Collection: Biography & Memoir

From renowned trans activist, Luna M. Ferguson, comes a work of memoir and critical analysis that embraces an inclusive understanding of sex and gender.

Me, Myself, They: Life Beyond the Binary chronicles Luna M. Ferguson's extraordinary story of transformation to become a celebrated non-binary filmmaker, writer, and advocate for trans rights. Beginning with their birth and early childhood of gender creativity, Ferguson recounts the complex and often challenging evolution of their identity, including traumatizing experiences with gender conversion therapy, bullying, depression, sexual assault, and violence. Above all, Ferguson's story is about survival, empathy, and self-acceptance. By combining personal reflections on what it feels like to never truly fit into prescribed roles of male and female, and using an informed analysis of the ongoing shifts in contemporary attitudes towards sex and gender, Ferguson calls for an inclusive understanding of diverse human identity and respect for trans, non-binary, and gender-nonconforming people. Through their honest and impassioned storytelling, we learn what it means to reclaim one's identity and to live beyond the binary.

Revised and updated with a new introduction by the author--and available in English for the first time--the moving story of a man who always wanted to be a father and the long emotional road to making his dream come true.

Born in Cuba and raised in the USA, Armando Lucas Correa epitomized the American dream. He had everything he wanted: an incredible job as the editor of People magazine, meeting and interviewing glamorous celebrities; a steady partner; and a comfortable life filled with travel. But with the new millennium, he realized something vital was missing. A child.

In the years before gay marriage was widespread and legal across the nation, the road to parenthood was difficult for gay couples. Though his family would not be traditional, Correa was undaunted. Every setback, each emotional challenge was fuel that drove him to fulfill his dream. Exhaustively researching the possibilities, Correa eventually chose surrogacy--a long, arduous, and expensive method involving seemingly endless tests, paperwork, and difficult decisions. But with the help of science, a lot of patience, an egg donor, a gestational mother, and the unconditional support of her partner and family, Correa's dream finally came true with the birth of his beloved daughter, Emma.

In Search of Emma is an inspiring and beautiful story of love, family, and fatherhood that reminds us of that, despite the odds, we must never stop fighting to achieve our dreams. Completely revised and updated to reflect his growing family.

Running with Scissors meets Grey Gardens in this "vivid tragicomedy" (People), a riveting riches-to-rags tale of a wealthy family who lost it all and the unforgettable journey of a man coming to terms with his family's deep flaws and his own hidden secrets.

"Wake up, you filthy beasts!" Wendy Hamill would shout to her children in the mornings before school. Startled from their dreams, Kirk and his two brothers couldn't help but wonder--would they find enough food in the house for breakfast?

Following a hostile exit from New York's upper-class society, newly divorced Wendy and her three sons are exiled from the East Coast elite circle. Wendy's middle son, Kirk, is eight when she moves the family to her native Bermuda, leaving the three young boys to fend for themselves as she chases after the highs of her old life: alcohol, a wealthy new suitor, and other indulgences.

After eventually leaving his mother's dysfunctional orbit for college in New Orleans, Kirk begins to realize how different his family and upbringing is from that of his friends and peers. Split between rich privilege--early years living in luxury on his family's private compound--and bare survival--rationing food and water during the height of his mother's alcoholism--Kirk is used to keeping up appearances and burying his inconvenient truths from the world, until he's eighteen and falls in love for the first time.

A keenly observed, fascinating window into the life of extreme privilege and a powerful story of self-acceptance, Filthy Beasts is "a stunning, deeply satisfying story about how we outlive our upbringings" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review).

After nearly a lifetime spent in the Industry, author and fashion insider Simon Doonan is ready to let you in on a little secret: his peers in this multibillion-dollar industry are just as nutty as the denizens of your local loony bin. In The Asylum, an unabashedly hilarious memoir-in-essays, Doonan, the creative ambassador for Barneys New York, tells the real-life stories of glamorous madness and stylish insanity.

