Swag Tuesday

For today's Swag Tuesday we've got Joel Derfner's memoir Swish: My Quest To Become The Gayest Person Ever and What Happened Instead, which is just out in paperback. This new edition features a foreword by Elton John, who says, "Swish is the best book about being gay that I've ever read. But it's not just about being gay; it's about being human."

Taking on some of the gayest things a person can do, SWISH is sure to entertain. From Dorothy Parker to religion to Tallulah Bankhead to therapy, Joel sheds a bright lavender light on gay life in our world at large. Among other themes, chapters include:

* On Casual Sex – Joel wakes up his inner slut in the Internet age and is shocked (shocked!) to find the life unfulfilling
* On Cheerleading – Joel cheers loud and proud with Cheer New York, (an adult cheerleading squad of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Straight people.)
* On Camp Camp – Despite a disastrous Jewish Community Center Day Camp experience in youth, Joel enrolls in Camp Camp, a weeklong summer camp in Maine for the LGBT community.
* On Dating – After a series of awful dates, Joel begins a blog he entitles “The Search for Love in Manhattan,” where he narrates his dating experiences—the good, the bad, and the scary.
* On Teaching Aerobics – Joel teaches aerobics to, among other people, patients at The Dorothea Dix Home for Assisted Living.
* On Go-Go Dancing –Joel navigates the seedier side of gay life as a sex object by dancing in his underwear for money from strangers.

Perhaps the most compelling essay is the last chapter, “On Exodus,” in which Joel infiltrates a reparative therapy group in North Carolina, where he finds himself among individuals trying to cure their gayness. You’ll be just as surprised as Joel was to see what he learns there. Provocative and at times moving, SWISH is at once a hilarious look at contemporary ideas about gay culture and a poignant exploration of identity that will speak to all readers—gay, straight, and in between.

You should definitely read Joel's story about Elton John trying to track him down. When we gave away the hardback version of Swish last year, I had this to say:

Joel's was one the first blogs I ever read, back before the start of JMG, and he's now a pal of mine who I've had the pleasure of sharing the stage with at several readings. You may remember his last book, the well-received Gay Haiku. I started reading Swish on a recent flight to Florida and was actually sorry to have the plane land, I was that engrossed in it. It's hilarious, touching, and profound - often in the same sentence.

Swish is available now at booksellers nationwide. Enter to win your copy by commenting on this post. Only enter once and please remember to leave your email address in the text of your comment. Entries close on midnight Wednesday, west coast time. Publicists: If you'd like to take part in Swag Tuesday on JMG, please email me.