Yesterday, my pal Xeni posted on Boing Boing about my renewed call for letters from johns and letters from working girls. Right now, I have about three times as many letters from johns as from working girls, so I'm very interested in hearing from more women. To clarify, working girls includes dancers, call girls, phone sex operators, porn stars, dominatrixes, and the like. If you've got a story to tell, or you think you have a story to tell but you're not sure, feel free to email me. One thing I've noticed is that men tend to write a letter and send it, while women are far more likely to contact me first and then write a letter. I'm not sure why this is the case. Yesterday, I received what is probably the most powerful letter from a john thus far. It's from John 30: "I Had Also Done Many Things During Two Deployments I Never Wanted To Do." In the comments on Boing Boing, Jacquilynne wrote: "I have to kind of wonder how much editing those letters are getting." The answer is very, very little. Generally, I do little more than fix punctuation in service of clarity: insert a comma there, stop a run on here, fix the spelling. To change the content of the letters would be contradictory to the nature of the project. But at times I do wonder if I should do anything to the letters at all. After all, I could simply do nothing to them and post them as they are. I do, though, wonder if that would hinder reader comprehension of what the letter writer is trying to say. And part of the point in all this is to bridge the gap between the unsaid and the unheard. Either way, I've posted the original version of John 30's letter here alongside the edited version. If you've got an opinion on the letter editing issue, let me know.
Update: Jacquilynne followed up again on the matter here. I'll take her remarks into consideration; she makes a good point, and yet also recognizes the conflict either way. Also, I suppose it bears mentioning that even without proofreading or editing, the letters are still "edited" in that they are selected at all. So, the great letters debate continues.
I HAD ALSO DONE MANY THING DURING TWO DEPLOYMENTS I NEVER WANTED TO DO (UNEDITED)
where to begin
Im a mid twenty something currently in the military. I have a stable girlfriend and several unstable yet available female friends. I am vastly overeducated for my job and am generally a well respected person. Im not too shabby in the looks department and am very seldom ridiculed. Generally being gone for a year at a time overseas is a terrible experience, every time ive gone its been a miserable series of events that makes suicide seem palatable. One day i decided to visit Toronto with some friends. After a complete failure at the bar scene i decided i could part with some money for some stress release. I had never bothered to resort to prostitution but i had also done many things during two deployments i never wanted to do. After the concierge at the hotel was appalled by my request for female companionship i hailed a cab and asked the best place to find a professional. He suggested the intersection of two streets named church and college respectively, this was very comical to me but i was eager to begin the adventure. Upon arriving i found a gaggle of women who were wearing what could only be described as whore uniforms. I decided on a young blond who seemed to fit the part. Negotiating the price during the cab ride back to the hotel we eventually made our way to my room finding many odd stares from hotel guests and the staff. This part was actually very exciting for some reason. In the room things began very fast and while thrilling it was obvious she was doing her job, which in a way was more arousing. After a seemingly endless 35 minutes of nervous thrusting I managed to complete my task which seemed the most satisfactory part of the evening to her. Pleasantries were exchanged and I handed over her garish clothing and sent her on her way. After a cigarette and some self soothe saying i managed to convince myself somewhat that the money was well spent and that I had a "good time". I would possibly seek companionship in this manner again but honestly it was a frightening act of depravity fueled by a complete loss of morals related to my murder for hire status in the military.
I HAD ALSO DONE MANY THINGS DURING TWO DEPLOYMENTS I NEVER WANTED TO DO (EDITED)
Where to begin.
I'm a mid-twenty-something, currently in the military. I have a stable girlfriend and several unstable yet available female friends. I am vastly overeducated for my job and am generally a well-respected person. I'm not too shabby in the looks department and am very seldom ridiculed. Generally being gone for a year at a time overseas is a terrible experience. Every time I've gone it's been a miserable series of events that makes suicide seem palatable. One day I decided to visit Toronto with some friends. After a complete failure at the bar scene I decided I could part with some money for some stress release. I had never bothered to resort to prostitution, but I had also done many things during two deployments I never wanted to do. After the concierge at the hotel was appalled by my request for female companionship, I hailed a cab and asked the best place to find a professional. He suggested the intersection of two streets named Church and College respectively. This was very comical to me, but I was eager to begin the adventure. Upon arriving I found a gaggle of women who were wearing what could only be described as whore uniforms. I decided on a young blond who seemed to fit the part. Negotiating the price during the cab ride back to the hotel, we eventually made our way to my room, finding many odd stares from hotel guests and the staff. This part was actually very exciting for some reason. In the room things began very fast, and while thrilling it was obvious she was doing her job, which in a way was more arousing. After a seemingly endless 35 minutes of nervous thrusting, I managed to complete my task, which seemed the most satisfactory part of the evening to her. Pleasantries were exchanged, and I handed over her garish clothing and sent her on her way. After a cigarette and some self soothe saying, I managed to convince myself somewhat that the money was well spent and that I had a "good time." I would possibly seek companionship in this manner again, but honestly it was a frightening act of depravity fueled by a complete loss of morals related to my murder for hire status in the military.