Doonan has seen it all: from dealing with models unable to work for fear of ghosts, to deep-sea fishing with a couturier pal and his jailbird companion, to watching Anna Wintour remain perfectly calm while the ceiling fell--literally--in the middle of Fashion Week. The outlandish family Doonan knew as a child has given way to alarmingly similar lunatic peers in the fashion world: style insiders see patterns and trends in everything; they suffer from outsize personality disorders and delusions of grandeur; and, of course, they have a predilection for theatrical makeup and artfully destroyed clothing. No one is more suited to the asylum than the truly die-hard fashionista--after all, eccentricity and extremism are the foundations of great style.

Hailed as "a must-read for fashionistas and non-fashionistas alike," (Michael Kors) and "raucous and revelatory" (Booklist), Doonan's critically acclaimed collection gives us the scoop on the kooky, cutthroat--but always fabulous--fashion world, and proves the author to be one of the sharpest humorists writing today.

While transgender people have become more visible and gained a measure of acceptance from our cisnormative society in recent years, the need for trans role models to inspire young transgender people is still very real. This title profiles a host of accomplished transgender people who have made their names in a wide range of fields, including sports, politics, activism, entertainment, and the arts. It includes historical pioneers--such as Christine Jorgensen, Marsha P. Johnson, and Sylvia Rivera--as well as present-day figures--such as Lana and Lilly Wachowski, Kye Allums, and Laverne Cox. A valuable resource for an underserved community.

A candid memoir of denial, stolen identities, betrayal, faking it, and coming out.

Do you know me?, the email began, sparking tremors of fear that turned into a full quake of panic when William Dameron discovered that his selfie had been stolen by strangers. On social networks and dating sites, his image and identity--a forty-year-old straight white male--had been used to hook countless women into believing in lies of love and romance. Was it all an ironic cosmic joke? Almost a decade prior, William himself had been living a lie that had lasted for more than twenty years. His secret? He was a gay man, a fact he hid from his wife and two daughters for almost as long as he had hidden it from himself.

In this emotional and unflinchingly honest memoir of coming out of the closet late in life, owning up to the past, and facing the future, William Dameron confronts steroid addiction, the shame and homophobia of his childhood, the sledgehammer of secrets that slowly tore his marriage apart, and his love for a gay father of three that would once again challenge the boundaries of trust. At the true heart of The Lie is a universal story about turning self-doubt into self-acceptance and about pain, anger, and the long journey of both seeking and giving forgiveness.

"RELISHED VICES" is an unorthodox self-portrait, a collection of essays describing a few transitional years in the life of a queer American artist. Struggling to come to terms with his alcoholism, loneliness, and depression, he attempts to undergo a period of total sobriety, only to encounter a far more sobering dose of reality than he bargained for. Burning with a newfound vitality, he roams at will, wrestles with insidious demons, gleefully eviscerates pop culture, reaffirms his purpose, and falls in love with the world all over again.

"RELISHED VICES" fearlessly takes on booze, drugs, sex, Baroque art, gay porn, corny musicals, drag, gender, suicide, New York City, Vaudeville, divinity, romance, recovery, and the surprising resilience of the human spirit.

More than ten years after its original publication, Going the Other Way remains deeply moving, and more timely than ever.

By virtue of a relentless work ethic, exceptional multi-sport talent, and a quick left-handed swing, Billy Bean made it to the majors, where he played from 1987 to 1995--an outfielder for the Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Diego Padres. But as a gay man in the brutally anti-gay world of baseball, closeted to teammates and family, Bean found himself unable to reconcile two worlds that he felt to be mutually exclusive. At the young age of 31, in the prime of his career, even as he solidified his role as a major-league utility player, Bean walked away from the game that was both his calling and his livelihood.

At once heartbreaking and farcical, ruminative and uncensored, this unprecedented memoir points the way toward a more perfect game, one in which all players can pursue their athletic dreams free of prejudice and discrimination.

The Final Chapter is a true story about a romance between a man, Brandon, who falls in love with a Brazilian social media influencer, Junior. The story begins on the first day they meet and follows them through the next eight months of their relationship. It ends with their final tragic day together.

