Do journalists “borrow” ideas from each other? It sure seems like it. In the past few months there’s been a mini-fad in writing by or about people who pose (nude) for art classes. We’ve already had a couple of articles about that, here last October and here, in December. Well, that was only the beginning.

There have been more than a few like that recently (and undoubtedly others that haven’t come to my attention). I dunno. Maybe ’cuz it’s winter up here in the northern hemisphere, and not that much fun to go naked outside in most places.

Anyhow, I’ll review the articles I’ve found. They’re interesting since they usually talk about what it’s like to go naked in front of clothed strangers, often from the perspective of folks who aren’t used to that. If you’ve never tried it, perhaps this will encourage you to give it a try.

This will take more than one installment. Here’s the first.

Swindon Life Model: The Naked Truth

Swindon is a largish town in the south west of England, not far from Stonehenge. Rosemarie Orwin calls the area home. An office worker until two years ago, she couldn’t bear that sort of career any longer and decided to take up… nude modeling.

“I’ve never had any confidence in my body and thought well it’s a bit extreme but I’ll give it a go.”

Rosemarie’s debut class in the buff turned out to be a group of 40 year old art buffs from Oxford:

“It was very nerve racking because I’d never been in front of a group of strangers with my clothes off before. And of course they’re standing behind their easels measuring you and pencils are coming out at you.”

“But literally after I’d finished I came out and punched the air with complete euphoria saying ‘I did it, I did it’.”

Despite not being the quintessential voluptuous, big breasted muse, since taking her clothes off Rosemarie’s career has quite literally taken off.

She now poses for art classes, sketching groups, sculptors and photographers all over the south of England.

Not only is Rosemarie’s new career proving to be very successful, it sounds like it’s quite a lot of fun besides:

Rosemarie’s diary is filled to the end of May, she has body painting bookings for a corporate event in Reading, is being turned into a range of ornaments for an international ceramics company and is even perhaps to become a model for a mannequin sculptor.

And just in case there’s a chance of Rosemarie having to spend too much time with her clothes on she’s organised a series of life drawing workshops in Swindon the first of which, on March 20th, is already booked out…

She works through an organization called modelled me uk, which provides modeling services to the local art, fashion, photographic, and promotional communities. Their website provides much more information on nude modeling… and many pictures of Rosemarie at work.

Stripped! Secret lives of nudes

Michelle Oyola has written a fine article for Webster University’s newspaper that briefly explains a few things about nude modeling and then has three nude models share what it’s like to be naked in a crowded room… of people who are fully clothed.

Webster is located in St. Louis, MO — an area not usually considered the most welcoming of locations for people who like to be naked. But evidently St. Louis has a strong art community, in which nudity-minded people are well accepted.

One of the models profiled, Catherine Kustelski, enjoys nude modeling not only for its artistic aspects, but also because she can be a good role model for other women in terms of body acceptance. She says that

she views her body as a good example of a figure for artists. She doesn’t own a television and tries to not be involved in the mainstream media because of the image of women portrayed in media today. She feels she is in good shape and tries to feel good about herself. She hopes other women can see how comfortable she is with her body and follow her example.

“If a woman in class is looking at me and sees how comfortable I am with my body, maybe they can be comfortable with theirs.”

Another model, Bruce Williams, is actually a long-time practicing nudist. He

celebrated his 52nd birthday this month, but his nudist beliefs are as strong now as they were back in college. Williams was one of the original University of Missouri-Columbia streakers during the 1970s and he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. In Austin, Texas he was part of a nudist group. Taking the next step to figure modeling was a natural decision for Williams.

And then there’s Julie Wheat who is 29 and “a full-time figure model who first tried figure modeling because she wanted to know what it was like to be the subject instead of the artist. ” She also speaks of the self-acceptance and self-confidence that nude modeling fosters:

Wheat said she was very nervous the first time until she took off her robe. After that, it wasn’t a problem for her, she said. She didn’t care what people were thinking about her.

“If people want to scrutinize me for the way I look, it’s not that big of a deal,” Wheat said. “If they got a problem with me, they don’t have to draw me.”

Wheat said she didn’t always have high self-esteem. In high school, she wouldn’t leave the house unless her hair was perfect. Now she doesn’t care, even though more people are looking at her. She said people realize things about themselves as they get older and self-esteem gets better as people age.

