019) * ''Best Bondage Erotica of the Year, Volume 1'' (2020) * ''Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 6'' (2020) * ''Best Bondage Erotica of the Year, Volume 2'' (2021) * ''Coming Soon: Women's Orgasm Erotica'' (2021) * ''Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 7'' (2021) * ''Big Book of Orgasms, Volume 2: 69 Sexy Stories'' (2022)

References

External links

*
Rachel Kramer Bussel at ''Elle'' magazine
*
"An Erotica Writer on Why So Many Women Are Into Kink"

"Erotica author is boring in the bedroom — and she likes it that way"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bussel, Rachel Kramer 1975 births Living people UC Berkeley College of Letters and Science alumni American women short story writers 21st-century American short story writers BDSM writers Bisexual women Bisexual writers American LGBT writers Place of birth missing (living people) New York University School of Law alumni American erotica writers Women erotica writers People from Teaneck, New Jersey Sex-positive feminists 21st-century American women writers Educators from New Jersey American women educators