Each month shows the prgress of their journey and the role social media plays in their love. It oulines the current fashion of LGBTQ dating involving apps, open relationships, and the evolving meanining of exclusivity. Witness their passionate sexual experience, their romance, explosive outbreaks, and multiple vacations.

In their final months together, feel their love before it is destroyed by a tragic accident.

Young Nina Kennedy was a child prodigy, a musical genius. Growing up in a segregated black community, she was forced to speak slang or "Ebonics" during the day to protect herself from bullying. At night, she would return home to speak the King's English with her college professor parents, both esteemed classical pianists who felt their careers had been hampered by American racism. As a result, they were determined that their daughter would have the success that they never could.

Practicing for Love: A Memoir reveals Nina's work and recognition as a child prodigy from her first complete piano recital at age nine, to her debut as piano soloist with the Nashville Symphony before an audience of over 4,000 at age thirteen. She goes on to perform in concert and with orchestras throughout the country, and is accepted for study at the Curtis Institute of Music, and later at the Juilliard School.

This book contains honest details about Nina's romantic relationships, and sheds light on the impacts of sexism and racism on her career. Written in the #MeToo era, Practicing for Love also exposes the inappropriate liberties taken by orchestral conductors, concert agents and impresarios, and recording executives - victimizing both females and males of all races.

About the Author

Nina Kennedy is a world-renowned concert pianist, orchestral conductor, award-winning filmmaker, and spoken-word performing artist. She has received worldwide acclaim for her work as a screenwriter and "actress" at several international film festivals. She is also the host of her own cable television talk show, The Noshing with Nina Show. Kennedy holds a master's degree from The Juilliard School, and was the recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Solo Recitalist Fellowship. She lives in Manhattan with her partner and their Russian Blue Tuxedo cat, Mittens Rachmaninoff.

Websites:

noshwithnina.tv

infemnity.com/nina-kennedy-booking

Brothers Jason and Joe grow up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, within a magical backyard of safety, comfort, and love. But when Joe is killed in a car accident just before Jason graduates from college, his idyllic world suddenly crumbles around him. As Jason and his family rely on their Catholic faith to help them through the unfathomable loss, no one has any idea that for years, Jason has been harboring a secret: he is gay.

With his youthful sense of immortality deeply shaken with Joe's death, Jason embarks on a journey of self-discovery after college graduation that leads him across Europe with the hope he can discover a new perspective on life, death, and living with loss. Even as he battles a seemingly endless internal struggle between the strict teachings from his Catholic faith and his overwhelming desire to live his life as a gay man, Jason continues to press on, realizing that his happiness depends on his determination to find the answers.

Amsterdam Angel is the compelling tale of one man's life-changing adventure across three continents in search of peace, love, and most importantly, his true self.

After leaving a career in the insurance industry and then one in massage therapy, Ryan Kurr decides to follow his dream of becoming a Pastry Chef. As Ryan whisks his way through some of Chicago's most acclaimed restaurants with notoriously difficult, award-winning chefs at the helm, he learns an important recipe for self-worth and balance that includes ingredients that are both sweet and savory. After graduating from pastry school, he began trial days in kitchens, quickly learning the pace was lightning-quick and strenuous. He struggled with his own intense anxieties and sensory overloads as he became acclimated to the industry. After landing his dream job at a famous pastry-driven restaurant, owned and operated by a recent James Beard Award winner, he struggled to keep up, stay alive and pay rent. Surrounded by adrenalized mania, and gargantuan egos, he began to question the structure of the culinary world, his skill and his dream. In turn, he then analyzed what it truly means to be successful. Sugar Burn is Kurr's detailed and truthful look into the world of professional pastry kitchens and all its pleasures and idiosyncrasies.

While working in a Kansas City car factory, a nomadic American artist decides, at the age of 42, that he's finally ready to learn how to drive. The following spring, he purchases his first vehicle, a dilapidated soccer-mom minivan that he nicknames "Pamela". Over the next six years, he and Pamela travel over 99,700 miles together ... getting lost, breaking down, blowing tires, taking on grueling jobs, chasing storms, skirting disaster, witnessing scenes of astonishing beauty, and discovering the grace of the open road. These essays on work, wanderlust, and the spirit of discovery are a testament to the glory hidden within everyday life, a love letter to a magic automobile, and a document of a transformative era.

