Jessica Drake to Address Feminist Studies Students at UCSB

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.—Wicked Pictures contract performer/director Jessica Drake presents a lecture Monday to Dr. Constance Penley’s “Topics in Film and Popular Culture” class at the University of California – Santa Barbara. Drake will speak with the class for a half hour, followed by a Q&A. “Speaking at universities gives me a great opportunity to have an intelligent conversation with students, share my experiences, and let them draw their own conclusions," Drake said. “I’ve always approached my public appearances as an opportunity to learn and gain knowledge, as well as share my own experiences. Growing together as a community is how we are all able to succeed—and I’m looking forward to seeing what sexual discourse Dr. Penley’s class and I can create together.” “Jessica Drake is a wickedly compelling and articulate sex educator, who is also smart, funny and compassionate,” Dr. Penley added. “I am delighted that Jessica Drake is willing to take time out of her busy schedule to speak to my students about her work as a producer, sex educator and humanitarian. We are grateful for her generosity.” Dr. Penley’s major areas of research interest are film history and theory, feminist theory, cultural studies, contemporary art, and science and technology studies. She has penned several volumes on film, sex, pornography and feminism, and is the co-editor of The Feminist Porn Book: The Politics of Producing Pleasure, with Tristan Taormino, Mireille Miller-Young and Celine Parreñas Shimizu. Dr. Penley also serves on the editorial board of the newly launched peer-reviewed journal Porn Studies and is co-director of the Carsey-Wolf Center, which supports teaching, research and public programming about media. According to the UCSB Film and Media Studies course description, “[‘Topics in Film and Popular Culture’] approaches pornography as a major instance of film and popular culture, from the pre-history and history of cinema and video to the Internet and virtual worlds. Course content [is] augmented by guest lectures from the adult industry and academia.” Recently, Drake was a guest lecturer at Pasadena City College for Dr. Hugo Schwyzer’s “Navigating Pornography” class; she also spoke at Chapman University with the “Psychology 340: Human Sexuality” class taught by assistant professor David Frederick for the Crean School of Health and Life Sciences. She was also a noted expert in USA Today’s November 2012 Sexual Health and Wellness supplement. "Jessica Drake was an exceptional speaker," Dr. Frederick said. "She not only shared her views on the pornography industry, but more broadly spoke to students about sexual health. She communicated to students ways of learning to become comfortable with one's own body and learning how to communicate their desires to their partners. She emphasized the importance of understanding and respecting one's own limits when it comes to sex, and accepting that different people have very different preferences. Jessica was a true pleasure to have in class, and the students learned a great deal from her presentation. I would highly recommend her as a speaker for any class related to media issues, gender or sexuality." Dr. Schwyzer echoed Dr. Frederick’s sentiments, saying, “Jessica isn't just an industry superstar, she's a veteran activist and an articulate and important advocate for pleasure, for common sense, and an end to sexual shame. On screen and off, she's an incandescent personality and, I have to believe, a tremendous role model for my students. I'm so glad they had an opportunity to hear from her.” To read Jessica Drake’s recap of her visit to Chapman University, click here. For an interview and recap regarding her visit to Pasadena City College, click here and here. To help advance her sex education mission, Drake writes, produces and directs the video series Jessica Drake's Guide to Wicked Sex, which has received positive reviews from adult industry authorities including AVN and Fleshbot.com. The production Jessica Drake’s Guide to Wicked Sex: Fellatio received the AVN Award for Best Educational Release in 2012. Scheduled for May 20 at 12:00 p.m., Jessica Drake’s lecture at Dr. Penley’s Film and Media Studies course is open to enrolled students only. Each of Dr. Penley’s 70 students is invited to bring one roommate or friend to the lecture.