Date: Tuesdays, September 4, 11, 18, 25
Time: 7-9pm
Location: SE Uplift | 3534 SE Main St

Tier A Pricing: $197 ($30/hr or above wage earners)
Tier B Pricing: $150 ($16-29/hr wage earners)
Tier C Pricing: $100 ($15/hr or below wage earners)
See our Pricing + Generosity Policy for more information on tiered pricing. 

Sign up with a friend or lover for 25% off using the code POLYAMORY

Researchers estimate that over 5% of people in the United States now practice some form of consensual non-monogamy, and the numbers are even higher locally. In 2016, The Guardian called Portland "the city making open relationships easy" because it is so poly-friendly. While living in a place that is open-minded can certainly help polyamorous people find more dates and social events, that doesn't mean creating and sustaining healthy open relationships is exactly easy. Communication, dating, sex, finding community, and dealing with things like insecurity, can be incredibly complicated and frustrating for many people. Imagine trying to navigate those topics with not just one partner, but multiple partners and their lovers as well!

If you are curious about opening up, want to take your non-monogamy to the next level, already practicing polyamory but facing obstacles, or you are a care provider who wants to better understand your clients, this is the course for you. In this interactive workshop, we will go over different non-monogamy styles and discover our own ideal relationship structures, learn how to deal with common issues such as jealousy, resentment, time management, miscommunication, and New Relationship Energy (NRE), and will get advice on dating and coming out as polyamorous. Participants will be guided through exercises that help them negotiate agreements and boundaries, and practice communication that can lead to more fulfilling connections. We will also discuss media representation, poly parenting and creating intentional families, and how to make polyamorous communities more inclusive and intersectional.

Week One: Why Polyamory?
What do we know about the history of monogamy and polyamory? What are the benefits of polyamory in today's age? How could consensual non-monogamy fight patriarchy, ableism, heterosexism and corporate capitalism? We will discuss anthropology, psychosexuality, and our own motivations for exploring open relationships in our first week of class.

Week Two: The Usual Suspects
This week is all about common issues in non-monogamy and how they can be addressed. We will cover communication, jealousy, agreement violations, time management, resentment, New Relationship Energy, transitions/breakups, and more.

Week Three: Representation
How is polyamory portrayed in the media and why does it matter? How are supposedly progressive polyamorous and sex-positive communities actually failing at being accessible and inclusive (especially when it comes to people of color, socioeconomic status, mental health, and disability). How can we do better? During week three, we will also discuss coming out as polyamorous.

Week Four: Intentional Families and Community.
In our final week, we will talk about long-term polyamory and creating intentional families and communities. This will cover polycule dynamics, expanding poly constellations, and even polyamorous parenting. Resources for local groups and events will be shared, plus the class will get a chance to listen to (and tell) real life stories of polyamorous troubles and triumphs.

Amory Jane, MA is a professional sex educator with a background in Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy. She has been practicing ethical non-monogamy for nearly ten years, and her polycule was recently filmed for a BBC documentary on polyamorous families. She is also the creator and host of Whoopee! A Sex-Positive Variety Show and the podcast Sex on the Brain with Amory Jane.