In Berlin, Desirelines Books was alive with anticipation, people finding last minute seats. Some had to stand at the back, pressed against the newly stocked shelves. The painted stairs down into the bookshop were crammed and many had been turned away as we reached capacity. As I’ve learnt over the last two years, there is a moment when I’m walking up to the front to welcome everyone where it feels like my body might implode with nerves. But then, as I’ve also learnt, when I turn and look at the interested, curious faces of the audience, the fear dissipates because we are gathered on a journey together. People come because they want to think, question and discuss the ideas in the current issue of the magazine. And it is an honour for me to open the pages in person and feel the room responding. Feel the collective, probing hum.
Our Sex & Censorship launch in Berlin in early May was as varied and engaging as the one in London. We had readings and a discussion led by Saskia that pulled together Oliver Carter’s collection of illegal pornography from the 1960s, Musa Okwonga’s very personal experience of the resilience of desire and the Erotic Review’s battle with censorship online. When are we forced to self-censor and what is the impact? Does desire win out regardless of the punishment? Afterwards, we screened roller porn films in the back room for people to watch collectively—in the spirit of 1960s Soho—while others chatted amongst the books. The whole evening made me so proud to be an independent publisher. In 2026, print has again become a revolutionary force, the place where subversion, honesty and challenge are both allowed and accessible.
And on the subject of accessibility, I’m hugely excited to announce that from next week, the Erotic Review is expanding its reach across the US. Barnes & Noble are now stocking the spring/summer issue with its Pheobe Philo poster, three archives of collected desire and exceptional writing from the likes of Avni Doshi, Joseph Earl Thomas and Molly Crabapple. We are in 58 B&N shops as well as 17 independents, and we’ve listed all 75 outlets below so those in the US can rush out and buy a copy or two without paying postage fees.
Thank you everyone who comes to our launches for the collective, probing hum and for asking difficult questions. And thank you for buying the magazine and keeping the Erotic Review project alive.
—Lucy Roeber
In issue 5, writer and former professional surfer Jamie Brisick shares an erotic moment of turbulent longing, focused on a particular white van. And Jamie has collaborated with filmmaker Quinn Graham to make a short film based on the piece. After premiering at our Berlin launch, you can now watch the film on our website.
Independent
Beverly Hills Newsstand, LA
Book Soup, LA
Skylight Books, LA
The Kosher News, LA
Vroman’s Newsstand, LA
Hi Desert Times, Twentynine Palms
Barnes & Noble
California Avenue, Bakersfield
Dublin Boulevard, Dublin
N El Camino Real Drive, Encinitas
Americana Way, Glendale
Spectrum Center Drive, Irvine
The Grove Drive, LA
Highway 111, Palm Desert
Galleria Boulevard, Roseville
Stevens Creek Boulevard, San Jose
S Westlake Boulevard, Thousand Oaks
Hawthorne Boulevard, Torrance
Telephone Road, Ventura
Barnes & Noble, N Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale
Barnes & Noble, North Point Parkway, Alpharetta
Barnes & Noble, Ala Moana Boulevard, Honolulu
Barnes & Noble
E Empire Street, Bloomington
E Boughton Road, Bolingbrook
N Illinois Street, Fairview Heights
Commons Drive, Geneva
Oakbrook Center, Oak Brook
Orland Park Place, Orland Park
E Golf Road, Schaumburg
Barnes & Noble, Veterans Boulevard, Metairie
Barnes & Noble, Derby Street, Hingham
Barnes & Noble, Washtenaw Avenue, Ann Arbor
Barnes & Noble
W Lake St, Minneapolis
N Snelling Avenue, Roseville
Barnes & Noble, Menaul Boulevard NE, Albuquerque
Independent
McNally Jackson Books, Brooklyn
Public Records, Brooklyn
Casa Magazines, New York
Mulberry Iconic Magazines, New York
Soho News International, New York
Barnes & Noble
Colonie Center, Albany
7th Avenue, Brooklyn
Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn
5th Avenue, New York
Broadway, New York
E 17th Street, New York
Monroe Avenue, Rochester
Barnes & Noble, Sharon Road, Charlotte
Independent
Chess Club, Portland
Paper Epiphanies, Portland
Independent
Avril 50, Philadelphia
Paper + Dirt, Pittsburgh
Barnes & Noble
W Lancaster Avenue, Bryn Mawr
Fruitville Pike, Lancaster
Chestnut St, Philadelphia
Barnes & Noble, Kingston Pike, Knoxville
Independent
TOMO Mags, Austin
Fine Print, Dallas
Barnes & Noble
Brodie Lane, Austin
Research Boulevard, Austin
Texas Avenue, College Station
W Northwest Highway, Dallas
Sunland Park Drive, El Paso
Overton Ridge Boulevard, Fort Worth
W Gray Street, Houston
N 10th Street, McAllen
W Loop 250 N., Midland
Highway 281 N, San Antonio
NW Loop 410, San Antonio
W Bay Area Boulevard, Webster
Barnes & Noble, E 2100 S, Salt Lake City
Barnes & Noble, Middlesex Turnpike, Burlington
Barnes & Noble
Emmet Street, Charlottesville
Seven Corners Center, Falls Church
W Broad Street, Richmond
Barnes & Noble, M Street NW, Washington DC
Buying an annual subscription to the Erotic Review (published every October and April) makes all the difference to us as a small, independent publisher. Not only do you save money and get the magazine before it’s in the shops, but it allows us to budget over the year and to continue supporting the work of writers and artists. Help us to continue creating this uncensored space to explore our erotic lives.
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