C is for Coeds
Edited by Alison Tyler

Book Review by Ashley Lister

I’ve got to admit I was delighted when this book fell into my hands. And not just because it’s the third title in Alison Tyler’s sexical/lexical series of erotic alphabet anthologies. C is for Coeds immediately follows A is for Amour and B and is for Bondage, and precedes the wonderful collection of stories in D is for Dress-Up. I was chiefly delighted because, after my first year back at college as a mature student, it was a pleasure to be reading about college students doing something sexual.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that my classmates aren’t a sexy group of individuals. They’re not. But I wasn’t saying that. What I was trying to say is that there’s something about studying language and literature that isn’t entirely conducive toward sexy thoughts.

Maybe it was because we were reading Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights. Wuthering Heights is a story that includes Yorkshire folk and borderline incest, but still manages to remain strangely sexless. Yet I don’t hold Emily Brontë solely responsible for our libido-quelling lessons. I just don’t think literature and language are particularly sexy.

It is true that the subject of Functional Analysis does include the words FUN and ANAL in its title. But language and literature classes are far from being sexy so it’s not surprising that so many of my classmates seemed bereft of any sexual motivation.

Unlike the characters in C is for Coeds.

Starting off with Brooke Stern’s "Sugar:" a coming-of-age story that introduces a boy, a girl and an eight inch wooden paddle. Brooke Stern is a powerful writer and knows how to weave a compelling tale of deviant discovery and chastened cheeks.

In "Your Wish is My Command," N T Morley teaches us that college students (contrary to what some of you may have thought) aren’t solely interested in books and learning. The lesson in "Your Wish is My Command" includes a rubber schoolgirl uniform, a public performance and a smouldering storyline that is both arousing and satisfying.

Rachel Kramer Bussel has presented the core reading material for "Cunnilingus 101." I did consider taking this class myself but then decided I would probably fail. It’s not that I’m no good at cunnilingus, I just have trouble with oral examinations.

There are lots of good stories in this collection and some that rank, in my opinion, as great. Joel A Nichols, "I Wanted Him to Feel It," is a wonderful homoerotic snapshot of learning and discovery. Greta Christina, "This Week," skilfully reveals how students can sometimes learn more than their tutors. And, in "Shady Ways," Joceyln Bringas shows us that not every lesson teaches us something that we want to learn. Obviously there are more but, as they say on my campus: why don’t you read the book for yourself?

This series of alphabetically themed anthologies is already proving to be a success. The stories are cleverly written and Alison Tyler deserves full credit for picking the best writers to provide the most powerful stories. And, with its college-centred focus, C is for Coeds certainly puts the cum into summa cum laude.

Ashley Lister
August 2007

C is for Coeds by Alison Tyler (Editor)
(Cleis Press; January 24, 2007; ISBN-10: 1573442658)
Available at Amazon.com / Amazon UK

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© 2007 Ashley Lister. All rights reserved.

About the Author:  Ashley Lister is a UK author responsible for more than two-dozen erotic novels written under a variety of pseudonyms. His most recent work, Swingers: True Confessions from Today's Modern Swinging Scene (Virgin Books; ISBN: 0753511355), a non-fiction book recounting the exploits of UK swingers, is his first title published under his own name.
Ashley’s non-fiction has appeared in a variety of magazines, including Forum, Chapter & Verse and The International Journal of Erotica.  Nexus, Chimera and Silver Moon have published his full-length fiction, with shorter stories appearing in anthologies edited by Maxim Jakubowski, Rachel Kramer Bussel and Mitzi Szereto.  He is very proud to be a regular contributor to ERWA.
Websites: www.ashleylister.co.uk  /  http://ashleylister.blogspot.com/

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