M/s Connections

I’d like to welcome everyone that is reading our first newsletter! I’m very excited about the direction MAsT is going in. We also have MAsT Chat that has just been announced for any member of a MAsT Chapter. I think that’s going to be a very nice added touch to our MAsT community so members have another venue to discuss M/s issues.

It took us a couple of years to get all the legal responsibilities satisfied. We are incorporated, we have our 501c3 and we have been approved and are waiting on our registered Trade Mark. Now we are moving into a new era of growth.

This year, we have added several new Board Members. Master Michael has joined us as our Membership Director. Slave Passion has taken the position of Secretary. Where most of you have seen the most visual growth is from slave koneko in the Education Director position.

I have been involved with MAsT since 1997 when International Master 1997, Roger Curtman and his slave Bill opened MAsT to everyone that had an interest in Master/slavery. The organization grew under the guidance of Master Alex Keppler for many years until the time that Butchmanns took it over. Now, we are back standing on our own two feet and growing in every aspect of the organization.

I’d like to thank each and every one of you for the support you have shown MAsT over the years and welcome to our newest members. We’ve received some great feedback on things we are doing now and continued support from members asking if they can help in any way.

I am proud to serve the Master/slave, MAsT community.

MsSuzan

A big welcome to our newest chapters of 2018!

MAsT: Fredericksburg in Northern Virginia

MAsT: Wichita in Kansas

MAsT: Little Rock in Arkansas

Check out what's going on in MAsT in various chapters and regions!

If you have happenings in your chapter that you'd like highlighted in our newsletter,

please send them to education@mast.net!

If you can, join us at our upcoming regional meetings!

On Monday, Sept. 3rd at 12:30 pm, the Northeast Regional MAsT Meeting will be held at the 2018 Master/slave Conference.

On Sunday, September 9th at 1 pm, the Great Lakes Regional MAsT Meeting will be held at the 2018 Great Lakes Leather Alliance weekend.

The Santa Clara County Chapter's 3rd Annual MAsT: Santa Clara County BBQ!

Our annual summer BBQ is coming up on Sunday July 15 at Vasona Lake County Park. Tickets are being kept at a low price of $10, covering the site rental and food costs only. Details and ticket purchases may be found at:

https://mastsccbarbecue.brownpapertickets.com/.

We are hosting our premier camping retreat in Central Texas and we're inviting MAsT members and their guests to join us at the TCC 30-acre campgroundjust outside Cameron, Texas and celebrate who we are together and in our community.

If you are interested in more information, check with your chapter director. We will be sending applications to every chapter and invite every MAsT member to com camping in Texas and experience our southern hospitality.

The gate opens at 3 pm on September 28 and closes at 3 pm on September 30.

Friday is a bring-your-brown-bag-and-get-your-tent-site-set-up relaxed dinner.

Saturday Brunch will be a catered buffet. Dinner is a potluck cook off to see who takes home the blue ribbons.

Sunday Brunch is an encore appearance of the weekend's featured dishes.

Every camper can join us after procuring the application from their director and returning it to them filled out, along with $45.

Tent camper will have electricity and shade. There is a swimming pool and a campfire pit. Hot/cold showers and a kick-ass kitchen to enjoy. There are some indoor camping opportunities for those who medically need a/c. (For more info on that, contact MizLilly at mastsouthwestregionalteam@gmail.com to check on and confirm availability. There are also hotels nearby in Cameron.

We are inviting every chapter to come together and host a social hour. We'll see and taste who wins awards for their cocktails, ice cream socials, midnight chili-dogs or other icebreaker socials.

There will be play equipment on site and you're invited to bring more, if you'd like.

For more information, write to MizLilly and Señor Jaime at mastsouthwestregionalteam@gmail.com or speak to your chapter directors.

In the news section of our MAsT: International website, check out the details on:

• The AGM (Annual General Meeting) at South Plains Leatherfest back in March
• The new MAsT Chapter banners
• New additions to the MAsT: International Board of Directors

If you have chapter or regional happenings via text, pictures, or video that you'd like to share, please note our Newsletter Deadlines:

For submissions:

December 15

March 15

June 15

September 15

Newsletters will be posted on or near:

January 1

April 1

July 1

October 1

Send all submissions to education@mast.net.

A map of our all our MAsT Chapters!

If we missed one, let us know at education@mast.net!

How long have you been in a power exchange relationship?

16 years

How long have you been a MAsT member? What are your role(s) in MAsT?

