Loving More 2009 Retreat
Presenters List
(Tentative)
Serena Anderlini-D’Onofrio
Serena is the author and editor of several interdisciplinary studies on bisexuality and Polyamory and the practices of love in these communities, including Women and Bisexuality, Plural Loves, and Eros. She is a professor of humanities at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez. She has keynoted at the 2007 conference of the World Polyamory Association and at the 2007 Loving More conference. She is a frequent public speaker, with recent appearances in New York, Washington DC, Berkeley, Bryn Mawr College, and at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez.
Eric Francis
Eric Francis is an artist, writer and counselor who has presented at Loving More on and off since 1997, and been out as poly since 1986. He writes the Planet Waves column, a morph of astrology, gender studies and politics; and is the author of Book of Blue, an ongoing literary-photojournalism project exploring his relationship to women and his own sexual identity. He lives in upstate New York. His websites are: PlanetWaves.net and BookofBlue.com.
Jesus Garcia
Jesus is a native of the San Francisco Bay area who began exploring alternatives to monogamy in 2004. In 2005 he attended his first Loving More Retreat. In September 2006 he was invited to join Loving More's Board of Directors. He has worked at raising money for many worthy causes and has been a great help as Loving More makes it's transition to non-profit. He has worked in the computer information technology field since 1995. In college he majored in Biology and Psychology with an emphasis on bio-psychology.
Lee Hencen
Lee has been actively poly for a long time and still has a lover that dates back to high school days! Lee specializes in a family style of polyamory which currently happens to mostly include committed partners with an element of long distance. Lee has spent many years overcoming her own body issues and developed this workshop to continue her own path to freedom and perhaps help others along the way. Lee has co-presented intimacy workshops at Poly Living and Building Bridges.
Yankl Josephson
Yankl Josephson is a rabbi, married and polyamorous for several decades. He sees polyamory as a spiritual path and is particularly interested in ethical issues in living a poly life.
Carol Morotti-Meeker, MS,MLSP
Carol is a social scientist and clinical professional in practice near Philadelphia, PA with people involved in polyamorous and other alternative loving styles. She is involved in serving on national poly boards and a co-editor of a guide to polyamory for therapists through NCSF.
James Shanti
James has been a meditation practitioner for the past 20 years with 3 years of residency training at DaiBosatsu Zen Monastery. James received his Yoga Teacher’s Certification from the Vivekanada Ashram in India and has studied Pranic Healing in Manilla, Philippines. He has also been certified in the Thai form of acupressure at the Thai Traditional Hospital in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Having completed an intensive 4 year program in Chinese medicine, he is currently a NY State licensed acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist.
Michael Rios
Michael has been creating and living alternative lifestyles and personal growth experiences for 40 years; currently he lives at Chrysalis, an intentional community in Arlington, VA (www.chrysalis-va.org). His favorite social organization principles include guerrilla capitalism and responsible anarchy. He regularly organizes "New Culture" events aimed at creating a culture based on awareness, compassion and freedom rather than on fear and judgment (www.cfnc.us, www.nfnc.org).
Ben Silver
Ben is a singer, musician and poly and bi activist who has been in an open primary relationship for 25 years. He and his partner started a support group for committed non-monogamous relationships in the ‘80s which met monthly for over 15 years. As a performer, Ben’s music slides through folk, R&B, funk, jazz and back again; he sings about freedom, the environment, LBGT issues, parenting and love. His writing has been published in “Carry it On,” ”Sing Out” magazine and the book “Hearing Everyone’s Voice.”
Sarah Taub
Sarah has been studying human dynamics for years, through aikido, co-counseling, group facilitation, and the cognitive sciences. She recently left her safe Ivory Tower job to dive into social and political activism. Her current koan: only when you let go of urgency can you be truly effective. She lives at Chrysalis, an intentional community in Arlington, VA (www.chrysalis-va.org), and regularly organizes "New Culture" events aimed at creating a culture based on awareness, compassion and freedom rather than on fear and judgment (www.cfnc.us, www.nfnc.org).
Robyn Trask
Robyn is the Managing Editor and director of Loving More Non-Profit and Magazine since October 2004. She has been openly polyamorous for 20 years, a mom for 21 years, been a student of Tantra for 23 years, and Tantric teacher for 10 years. Robyn has been running poly support groups, teaching and facilitating relationship and sexuality workshop since 1999. She has done numerous interviews on polyamory for radio, television, newspapers and magazines articles including features in the Denver Post, the Hartford Current, Mom Logic, Boulder Dailey Camera, Baisden After Dark on TV One, the Montel Show and Christian Broadcast Network on the 700 Club. Robyn has worked with the media to bring awareness of polyamory as a viable alternative in today's changing styles of love relationships. She counsels individuals and couples using Sacred Sex techniques to improve intimacy, self awareness and appreciation of pleasure. She was the Keynote for the Florida Poly Retreat in 2007, featured speaker at Poly Pride in 2006, 2007 and 2008, presented at the 2006 and 2007 Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality Western Conference, has done guest lectures at CU Boulder and Denver University and will be the Keynote for the Chicago Poly Conference in March. Robyn has dedicated the past five years of her life working as a full time unpaid volunteer for Loving More and the Polyamory Movement.
Anita Wagner
Anita is a polyamory advocate, writer, spokesperson and educator, having appeared on television, in newspaper articles both locally and nationally, and has presented educational programs on polyamory at a wide variety of alternative relationship and lifestyle conferences. Her program materials can be found in the the Kenneth R. Haslam MD Polyamory Collection at the Kinsey Institute, Indiana University, as can the video of her polyamory activism oral history interview with Dr. Haslam. Anita was keynote speaker at Florida Poly Retreat 2008 and was a featured speaker at the 2007 and 2008 Polyamorous NYC Polyamory Pride celebrations. She blogs prolifically on polyamory and sexual freedom issues at practicalpolyamory.blogspot.com. Anita serves as a member of the Boards of Directors of Loving More Nonprofit and Unitarian Universalists for Polyamory Awareness, is co-founder and past board member of Chesapeake Polyamory Network, and is co-founder and former member of the Board of Directors of the Institute for 21st Century Relationships/Foundation of the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom. She is a past member of NCSF's Board of Directors. www.practicalpolyamory.com
Valerie White
Valerie White, Lawyer, parent, and director of the Sexual Freedom Legal Defense Fund, Valerie White has spoken on sex, law, polyamory, and parenting at national and regional conferences, including Boston Area Sex and Spirituality Network, Transcending Boundaries, Building Bridges, True Colors, Arisia, PolyCamp, Poly Living and Loving More. She was founding president of Unitarian Universalists for Polyamory Awareness and serves on the Coordinating Council of Family Tree. She has lived in an open triad for 14 years, and her family includes 7 year old twins. Her writings on polyamory have been published in “Loving More” and “The Humanist”. A long-time sexual rights activist, she was president of the Vermo