You don’t have to do nude modeling to acquire that attitude… It’s pretty common among naturists in general.

Model is 60, naked and proud

Lori Basheda writes for the Orange County [California] Register, saying “It takes a special kind of person to stand naked in front of strangers.” Don’t figure that simply because it’s California that people in OC have open-minded attitudes in general. It’s just about the most conservative part of the state.

But Maura Laura LeBron, who Basheda writes about, certainly has a healthy, open-minded attitude:

At age 55, when many women are embracing the world of bathing suits with attached skirts, she answered an ad for a nude model.

LeBron is 60 now. A full-figured size 14. And she enthusiastically drops her robe for students in painting, drawing and sculpture college classrooms across Orange County.

She and her husband, Paul, a computer techie, have never been big on clothes. “We’re kind of like nudists, but just at home,” she says. “But it never occurred to me to go out in public.”

Then one day her husband spotted an ad in a nudist magazine. It was perfect. Not only is LeBron a closet nudist, she is a closet artist. She has expressed herself with jewelry, stained glass, abstract paintings. The idea of using her very flesh and blood to make art was thrilling.

It has turned out well for her:

LeBron has been painted and sketched and sculpted naked hundreds of times. She gets calls for 12-16 hours of modeling a week, making $18-22 an hour.

Not a terrific income… but the income isn’t why people like it.

It’s a trend! Well, sort of. Kind of. A little bit. OK, two recent examples. Wrote about the other one here, not so long ago. But I have heard of others from time to time.

Anyhow, this one’s in Scotland, and in a private home rather than a restaurant.

Naked lunch? Make it dinner

Nude dining may not be everybody’s ideal way to spend a Saturday night, particularly in the company of strangers. But in a surprising number of Scottish dining rooms, people are willing to bare all before the breadsticks arrive and only cover up again as the carriages are called.

Sadly, that “surprising number of Scottish dining rooms” seems to be a slight exaggeration. The article discusses only one example. It does allude to naturist B&Bs in Scotland. And it should not surprise anyone that when naturist friends get together for a home-cooked meal at someone’s flat or country estate, the wearing of clothes is as little to be expected as the telling of truth by prominent government officials.

What’s interesting here is that these clothes-free epicurean gatherings involve mostly complete strangers, to each other and to the hosts, Richard and Roxanne. Evidently, it’s all about good food and good times, with no hidden (sexual or commercial) agenda. The hosts

have made the choice to be more discreet, offering three-course dinners at their detached home, somewhere near Edinburgh. The evenings are entirely free of charge.

“Lots of people think there must be a catch. To be honest, I think we’d get more people coming if we charged,” says Richard, who wishes his surname to remain confidential. “But we do it for social reasons, not to make money. We have dinner, blether for a few hours and then the guests go home. Nothing more.”

Richard and Roxanne do it simply for the pleasure of nude company. There is even a web site to get the word out: Nude Dinners.

As you might expect, however, there is a vetting process:

Swinging is strictly off the menu, a no-nonsense approach that is spelt out on the couple’s website. To safeguard against undesirables the couple chat with people over the telephone first. Couples are not given the home address but instructed to meet Richard at a nearby hotel. Here he assesses the couple’s sleaze potential over a pre-dinner drink. If the couple pass, which all have until now, he shows the way to his home where Roxanne gives the guests the final once-over. Only after this final check, lasting about an hour, do the clothes come off.

Sounds like a pretty good idea to me. And it looks like a good approach to meeting interesting people who share a preference for being naked. For all of you out there who don’t have convenient access to a naturist/nudist club or resort and haven’t found it easy to find nudity-loving friends who are also civilized and maybe even urbane and cultivated, this looks like a promising way to go. Put up a web site like Richard and Roxanne’s, exchange links with them, mention the site at a few online forums… and see what develops.

And since we want to be helpful, here are some pages you can check out for naturist travel ideas.

Go naked in 2006

Please take heed, because that headline is probably the best advice you’ll read all year. And the Times of London in this article lists (with permission) some of Lonely Planet’s best ideas for places to shed your clothes — mostly a bit more interesting than just another place to get that all-over sunburn you really didn’t want to have. Places like San Francisco’s Bay to Breakers run in May, the Maslin Beach (Australia) Nude Olympics, and Berlin’s Tiergarten public park in the center of town.

