Erin, 24

What do you do?
I work for a play publishing company.

Has that ever gotten you laid?
I'm not sure that specifically has gotten me laid, but my interest in the arts in general has. It helps when you're looking for people with whom you have mutual interests.

Mututal interests. That's why you have sex with people, right?
[Laughs] That, and general attractiveness. Yes.

When was the last time you had sex?
Well I'm not in a relationship now, so it was a couple of months ago. It was this guy I was kind of seeing at the time. It wasn't exactly a causal hook-up, but he lived in D.C. so it was kind of a long distance thing. I liked him but it was a bit of a pain in the ass. D.C. isn't that far, but it's just far enough to be a huge pain in the ass for a relationship.

Tell me about someone you're embarrassed to be sexually attracted to.
Alan Rickman. I know he's an old dude now, but goddamn it, is he sexy. It's that voice. I wish I could have sex with his voice. If anyone could duplicate his voice, that would do it for me. That's all you need.

What are some dating dealbreakers?
I get pretty turned off when guys use cheesy pick-up lines — like, "did it hurt when you fell from heaven?" Ugh! That line is the worst! It doesn't have to be just pick-up lines; it's the way guys can talk to you sometimes. Like they're using a script. It's so transparent to me that I imagine it is to everyone, but it must work sometimes if these guys keep using it!

What's the best sex you've ever had?
Probably with my ex-boyfriend, but when we weren't together. You know how it is when you have a connection; it's just different and intimate. It was very much in the moment. I think that's the best kind of sex you can have; when neither of you really care about tomorrow.

 

Nico, 23

What do you do?
I'm a bartender. I'm also a writer. I write for music publications, interviewing bands and stuff like that. Today's my birthday!

Has your job ever gotten you laid?
One of my favorite quotations is "All a writer has to do to get a woman is say he's a writer." Saul Bellow said that.

So how have you used Saul Bellow's mojo to get yourself laid?
Well, writing for the music publication, I've gotten backstage to interview bands, and you know, people are vain sometimes, they're into the glitz and glamour.

What's your relationship status?
Actually, I just got out of a long-term relationship, so I'm fucking everything in sight.

When's the last time you had sex?
Two or three days ago. My neighbors complained about the noise.

What are you yelling in bed that pisses off your neighbors?
Oh, it's not me. I'm quiet as a mouse. She's not saying coherent things, so much as just making noise. I'm trying to shove my shoulder into her mouth while we're having sex because I don't want my neighbors to hate me even more.

So why don't guys make any noise in bed?
Well, me personally, I don't want to get thrown out of my apartment.

Really? That's why?
Yeah! And when I was back home, I didn't want my mom to hear me, then I moved to New York, and now I don't want the neighbors to hear. So yeah, I've just kind of learned and adapted to not making noise.

When did you lose your virginity?
I was seventeen.

Did you love her?
Yeah. I still do. She's the girl I just broke up with. We were together for three years.

Why'd you break up?
There were a gazillion reasons. She was super-boring in bed.

How did you know she was boring in bed if you lost your virginity to her?
Well, I've learned that as time has gone on. She had no sex drive either. I was always on top.

 

Caitlin, 21

What's your name and what do you do?
I'm finishing up my last semester at Parsons.

Are you in a relationship?
Yeah, I met someone freshman year and then I proceeded to date him for the next three years. We're still dating now and we live together. We've actually lived together basically since we started dating, because I didn't want to live in the college dorms. My dorm became my closet and I took over the room in his house, and fell in love with his cat.

How's the sex?
Amazing. It gets better and better every day. Being with someone for so long, you get more comfortable and try new things.

What kind of new things?
I am extremely shy. But dating someone for three years, you open so much more and become so much more willing to try things I never would. I was what you might call a total prude before I started dating my boyfriend.

Where's the craziest place you've ever had sex, prude?
When we first started dating we would have sex in the auditorium at night or in the library's bathroom while we were studying. The back of his car when he was dropping me off at the airport. And it's crazy because it's not my personality at all to do these things!

Do you believe in soul-mates?
Yes, I do. My parents met in high school. My mom was engaged to my father's best friend for awhile and then my mom and dad fell in love, and they got married at the end of high school and they've been happily married ever since. I grew up with this fairy-tale idea of love and it's terrifying for me, because you see all these failed marriages, and it's something that I've always believed in and wanted.

Do you want babies?
I do want to have kids, but not until I'm financially stable. I'm not baby-crazy right now, I think they're adorable and I do want to have kids at some point, but not until I can give them everything they need.

When would you ideally get married?
It doesn't really matter to me. I'm just graduating. We live together already and it's working out really well, so I don't think there's any reason to rush into it.

Interviews and photography by Lina Canney and Libby Rumelt. Want to talk to strangers in your town? Email .