Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety. – William Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra (II, ii)
Yes, it’s been four years already, and some of you have been reading for most of that time; I’m very pleased to see how few of you have tired of me. Pleased because, though I would certainly like to believe Enobarbus’ description of Cleopatra also applies to myself, one must always be careful to take flattery with a grain of salt, and never to fall for one’s own ad copy. At the same time, false modesty in excess tends to make a lady look more silly than sincere; I therefore try to maintain a balance between self-promotion and self-deprecation, though I suspect you’ll forgive me if I err a bit on the side of the former on occasions like this. Custom has not yet staled my variety for most of my regulars, and I gain new readers all the time; a look back at last year’s anniversary column will serve to illustrate that. The Honest Courtesan now has almost 1500 posts, 92 assorted pages, almost 40,000 comments, about 1200 subscribers and 3900 Twitter followers, and 2.8 million page views from all over the world. I write regular features for Cliterati and the Eros Guide; have seen my work published in Cato Unbound, Reason and the Washington Post; have published a book of short stories (which I’m currently promoting on a national tour); plan to release a book of essays in January; and have done so many interviews, speaking engagements, consultations and other such work that I’ve completely lost count.
So all in all, I think I can safely declare this blog a success. I’ve got my procedures down to a science now, so I can do outside projects without too much difficulty (though a 15-week book tour is definitely testing the limits!) and I’m even starting to make a small amount of money from it. That, however, will never be my primary motivation: this blog exists to spread knowledge about the demimonde; to debunk propaganda spread by our enemies to demonize or infantilize us; to help people realize that whores and our clients are really just regular people and our work is regular work; to argue for self-ownership and the rights of individuals to direct their own lives without interference from tyrants and control freaks; to call attention to the awful things those tyrants do to advance their agendas; and to entertain y’all in the process. And though I’m rarely at a loss for words, none in my vocabulary are sufficient to express the gratitude I feel for all of y’all who choose to spend some of your valuable time with me every day, and without whose attention, praise and support none of this would have been possible.
Congratulations, Maggie. I enjoy reading you very much & take every opportunity to refer people to your blog.
Keep up the good work.
Paulx
Your achievements are extremely impressive and your dedication is off the charts.
Reblogged this on hocuspocus13 and commented:
jinxx xoxo
” And though I’m rarely at a loss for words, none in my vocabulary are sufficient to express the gratitude I feel for all of y’all who choose to spend some of your valuable time with me every day, and without whose attention, praise and support none of this would have been possible.”
The gratitude’s all on our side Maggie.
Happy Anniversary, darling!
Congrats Maggie!
I’ve been mostly lurking for the last 18 months. Your blog is both educational and entertaining.
Looking forward to seeing you in Tampa!
If you have any ideas for venues there, I’m all ears! 🙂
Congratulations! This is an impressive achievement. Now keep it up 😉
Congratulations, keep it up. Do you know of anybody who has publicly analyzed/critiqued this apparent stinker (speaking of the bill, not the senator): http://www.wicker.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=130a5217-149b-437d-a63f-80e3bc37d8b1
Happy anniversary. Well done. Your blog gives me hope! annie
Other women cloy the appetites they feed: but she makes hungry where most she satisfies.
Congratulations on a job well done. Your blog is always informative and entertaining. Duck Duck Go sent me here as a link in one of my searches two years ago, and I’ve been reading it pretty much daily ever since. Deeply fascinating–and by turns horrifying–stuff. Keep up the great work.
To many, many more years! Bonne Anniversaire!
Congratulations Maggie! 🙂
I remember coming here from a link that Dave Kreuger posted on Radley’s theagitator website. I keep coming back.
Congratulations, Maggie, and great job bringing sexual issues to public consciousness. Such honest talk about sex is needed.