California nude beach guide

Betsy Malloy at the About.com California visitors’ site offers an extensive list of California nude beaches, grouped by region.

Nude Beaches 2005

And speaking of California, we can’t fail to mention the San Francisco Bay Guardian’s venerable nude beach guide, now (2005) in its 31^st year. A new guide comes out every year in June (or thereabouts), though recently it’s been only online, not in the print edition. (And that’s much more convenient, actually, than driving to the Bay Area at just the right time to snarf a copy.) The guide, which doesn’t really change that much from year to year, lists scores of places, mostly in the central part of the state, but as far east as Lake Tahoe. It’s more for the dedicated nude beacher living in California — or the intrepid visitor who wants to find something more out of the ordinary.

Bonjour, please take off ze clothes…

Pierre Rochiccioli at the South African site iafrica.com writes about France’s historic, fabled Ile du Levant — to which devout nudists have been making summer pilgrimages since the 1930s. Every naturist must go there at least one in each lifetime. For South African locals (or visitors) there’s also a link to information on Sandy Bay, the local nude beach.

Extreme Nudity

David Friedland in Outside Magazine writes about taking nudity to extremes, or at least to ten pretty interesting places to hike, snowshoe, fly-fish, snorkel, body-surf, or bird watch naked. His selections include several hot springs, assorted nude beaches around the world, and a waterfall in Tennessee that “emerges from a cave, shoots over a cliff, and plummets 110 feet before disappearing into another chasm.” (The adventure here is not the 11 story drop (not advised), but the six-hour hike to the site offering watery delights along the way for skinny-dipping.)

Think naked

Here’s a longer collection of brief write-ups from Outside about exotic places to go naked. Quoting from the introduction, “C’mon, admit it. If you reflect on some of your most exhilarating moments in the wild, you’ll almost certainly come up with at least one bracing skinny-dip or triumphant strip on a summit—moments that left you feeling more alive for facing nature the way you came into the world.”

Top Topless Beaches 2006

Sophia Banay at Forbes.com provides 10 expensive ideas for places where women can bare their boobs and males can enjoy the view. But be careful. Most of the recommended beaches are not especially tolerant of full nudity. And if anyone who takes Sophia’s advice is smart as well as rich, and wants to save their money, they won’t stay at the expensive hotels recommended in the listings. Finally, to avoid the really exasperating “slide show” that makes you look at four ads for each and every recommendation, click here for the whole list on one page.

The news stories give the essential details, so I won’t add much.

Get ‘em on. We’ve made it

If the certainty of having your collar felt, metaphorically of course, by the local police every few days is not enough to put you off walking the length of Britain naked, then the February wind blowing off the Pentland Firth should at least be a deterrent. So, as the Naked Rambler and his girlfriend finally arrived at the northernmost tip of Scotland yesterday, their first thoughts turned to clothes.

‘Naked Rambler’ gets dressed

A man trying to walk the length of Britain wearing nothing but a hat, boots and a rucksack completed his marathon trek on Monday and celebrated by putting his clothes back.

“It’s nice to get warmed up again,” self-styled “Naked Rambler” Stephen Gough (46) told the domestic Scottish Press Association news agency from a café in John O’Groats, on the tip of the north-east Scottish mainland.

Gough and his partner, 34-year-old hairdresser Melanie Roberts, completed the last 32km of their 1 363km walk from Land’s End, south-west England in temperatures of about five degrees Celsius.

“It has been pretty cold and the locals have been coming up to us offering us whisky and all sorts,” said Gough. “They’ve been very, very friendly. We passed a school and there were even parents coming out with video cameras.”

Naked rambler completes his trek

Mr Gough and his partner Melanie Roberts, 34, from Bournemouth, reached the north coast of Caithness on Monday.

The ex-marine, who began his 874-mile trek in June, has been arrested and jailed on several occasions.

Mr Gough, from Eastleigh in Hampshire, said he wanted to challenge public attitudes to nudity. He celebrated his success by putting his clothes on.

It was a nice touch that the Guardian ran, in addition to the story, a brief — but quite favorable — opinion piece:

In praise of… the naked rambler

However often the police may have arrested the incorrigible nudist, including twice in his final week on the road, the general public always seemed hearteningly unfazed by his presence. The nearer he got to John O’Groats, a tired but happy Mr Gough reflected yesterday, the more that local people offered greetings and whisky to him and his partner Melanie Roberts.

