Before creating AURORE, Carly was a writer who wandered through the darker, more delicious corners of culture, interviewing strangers about sex in dim bars and collecting the kinds of stories most people only whisper.
The concept of AURORE, a space where people can read and practise writing erotica, grew from Carly’s own erotic journalling, something she found deeply meditative and essential to her personal journey.
AURORE has since evolved into a community where people can read confessional erotica, attend her monthly Erotic Writers Society workshops, and take erotic writing courses.
Carly is also a sex and relationships coach, and like everything she does, her coaching is driven by a desire to destigmatise our natural, human and entirely deserving pleasures, and to create room for them to be explored and celebrated.
Can you describe yourself in 3 words?
Strong, sensitive, slutty.
Tell us more about yourself and what you do…
I’m the creator of AURORE erotica, a space for confessional sex stories.
I hold erotic writing workshops that guide people through accessing their deepest desires, memories, and fantasies.
I’m also a sexologist & sex & relationships coach, something that arose incredibly naturally after fostering community in my writing workshops.
What services do you provide on Sensuali?
Sex & Relationship Coaching, writing workshops, social media consults.
What turns you on?
Quiet confidence. the person who observes but doesn’t need to be seen. sharing a meal.
What was your journey into this world?
I don’t know if I chose this work or if it chose me.
Sexualized from a young age because I developed early, I was also extremely curious about what was deemed the world of adults.
This led to some very rebellious teenage years, but ultimately as I went through university, I became the person other women came to for sex advice and the courage to express their sexuality.
When I moved to New York after college, my first internship was at Nerve.com, a now defunct site that focused on sex and pop culture, and was an early internet dating spot.
I began to contribute to the column “Sex Advice” in which I would interview niche groups about sex questions I invented.
Columns included “Sex Advice from Coney Island Mermaids” and “Sex Advice from Hollister Models” (the young men who stood shirtless in front of the store—this was 2011)
I also began writing for the column “Talking to Strangers” the premise was going to bars and striking up conversations with strangers about sex. I realized people were willing to open up to me, be honest and vulnerable in a way that was unexpected but welcomed. I relished these conversations.
I took to dating apps like a sociologist—they were brand new at the time! Dating for sex and relationships, but also dating to understand people and their desires and insecurities.
Are you a sensual
professional?
Join hundreds of BDSM practitioners, content creators, erotic writers, artists, coaches, masseurs, muses and more on Sensuali
After my internship at Nerve, I went into editorial and eventually content writing and creative direction, but I continued my interest in sex and the exploration of desire, writing pieces on abortion, sex and sobriety, and domestic violence.
During Trump’s first campaign, I found myself and many of my friends extremely disillusioned by sex and the prospect of dating straight white men. Many of us SA survivors, we felt re-traumatized by the daily media onslaught of misogyny and worse.
I had long been writing erotica in my diary to process my own experiences, and felt there was a need for positive, aspirational sex stories, not fantasy or romance, but stories that were real, in order to remind us all through this cultural moment that sex can and should be good.
I started Aurore in 2019, first publishing my own erotic stories and later those by friends, writers from outlets including Vogue, Rolling Stone, and Playboy, authors of books, and lawyers, doctors, and people from all over the world.
I began leading erotica writing workshops, seeing first hand the benefits of healing through telling your own story.
Through the erotica writing workshops I have realized just how powerful it is to create a safe environment for people to explore their sexuality and express their desires and fantasies.
It became clear that there was more for me in this space, more help that I could offer others, more good sex to spread through the world. And that is how I got into coaching!
I’m not sure if I chose this work or if it chose me.
What do the first 60 minutes of your day look like?
My boyfriend brews me coffee every morning and after my dog jumps on the bed to wake me up with face licks, I pull on a robe and pour a cup of coffee, and sit down to look at the news and my favorite newsletters. I like to ease myself in.
Why do you do what you do?
To destigmatize sex, pleasure, and desire. To guide people to shed body image issues, shame for their fantasies, and live fuller, more self actualized lives.
What is an unexpected pleasure you discovered in your work?
Reading erotica as an editor is the job that keeps on giving (orgasms)
What should more people know about your work?
I do it for love, not money
What’s your superpower?
Never judging people.
We love vices. What’s yours?
Who are your sensual inspirations?
my younger (more chaotic) but wild child self.
Request to book Carly’s next erotic writer’s society here and find more information on the AURORE website.
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Iso
Iso is a writer and filmmaker based in East London. She is passionate about all things erotic and leads a sexy, shame-free life in hope that she can inspire others to do the same. Originally from a Northern seaside town, she is naturally drawn to the best things in life: candyfloss, trashy karaoke bars and heart-shaped sunglasses.
Carly of AURORE Erotica
Carly is the creator and editor behind Read Aurore. A writer with a history of exploring "taboo" topics, including sex and sobriety, abortion, DV, and of course ~~confessional erotica~~ she has been published in VICE, VOGUE, Brooklyn Magazine, Slate, and Refinery29. Carly has helmed digital content and creative for several more vanilla interests, including Perrier (sparkling water), Burrow (couches), and Blake Lively (Gossip Girl star). With her writing and marketing experience combined, Carly has created an accessible digital magazine for modern erotica at Read Aurore.
