Newly relaunched Erotic Review 'moves away from male gaze' to 80% female contributors

The newly relaunched Erotic Review has revealed its contributor list for its second issue, with 80% of the writers and artists featured being women "with the explicit aim of moving away from the male gaze".

The magazine returned in spring after being online-only for around 15 years and now is a print magazine published three times a year.

After a more traditional editorial approach, the team is now focusing on a more diverse approach. "The Erotic Review, which has had many incarnations since 1995 and counted the likes of Boris Johnson among its contributors, has been relaunched with the explicit aim of moving away from the male gaze and instead showcasing more diverse and inclusive explorations of desire," the team said.

"In addition to 80% of contributors being women, 35% come from the LGBTQ+ community. Contributors come from all over the world, from Kurdistan to the Dominican Republic, China to Sweden and three works are in translation."

Contents of the new issue, due to hit the shelves in October, include: new poetry from New York-based artist, writer, performer and DJ Juliana Huxtable, sex worker, activist and author Liara Roux on the work of Robert Mapplethorpe and New York City, Novelist Agri Ismaïl "on the effect that masculine Kurdish culture had on his libido", Geoffrey Mak on finding love later along with artwork from Loie Hollowell, Firelei Báez, Ana Prvački and Yulia Mahr.

It also features one of the last written works by the late poet John Burnside, who died in May 2024. In an essay about the eroticism of transit, Burnside recounts a journey he took with a lover in the 1970s as remembered during a visit to Finland in the summer of 2023.

Artwork for the issue, including the cover ("Touchy Subject" by Loie Hollowell), was selected by guest art curator Enuma Okoro, the Nigerian-American writer and curator.

Editor Lucy Roeber said: "We want each issue of the Erotic Review to live on the shelf a little differently, each one reflecting and responding to the writing and art within its pages. This second issue has opened my eyes to how very individual each one will be; there are infinite paths to explore when it comes to our desires." 

Saskia Vogel is deputy editor with Studio Frith designing and art directing.

Erotic Review is available in over 50 independent shops and galleries around the world. Issue Two will be out on 21st October 2024 and will include a sheet of Erotic Review stickers.