Hello! My name’s Persephone van der Waard, and welcome to my website! I’m a trans-woman erotic artist, sex worker, academic Gothicist/independent researcher and self-published author. I used to focus on videogame fan art (e.g., Metroid, Final Fantasy and The Legend of Zelda); now I focus on sex positivity in the Gothic mode. I’m currently writing and illustrating a non-profit book series on sex positivity and the Gothic. Made in collaboration with other sex workers including my partner, Bay, the project is a planned four-volume set called Sex Positivity versus Sex Coercion, or Gothic Communism: Liberating Sex Workers under Capitalism through Iconoclastic Art.

Book details: My name is Persephone van der Waard and I am currently writing and illustrating a non-profit book series on sex positivity and the Gothic. Made in collaboration with other sex workers, the project is a four-volume set called Sex Positivity versus Sex Coercion, or Gothic Communism: Liberating Sex Workers under Capitalism through Iconoclastic Art. From newest to oldest: as of 9/6/2024, my Undead Module is live; as of 5/1/2024, my Poetry Module is live; as of 2/14/2024, the manifesto/instruction volume is live; as of 10/8/2023, the thesis volume is live. To access my live volumes, simply go to my website’s 1-page promo and pick up your own copies for free! While you’re there, you can also learn about the other yet-unreleased volumes/modules, project history, logo design/promo posters, the models/muses, and more!

Promo Blogs (for my newer volumes): For the new volumes/sub-volumes—i.e., from Volume Two onwards—I am posting them not just in PDF format, but also on my website in piece-by-piece blog format, too. Currently I’m working my way through Volume Two, which divides in three; part one is the Poetry Module, and part two is the Monster Modules, the Undead and Demons. Each module is effectively its own sub-volume with its own release, but also its own online promo series (where you can download the exhibit images at full resolution, access their table of contents, and read the Sex Positivity series disclaimer): “Brace for Impact,” “Searching for Secrets,” and “Deal with the Devil.” For organizational purposes, all sub-volumes are considered part of the same overall volume. When Volume Two is live, I shall do the same for Volume Three.

For more information about this website’s history and inception, please refer to this old blog post.