About
The Poetry Brothel is An immersive literary cabaret that fuses poetry, activism, vaudeville, burlesque, live music, visual art, magic, mysticism, and private, one-on-one poetry experiences.
Inspired by the turn-of-the-century brothels in New Orleans, Paris, and Buenos Aires, many of which functioned as permissive spaces were marginalized, fringe, and avant-garde artists could experiment and perform their work, The Poetry Brothel strives to promote radically open artistic expression. At The Poetry Brothel, a “madam” presents a rotating cast of poets and artists who operate within self-constructed characters and share their work through staged public performances, spontaneous immersive eruptions, and, most distinctly, as purveyors of private poetry readings in intimate spaces. Central to The Poetry Brothel experience is the creation of character, which for each artist serves as a disguise and freeing device, enabling The Poetry Brothel to be a place of uninhibited creative expression in which artists and audience members alike can communicate more authentically.
::::::: Safer Spaces Notice :::::::
Behave with beauty, connect with consent. The Poetry Brothel is a space for everyone to feel welcome. We have a zero tolerance policy for harassment, unwanted touch, homophobic, transphobic, racist, sexist, ableist, or ageist behavior. We are, by and large, a no-contact event. If someone is making you uncomfortable or harassing you, please speak to the Madam or event manager. They will believe you, and they will help.
Activism
The Poetry Brothel uses its platform to support sex workers and to educate audiences about consent and the sex industry.
If you aren’t already familiar with our sex worker advocacy partner organizations, please consider familiarizing yourself and making a contribution to support sex workers’ rights and safety.
FAQ
Can I touch or have sex with the performers at The Poetry Brothel?
No, absolutely not. It’s not that kind of brothel.
What is The Poetry Brothel doing to support sex workers?
The Poetry Brothel strives to support sex workers in three main ways:
By casting and hiring current and former sex workers, uplifting sex workers’ voices in the arts
By raising money and providing a platform for sex worker service and activist organizations at all of our events
By educating the public about the issues at play in the lives of consensual sex workers and working to de-stigmatizing the profession
You raise money for sex workers’ rights organizations at your events?
Yes! Every local chapter of The Poetry Brothel in the US is aligned with a local sex workers’ rights organization, and we all fundraise through our ticketing services, as well as on site at events. When representatives of those organizations are able to make it to the show, they also give talks to our audiences, exhibit at the events, and promote their current activities.
Why do you call yourselves “The Poetry Brothel” instead of, for example, “The Poetry Cabaret?”
We use “Brothel” because it's the word that starts conversations. We aim, among other goals, to de-stigmatize sex work; normalize sexualized words and actions; call in and educate around consent culture; and question the very stigma attached to sex, sexuality, and sexual expression of all forms. We can't start that conversation by naming ourselves something as palatable as the overculture wants us to be. We are a fun night out, but we are also an act of revolution: we don't believe the two have to be mutually exclusive in order to change the consciousness of a culture. We don't want to make sterile a mission rooted in passion.
Why is The Poetry Brothel interested in advocating for sex workers?
Since its beginning, The Poetry Brothel has been inspired by the sacred origins of sex work, the history of art in brothels, and the subversion of language and structures which have historically been oppressive but can now be used to empower marginalized groups. We have always strongly believed that as poets and artists, placing sex work at the center of The Poetry Brothel’s framework—and sparking conversations about it— is one of the best ways we can de-stigmatize the profession—and expressive intimacy more generally. As our network has grown over the years, more and more sex workers have joined The Poetry Brothel cast, and our community has therefore grown much more informed and engaged with the issues that face consensual sex workers today. In recent years, it’s become clear to us that sex workers now find themselves in real danger, and we need to be doing more. That’s why The Poetry Brothel has become so committed to using its platform to affect real change — not just for poets and artists, but for all sex workers.
Where does the Poetry Brothel stand on sesta / fosta?
The Poetry Brothel stands strongly in opposition to SESTA / FOSTA. These laws do very little to minimize human trafficking, and they do a lot to put consensual sex workers’ lives in danger, making it nearly impossible for them to vet clients and share safety information online. As far as we can tell, these laws also unfairly jeopardize the health of small online businesses and threaten freedom of information on the Internet. We encourage you to read this short article, written by the folks at Survivors Against SESTA, about the dangerous impact of SESTA / FOSTA upon sex workers. Whether or not you know it, someone you love is a sex worker, and these laws put that person’s life in danger. We encourage you to support our partner organizations or get involved in your local SWOP chapter to show your support for sex workers’ rights to health and safety.