This is a true story where one peeks inside a child's diary which tells of the impact of sexual, emotional, physical, and psychological abuses written from the child's perspective and in the child's language. It promises to be roller coaster ride for the reader full of honesty evoking laughter and tears as one crawls inside the mind of little Cyndi. Will she go though these things whole to the other side of sanity?

The Golden Age of Hollywood was truly a showcase for costume designers, some of whom-like Michael Woulfe-were lesser-known but made distinctive contributions to the glamour of this illustrious period. Michael takes the reader on his journey from a starstruck Brooklyn boy to a Hollywood costume designer who learns that Judy Garland has personally requested him to design her gowns for the gala film premiere of A Star Is Born. As in all fairytales, the journey is filled with joys and struggles-from Michael's first film assignment dressing Sylvia Sidney in Blood on the Sun, his encounters with nastiness under the glittery surface of Hollywood, and the madness of working under the personal direction of Howard Hughes at RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.

At the age of twenty-seven, Michael was one of the youngest costume designers in history to receive screen credit as Gown Designer. As head designer on more than sixty films, he created glamorous wardrobes and gowns for Hollywood stars and legends such as Claudette Colbert, Laraine Day, Ava Gardner, Judy Garland, Susan Hayward, Janet Leigh, Marilyn Monroe, Terry Moore, Debbie Reynolds, Jane Russell, Jean Simmons, Barbara Stanwyck, Sylvia Sydney, Claire Trevor, and Loretta Young.

Howard Hughes taxed Michael's endurance to the limit during their more than 25-year relationship that began at RKO Radio Pictures and ended at Hughes Productions. Hughes's frequent meddling created exasperating and zany adventures for Michael, while his constant demands to show maximum cleavage often stifled creativity and culminated in the censorship of The French Line, Son of Sinbad, and The Conqueror. Michael's film credits at RKO also include the studio's first big-budget Technicolor film Tycoon starring John Wayne and Laraine Day, My Forbidden Past starring Ava Gardner, and Clash by Night starring Barbara Stanwyck and co-starring Marilyn Monroe.

"Glamour and Mischief!" is the first comprehensive look at a talented costume designer who had an out-of-the-ordinary career. The book takes us from RKO's wardrobe room to the executive suites. Astonishingly, top executives must wait outside their own offices while Michael has private phone conversations with Howard Hughes and is charged with relaying orders back to RKO's production chiefs.

David V. Jervis, after unearthing a treasure trove of memorabilia and an unpublished memoir, pays tribute to a man who loved the glamour of the Golden Age of Hollywood. He offers his special perspective as Michael's close friend and confidante.

Michael Woulfe had a keen memory along with the ability to narrate engaging stories. "Glamour and Mischief!"-with over 200 images, including color sketches, photographs, newspaper clippings, and personal letters-offers a fresh, humorous, and insightful look into an intriguing Hollywood costume design career.

Paulyanna: International Rent-boy is an honest and frank portrayal of a working-class male prostitute's life. Many factors contribute in delivering the main character onto the streets. Some very typical, such as early abandonment, poverty, lack of education and sexual abuse. But Paul does not dwell too much on the past and refuses to allow these events to mar his ambition. At eighteen a lost train ticket leaves him stranded in the city after a job interview. He uses his questionable wits to make a quick decision that steers him down a rather dodgy path. Without added glamour or grit, Paul shares the raw accounts of his life as a rent-boy in the 90s, from London to Los Angeles. It may not have been pretty, and there was risk and danger as well as fun and thrills, but Paul had the audacity to succeed in his quest to obtain happiness, security and wealth. This is not an erotic tale. It is an ordinary account of day-to-day life as viewed from a unique perspective. A peek into what really goes on behind the glassy-eyed smile of a male street worker. Read about his life in this optimistic and fascinating roadbook adventure.