What is the best way to learn about yourself? Writer and TED speaker Arianne Cohen encourages keeping a journal of “every thought and encounter in your relationship and sexual life.” Cohen is bringing “The Sex Diaries Project” here to Ferris with an interactive 5-Star event.
“I’ve never been to Michigan,” Cohen says. “I’m thrilled to finally get up there and hear all about the private lives of students, and help out as much as I can.”
A Harvard graduate, Cohen has appeared on The Martha Stewart Show and contributes regularly to publications like The Gaurdian, Vogue, and The New York Times.
Cohen’s book “The Sex Diaries Project,” is a collection of over 1,500 real sex diaries, exploring the bedroom, relationships and marriages. On the Sex Diaries Project website, you can share your own experiences anonymously and read the diaries of others.
“I greatly value privacy–there’s a reason that The Sex Diaries Project is anonymous! Privacy gives us space to be safe and develop our thoughts on something,” Cohen says. “I think it’s important to be transparent and honest about our wants and needs around sex with sexual partners–and the precursor to that is being honest enough with ourselves to know what we want, and communicate that clearly.”
Cohen’s presentation is brought to campus as a 5-Star event by Entertainment Unlimited. Following Cohen’s interactive lecture, there will be a question and answer session.
Evan Pazkowski, President of Entertainment Unlimited, discusses the relevance of the event. “It’s obvious we need to talk more about sexual responsibility,” Pazkowski says. “So we thought it was the perfect time to bring this event to campus.”
“Sometimes, talking about something or writing it down helps you get it in perspective, which I think is kind of what [The Sex Diaries Project] is all about,” says Aaron Wyse, co-publicity chair for the event.
Cohen is excited to be bringing her expertise to a college campus. “I love college students–I think I still am one at heart,” Cohen said. “College students face so many exciting sexual and relationship choices, and I really enjoy providing a fun, safe place to talk about that.”
So how might a relationship expert like Cohen feel about college relationships as they relate to, say… Tinder?
“I’m all for interesting ways to meet people,” Cohen says. “We get so much information from visual cues–facial shape is partially determined by the particular bath of hormones a fetus is exposed to in utero, so when you look at a photo of someone, you’re actually getting some cues about their personality and intellect.”
The Sex Diaries Project will be in Williams Auditorium at 7 p.m. on Friday, November 10. The event is free thanks to funds allocated by the Finance Division of Student Government.