Sex is no laughing matter for Catherine - or is it?
Abergavenny Chronicle - 1st July 2004

ABERGAVENNY writer Catherine Merriman’s latest book, Laughing, Not laughing, is now officially a best seller in Wales. The book is a collection of autobiographical writings about sexual experience, penned by women in Wales.

As editor, Catherine introduced the book at the recent Hay Festival. She says, ‘We had a great turn-out and Elizabeth Baines, one of the contributors, gave an electrifying reading.‘

Half way through the festival all copies of the book had sold out and more had to be rushed in! According to Honno, the book’s publishers, the collection has taken Wales by storm. Nicola Craddock, the publicity manager, says, ‘Laughing, Not Laughing is an extraordinary, unique book - women of all ages writing openly and truthfully about aspects of their sexual experience. It’s a subject rarely treated honestly in the media, and it makes for compelling and illuminating reading.’

Catherine Merriman usually writes fiction and editing a nonfiction book was a departure for her. She says, ‘I’ve always been interested in gender issues in my fiction, and always been rather scathing about how sex is presented in the media, so this was my chance to read the truth. I was deliberately as inclusive as possible in my selection for the anthology, so that my own views and interests didn’t bias the material. In the end we’ve ended up with a fascinating variety of responses. Some are blissful, some funny, some horrific, some deeply affecting. I felt privileged to read them all.

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