The Best American Erotica 2004

Introduction

Sometimes the most interesting part of a story is the part that's not mentioned at all. After a decade's worth of Best American Erotica prefaces, where I've laid bare the details of my erotic anthologies, I'm finally ready to tell you about the work you've never seen in print. The rejects -- the incomplete, the almost-rans.

They each have their own story that is just as intriguing as any erotic tidbit in this volume.

Each year, I adjust myself to the new erotic zeitgeist. I imagine what would happen if I stuffed all the manuscripts I receive in a time capsule, and buried them for our descendants to unearth in the next century. What would they say about the things that turned us on? As much as we enjoy certain fundamentals of sex -- the flesh, the suspense -- there are minitrends that flow in and out of our erotic history, and they make a distinct impression on me.

Let me give you a graphic example in the not-so-distant past. During the height of AIDS hysteria, I received an uncommon number of stories that dealt with the spilling of blood: vampire tales, blood-brother retellings, and dozens of cutting episodes. I am positive that these blood-sharing tales, whether supernatural or realistic, were a reaction to the sudden fear of HIV t ... read full excerpt from: The Best American Erotica 2004 ebook