Jamaican author tackles tantalising taboos

JAMAICAN-born New York-based Marie Dunn is a social worker who promotes intervention for families. She has a successful track record in coaching and training, team building, and conflict resolution. She also works in planning needs assessment, change management, strengths-based assessments, and programming for underserved communities. But when it comes to exploring her real passion, it is seeing women unleash and enjoy every aspect of their lives — emotionally, financially and most importantly, their sexuality.

For Dunn, talking to women about sex is of paramount importance and will help them understand their partner’s desires, needs, fears, as well as their fantasies.

“The truth is, I seem to ruminate and read about sex more than I engage in the act,” Dunn writes in the preface of her new, soon-to-be released book of poetry entitled Tease: An Anthology of Erotic Poems.

It is a must read for every woman. It is steamy, it is liberating and it raises the awareness of an important subject matter that is still taboo in many countries, including Jamaica.

Published under her pseudonym Toya J, Dunn shared that she wrote the anthology to help women, in particular, boost their self-confidence.

“We live in an oversexed society, yet some are still so in the dark, particularly on the joys. Some are still afraid to mention the word openly. People are still blushing when I explain the contents of Tease,” she told All Woman.

The over 100 short poems in the book give permission to the woman who believes that she does not have the right to experience intimacy and mind-blowing romance, or engage in a gratifying relationship to demand it. Reflecting on her own past, Dunn admits that she was initially reserved in the way she viewed intimacy and relationships because of the cultural messages she received growing up in Jamaica.

“I believe the way we interact with sex is affected by our socialisation, norms and cultural messages received. [But] we should take the time to understand it. Develop self-confidence and be open to new experiences with your partner.”

While many of the poems are written from a woman’s perspective, she acknowledges that men will also find the book appealing.

“The goal is to create a meeting of the minds before we both get naked,” she explained.