Virtual Memories Show 364:
Stoya
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“Coming from porn you deal with a small slice of human emotion: lust, arousal, maybe some basic things. It’s a lot like sketch comedy: it runs on stereotypes and tropes.”
Writer, actress and adult performer & producer Stoya joins the show to talk about her upcoming NYC theater appearance in Dean Haspiel‘s new play, The War of Woo (March 19-April 4, 2020). We get into how she’s grown as an actress, why porn is like sketch comedy, her joy in the surprises of live theater, publishing Philosophy, Pussycats & Porn, and the mental benefit of moving the decimal. We discuss her vision for her online erotic magazine, ZeroSpaces, the history of labor exploitation in adult entertainment, running a monthly Sex Lit book club, what she’s learned as the sex & relationship advice columnist at Slate, her interest in higher education and the next stage of her career, the learning curve of identifying and interacting with different segments of her audience, the unexpected obstacles to intimacy with people outside the adult industry, and why reading a novel is her favorite escape. (NOTE: The conversation begins at 9:00) Give it a listen! And go buy Philosophy, Pussycats & Porn!
“One of the points of privilege for entertainers is that we get to be all of our selves.”
“Porn is an American industry; of course it’s exploitive. That’s not a porn problem, it’s an American capitalism problem.”
“I’m more interested in working with the reality we have, than in writing fiction or plays.”
“There’s trouble when you don’t have a connection to history: that’s true in sex-work and it’s true when I was talking to a reporter in Macedonia.”
Enjoy the conversation! Then check out the archives for more great episodes!
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About our Guest
Stoya has been a pornographer since 2006 and a writer since 2012. She was written for the New York Times, the Guardian, Playboy, and others. She has acted in a Serbian sci-fi feature, A.I. Rising, and three of Dean Haspiel‘s plays, in Brooklyn and Manhattan. She lives with two cats and a platonic domestic partner named Steve. Her first book is Philosophy, Pussycats & Porn (Not A Cult).
Credits: This episode’s music is Fella by Hal Mayforth, used with permission from the artist. The conversation was recorded at Stoya’s home on a pair of Blue enCORE 200 Microphones