Oh, and just in case you’ve been living most of the last year (or more) in the Amazonian rain forest (hopefully naked) and find this story interesting but lacking in background, just go to the Naked Rambler’s web site for more information and pictures…

Everyone has heard of naked yoga (haven’t they?) But if yoga, why not enjoy any kind of meditative activity naked? Have to admit, the idea hadn’t occurred to me. But that’s just because I’ve never gotten into meditation. Were it otherwise, I guess naked meditation would be a pretty obvious idea.

Anyhow, a member of one of my online discussion groups raised the issue. He also conducts group naked meditation sessions at his place in Brooklyn. He doesn’t teach meditation — simply provides a time and a naked space for it. I offered to put up a notice about this, so here it is:

Naked Group Meditation meets on Thursday evenings from 7:00pm - 8:00pm in South Slope, Brooklyn.

• No music, no incense, no clothes, no cost
• Both men and women are welcome
• Bring your own seat

The meditation space is raw. Bring a towel, blanket, cushion and/or yoga block for your seat. You’re welcome to arrive up to 15 minutes early, but please do not disrupt the group by arriving late; similarly, you will be asked to remain within the meditation space for the full hour.

Attendees will be participating in a group meditation, not a class. Previous experience with meditation or familiarity with meditation principles is recommended, though by no means required.

If you would like to attend, please send an email to openwound0@yahoo.com. A brief description of yourself, your interests and/or your familiarity with similar (in)activities is appreciated. The street address will be provided by return email.

Great advice for everyone, of course. But this also happens to be the title of an article in this month’s (February 2006) Self Magazine.

Since Self is a health and fitness magazine for women, it’s not surprising that the article is all from a woman’s perspective. But men can learn a lot from it as well. There are several pages of advice on ways to be more satisfied with and accepting of your body. Some of it’s pretty obvious — lose weight, get more exercise, and so forth.

However, the psychological/attitudinal angle is covered as well. And in particular, the theme is really summed up in this question: “If you felt perfectly comfortable sans clothes, what would you dare to do bare?” Nice, huh? Motivate people to accept their bodies by imagining how neat it would be to do stuff naked. Several actual responses are provided as examples. For instance, “Jennifer” writes:

I went to a beach in St. Bart’s last spring, and it was so wonderful to walk around topless. I even asked a couple to take a picture of my friend and me. I now keep that photo on my bedroom dresser. People find it strange that I have a topless photo of myself in full view, but I think it’s inspiring. I love remembering how empowered and accepted I felt to be nearly naked among strangers.

Yeah, Jennifer, and imagine how much more empowered you might feel being fully naked among strangers (as well as friends).

Anyhow, the magazine has put up an online forum where anyone can discuss the question “What keeps me from loving myself naked?” — and other questions about body acceptance and nudity. One hopes they leave this forum up for awhile and that it gets lots of use.

Hint to anyone who has a special woman in his/her life: hurry out and buy this issue while it’s still on the newsstand. It just might help her get over hang-ups she has about enjoying being naked. Could be the best $3.50 (plus tax) you’ve spent in quite a while….

OK, given that the following article appears on an ezine called Eros Guide New York Erotica, there’s no denying the erotic framing. Clearly the site is for people who like sex. (But who in their right mind doesn’t?) On top of that, the article is by a woman who writes “erotica and steamy horror”.

She was invited to attend a clothing-optional dinner in the city and read from her own work — while naked (sort of). It’s been organized by a naturist club that exists specifically to enjoy dinner in the nude at various fine restaurants in town. What a surprise that she was nervous about going naked, but finds the experience isn’t erotic at all — and she clearly rather enjoyed it .

CODinners, a dinner club for naturists in NYC

My reading went well and as I let my tongue slip over the words of one of my favorite stories, I forgot I was naked at all.

When I was finished, I remembered I was naked again, and felt a bit odd as people came up and talked to me about my reading. But it was no different than any other reading. People seemed interested in me and my work, especially since I was from Toronto and made the effort to come to this event — and it was my first time naked in public.

Once I got over the initial shyness, and had a couple of drinks, I was totally fine with walking around naked and talking to everyone.

