Nerve: Literate Smut

Not surprisingly, the Net has turned out to be quite hospitable to smut. Whether pornophiles log on in the privacy of their own homes or the spine-tingling confines of the workplace, a virtual peepshow offers unparalleled (if highly disembodied) privacy. Still, the creators of Nerve.com clearly had more in mind than old-fashioned filth when they launched their Web site. This was to be a classier venue for erotica, with a mandate to be "direct with both word and image, whether the result is flushed faces, genitals, or perhaps just reflective thought." Have they succeeded? The Nerve anthology, assembled by founders Genevieve Field and Rufus Griscom, finds the debauched editors batting about .500 in their thought-provoking, blush-invoking mission.

There are contributions by the usual, sex-friendly suspects, from Sallie Tisdale to Dr. Joycelyn Elders, and dancing queen Lisa Carver draws some intriguing distinctions between sexualists (id-driven fornicators) and sensualists (romantic moths drawn to the scented-candle flame). But there are some surprises, too. John Perry Barlow, better known as a Grateful Dead lyricist and Internet pundit, communes convincingly with his inner lesbian in "A Ladies' Man." A saucy snippet from John Hawkes's The Passion Artist turns up, along with an amusing meditation on the Better Sex video series by Ruth Shalit (who seems awfully familiar with the contemporary pantheon of porn). On the other hand, Rick Moody's paean to polysexuality goes a little too heavy on the solemnity, as does Deborah Boxer's account of her life as a 28-year-old virgin. And what about the photos? Spicy stuff, with an all-too-penetrable patina of artsiness to them. --Bob Brandeis