15 years. Our first MAsT meeting was MAsT: Greater San Francisco Bay Area. About a year later, we also became members of MAsT: San Francisco (the first MAsT chapter). Liza served as co-Director of MAsT: San Francisco starting around 2008. Currently we are members of MAsT: Portland where Liza also served as co-director for a while. Liza served as treasurer of MAsT: International from 2011 to 2017 and is currently the Director of Operations for MAsT: International. Jody served as a co-director of Mast: GSFBA at some point. She then served as Northwest Region Assistant Regional Representative and later Regional Representative until May 2012.

What benefits have you found being a member of MAsT?

First and foremost is the comradery we found with others who share a similar lifestyle. In addition, the MAsT meetings have given us a space to discuss difficulties, resolve differences, and get closer to each other as master and slave. Through our MAsT chapters we discovered the Northwest Master/slave Contest and through that, we discovered conferences and events all over the country and the world. As a result, we have found good friends and chosen family throughout the United States, Canada and Australia.

What are some of the highlights in your power exchange journey?

It is difficult to separate our power exchange journey from our life as they are so integrally connected. There have been so many highlights. One of the highlights was running for the Master/slave titles. In preparing for the interviews, we looked deep into who we were and what we wanted our relationship to be. After this introspection, the interview portion of the contests was like chatting with good friends. (We had asked ourselves much harder questions than the judges.)

Another of the highlights was our trip to Australia, where we brought more exposure to power exchange dynamics in Brisbane and Sydney and created some fast friendships with the M/s community in Melbourne.

Every single event where we’ve presented has been a highlight for us because we have met so many wonderful people. It is incredibly meaningful to us when people have found value in us sharing the lessons we have learned in our journey. Perhaps the greatest highlights of our M/s journey have been those times when something we have said or done has had a positive impact on another person.

What’s a low moment in your power exchange journey and how did you recover or what did you learn from it?

Probably the lowest moment of our M/s journey was one summer day in San Francisco when we had one of those fights to end all fights. We were talking about splitting up the silverware and everything else. Jody had jumped in the car preparing to leave. Liza jumped in too to prevent Jody from leaving. There was a brief moment of sanity where Liza took control and said that we were both going to go back in the house, turn on the TV, and never talk about the argument again. Jody’s moment of sanity was doing what she was told in that moment. We both realized that we were digging a hole we could not get out of, so we chose to let go of who was right and put the relationship first. We believe that our commitment to each other and to our relationship (and letting go of being right) has created a foundation that allows us to weather any relational “storm”. (Neither of us remembers what that fight was about.)

What’s an interesting fact about you that most people don’t know?
Liza was a working cowgirl in the 70s and has artificially inseminated over 1000 cows.

Jody was on the staff of the first California AIDS Ride as the fundraising manager. She completed the 523-mile ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles.

Do you have any advice for people new to power exchange relationships or new chapter directors?
Liza - For new people, it is important not to do this alone. This is the value of MAsT. Find those who have relationships you respect and spend time with them. I see the role of the Director as holding space for the meeting (and filling out the meeting reports and paying the dues!).

Jody - Have fun, go slowly, don’t take anything too seriously except your love (or affection) for each other, and don’t give up your essential nature.

What’s your favorite quote and why?
Liza - “A man must love a thing very much if he practices it without any hope of fame or money, but even practices it without any hope of doing it well.”― G.K. Chesterton and
Robert Browning (Because I love horses and this is a reference to my life long desire to ride my horse well.)

Jody - “Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic.” -Martin Luther King, Jr. (Because this speaks to the essential nature of hierarchical relationships.)

Anything else you’d like to add?
Thanks to koneko for taking on this responsibility and thanks to everyone who is contributing to keeping MAsT available to all of us.

*If you're interesting in being spotlighted in our newsletter via text or video, contact koneko at education@mast.net.

Chief Executive Officer: Ms Suzan

Director of Operations: Liza
Secretary: slave passion
Financial Officer: Master John
Regional Representative Director: Master Sindarian
Assistant Regional Representative Director:
Membership Director: Master Michael
Assistant Membership Director:
Marketing Director: Master Bill
Education Director: koneko
IT Director/Webmaster: Master Paul

Australia and New Zealand: slave kim & Master Joe (Regional Representative Emeritus)

Canada: Master T'Hayla
Caribbean: [Vacant]
Central America: [Vacant]
Europe: julala
Great Lakes: slave amendah & arcane
Northeast: Master Rodin & Lady Ningal
Northwest: ducklady & Master Curtis
Oceanic: mel R
South America: [Vacant]
Southeast: Tidbit & vile
Southwest: MizLilly & Señor Jaime

Check out the links below to our online presence!

Coming next . . . a YouTube Channel!

Be sure to check out the website, join us on FetLife & like our page on Facebook!