She has high praise for other attendees:

This is a fantastic group of people with all ages present, though it did seem to slant more towards the over-30 crowd. Everyone was polite and respectful. Not everyone was naked. Many women wore shawls around their waists, as I did. Some people wore togas. I never felt like I was being picked up or hit on in any way. Like the fetish clubs I frequent, manners were at a premium, as was the air of desire to welcome new people into the fold.

It all sounds downright civilized, no? We should all be so lucky to get invited to something like this. Apparently, if you live conveniently close to New York all you have to do is join the club.

To make things even easier, the club has an online discussion list at Yahoo!. And in case you’re into yoga, they even have a subgroup for that.

Sure, why not?

Paradise Lakes Resort in Land O’Lakes, Florida has tried it out (Friday, January 27) as part of a promotional event to entice students to visit and learn about the pleasures of clothesfree socializing. They’re especially interested in attracting the attention of some of the 43,000 students scattered around several campuses of the nearby University of South Florida. (Which, being in the Tampa area, isn’t exactly south Florida. But nevermind.)

Resort Nakedly Using Poker To Get Students

A strip poker tournament geared toward students at the University of South Florida will highlight an all-day “Bulls in the Buff” event at the clothing-optional resort just west of Dale Mabry Highway.

Resort owner Joe Lettelleir said Kristy Lucas, an unpaid USF intern, came up with the strip poker idea. Lettelleir has been trying to find ways to introduce younger people to the nudist lifestyle.

“She came up with this idea,” Lettelleir said. “She jumped in the boat, and she has an idea a minute. We’re anxious to hear more of them.

A subsequent op-ed article, while finding the idea amusing, wished the organizers success:

Naked Truth: USF Outreach Makes Sense

Here’s hoping all went well, if not simply for Lucas’ future in the hospitality business, then for the boost to central Pasco’s economy a surge of free-spending college students could bring.

It will be interesting, to say the least, to find out just how successful the event was.

Also, it must be said that, in fact, not all naturists and nudists are happy about the idea. They think it “sexualizes” naturism and does not really represent naturist ideals.

The response might be this: Wouldn’t one have to say the same thing, honestly, regarding (say) almost any form of dancing? Especially dancing than involves lingerie (which is popular at some nudist clubs), exaggerated body movements, etc…. In fact, scientists have recently documented that dancing does play a role in courtship and mate selection for humans: Rutgers Researchers Scientifically Link Dancing Ability To Mate Quality.

To me it seems clear that most forms of dancing either promote physical contact or draw attention to bodies as visual objects. Or both. There are lots of “eroticized” messages in many forms of dancing, IMHO. So, is most dancing — allowed and even encouraged at most naturist places — any less eroticized than strip poker?

Some people say that naturist places should totally avoid eroticized signaling. Even of the sort (like dancing) that’s quite prevalent in the textile world. That just doesn’t make sense to me. And to be honest, such avoidance is not practiced in most nudist/naturist venues.

But if such avoidance were the norm, one shouldn’t be surprised at all if young people avoid naturism.

A more detailed critcism is the claim that most people, especially young people, associate nudity with sex. And so, if invited to a strip poker event at a nudist club, would they be expecting a very sexualized atmosphere and be tempted to act accordingly? Or, on the other hand, on discovering that open sexuality is discouraged, would they be confused and disappointed?

I think that different young people will have different reactions. The desired outcome would be for the young folks to just stay naked after they’ve stripped the first time. As naturists often say, after the first 5 or 10 minutes, it’s easy to forget you’re naked, and it’s no big deal. Seems to me it would feel kind of silly to put on clothes again just so one could play another round of strip poker. Either people would stay naked to keep playing poker (if they like the game), or they’d wander off to try something else — dancing, a dip in the pool, or munching on pizza.

So the whole point is to get them into the resort, and have them get comfortable there ASAP.

Of course, you’d want to have some responsible adults (sober grandmotherly types) watching quietly to intervene discreetly in case of any inappropriate behavior. Also, be sure that there’s a majority of experienced naturists around so first timers can see what’s proper naturist behavior and do like the Romans do.

Hmmm. Speaking of Romans, maybe a toga party might be another good hook to attract college students. One where the togas aren’t really expected to stay on for long, and this is understood beforehand. (The challenge is to dare your date to be first in your group to drop the toga.) Toga parties are a hoary college tradition… (Or maybe they’re passé now… but I doubt it.)

