My quim was quavering with febrility and the complimentary cocktail had not eased my nerves. I felt intimidated – many of the others in my class were more practised, both in experience and years. “Making love has no place in erotic fiction”, teacher Rowan Pelling told us. Readers don’t want to be mollycoddled by euphemisms, they want the juicy and embarrassing details, but it’s important that we get the terminology right. Comparing terms such as ‘dick’ versus ‘cock’, we each wrote our own little stories and were encouraged to share, to titillate our fellow classmates. Excepting the initial awkwardness, this masterclass was a good laugh and a comfortable environment to talk about things you wouldn’t dare mention any where else.

Hendrick’s Carnival of Knowledge, 8 Aug, 2.00pm.
tw rating 4/5 | [Samantha Strachan]