"A fascinating collection from a group of courageous women who created the first publication to explore sex work in a compelling and intelligent way." —Candida Royalle
$pread, an Utne Award-winning magazine by and for sex workers, was independently published from 2005 to 2011. This collection features enduring essays about sex work around the world, first-person stories that range from deeply traumatic to totally hilarious, analysis of media and culture, and fantastic illustrations and photos produced just for the magazine. The book also features the previously untold story of $pread and how it has built a wider audience in its posthumous years. What started as a community tool and trade magazine for the sex industry quickly emerged as the essential guide for people curious about sex work, for independent magazine enthusiasts, and for labor and civil rights activists.
Industry Reviews
"Most magazines tell their readers how to live, what to buy, and who to be. $pread Magazine, like the best forms of media and art, shows us ourselves—in ways we have not before recognized. This anthology is diverse, hilarious, intelligent, resilient, vulnerable, and sometimes frightening."
—Melissa Febos, author of Whip Smart
"$pread is a fascinating collection from a group of courageous women who created the first publication to explore sex work in a compelling and intelligent way. Be prepared to have your preconceived notions challenged."
—Candida Royalle, author, entrepreneur, erotic film director
"Everyone needs $pread—sex workers, sex customers, sex readers, sex writers, sex thinkers, and everyone having sex."
—Vanessa Place, author of The Guilt Project
"From activists to mercenaries, college-girl escorts to needle exchange veterans, $pread published the writing and opinions of sex workers, for sex workers, warts and all. This smart, funny, and heartbreaking anthology is as real as you can get."
—Susie Bright, author of Big Sex Little Death
"Spanning Mumbai, Mexico City, New Orleans, New York, and Phuket, this anthology examines sex work through the politicized lenses of worker solidarity, communal care, and intersectional feminism. $pread is a phenomenal resource for sex worker self-determination and renegade social change."
—Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore, author of The End of San Francisco