One can object that this hook is sexual too. But maybe the psychology is just the reverse. Maybe young people are less reluctant to try nudity if there’s an excuse for being naked (losing at poker, having a costume malfunction with the toga) that is not overtly about sex. (”Oh crap. This thing just won’t stay on. Mind if I lose it?”)

Quietnude at the Texas Nude Recreation blog has a nice post on some benefits of naturism. Thoreau went to Walden Pond. Quietnude prefers the California desert:

The Secret To Happiness

I’m a pretty happy person. I have my share of problems to be sure, some of them serious, but most of the time I’m perfectly happy with whatever I’m doing. I try not to let myself dwell on the negatives too mch. God knows how an overdose of reality can smother you!

Gradually, during his stay, he discovered a great thing about the desert:

The first summer I thought it was just a fluke. Obviously I didn’t know where to go which was why I never ran into anybody. But since I had so much privacy, I decided it would be a great way to work on my tan! I was nervous every time I tried that for a while but eventually I figured out that not only was it private enough to do whatever you wanted to do but even if anybody had come by they wouldn’t care anyway.

By the end of the summer I was confidently spending the whole weekend out nude in the desert virtually from sunrise to sunset. The second summer was the same way, nobody around for miles wherever I went. I still think its weird but I had the best suntan I ever had. Perfect color, no tan lines and I never burned!

So, if you too feel the need to “get away”, go read the whole thing. But here’s the executive summary:

The secret to being enlightened and happy is to run around the desert naked and not worry about anything! Hey! It makes more sense than Scientology!

Canada’s in the midst of a federal election. Naturism isn’t an issue in the election, but the Federation of Canadian Naturists has queried the major parties in the provinces as to their opinions on naturism anyhow.

Here’s one response, circulated on an FCN mailing list:

From: Bob Dixon
Date: Wed, 11 Jan 2006 21:59:59 -0700
Subject: Federal Election Interview: Answers to your questions about Nudism

Hi folks, please read and pass on to the greater nudist network

Attached below is a Q&A discussion between Steve Critchley, WCANR President and Nancy Love, the Liberal Party candidate in the Yellowhead (AB) riding in the current federal election. It is gratifying to see a candidate with the time and care to address questions about nudist/naturist issues. It is also exciting to see that she espouses a very favourable position relating to these issues.

Bob Dixon
WCANR Trustee

Date: Tue, 10 Jan 2006 17:41:04 -0000
From: “Nancy Love, Yellowhead Liberal”
Subject: Answers to your questions about Nudism

Steve Critchley
President
Western Canadian Association for Nude Recreation

Hi Steve,

Please find below the answers to the questions you sent me. If I can be of further assistance or you have additional questions please do not hesitate to contact me personally.

Questions:

1. Do you believe that people who enjoy nude sunbathing should be able to do so without interference from officials as long as they do so at a beach that is accepted for that purpose?

Answer to Question 1: The answer to this is simply Yes.

2. Local and provincial governments now set aside public land for special types of recreation such as tennis, surfing and hunting. Vancouver and Toronto have set aside areas for nude sunbathing. Do you think more special and secluded areas should be set aside in other parts of the country for people who enjoy nude sunbathing?

Answer to Question 2: The nudist community has proved to be responsible, respectful, and representative of a diverse community. Where appropriate, areas should be made available so that this part of the Canadian society can excersise their rights.

3. In general, what are your views of nudists and naturism in Canada?

Answer to Question 3: As I gain a greater education on Nudism, especially within Canada, I see how important it is to ensure there is a safe and respectful attitute towards those who are practicing nudist. Living in Western Canada I see the value of places like Wreck Beach and such organizations as the Western Canadian Association for Nude Recreation. I believe in what WCANR stands for and how they hope to work with North American associations such as the American Association for Nude Recreation and other organizations such as FCN to protect such places as Wreck Beach and local clubs in Canada.

I look forward to gaining greater insight on your organization and hearing about ways that I can be of assistance as a sitting Member of Parliment. I want to be able to represent your views and those of all Canadian nudists in Ottawa.

Thank you very much for your questions and support.
Sincerely
Nancy Love

Nancy Love
Yellowhead Liberal
1-780-668-LOVE
nancylove@liberalalberta.ca