Are you the black sheep in your family who chafes at traditions and seeks examples of how to redefine them? The Wisdom of Guncles is about queer people and their relationship with family - however they choose to define it. Featuring a diverse pantheon of gay uncles ("guncles") and other queer mentors, their stories offer unique perspectives about life, love, and personal empowerment. With each chapter, Dumlao examines what various LGBTQ+ experiences teach about disrupting norms, exploring identity, and creating chosen families that affirm one's truth. Readers will ponder questions such as: How do I challenge and change traditions that hide those that are different? If I choose to never dim my light, will I become a beacon for others lost in the dark? How will recovering past stories and unsung heroes help us create a better future? How can I leave a space more welcoming than how I found it? The Wisdom of Guncles shares ten powerful journeys, each bearing knowledge honed through struggle and triumph, on living with audacious authenticity and compassion. While these narratives are unapologetically queer, they hold universal lessons about the human condition that, like all stories about family, are grounded in love.

Pride.com called it "The gay uncles' rule book we never knew we needed!" Gay uncles have become one of the most beloved family members (not to mention amazing role models), and National Guncles Day has even become a social media-approved holiday, inspiring adorable Instagram photo ops. The family dynamic in the 21st century has become anything but typical. With the progress of social awareness in our society, there comes a new, ever-changing, diverse face of America. But one thing that’s almost universal with the American family is the guncle! Introductory material from Daniel Franzese (Mean Girls, Looking, Party Monster) and Johnny Sibilly (Pose, The Deuce, Liza on Demand) sets the tone for this fun, interactive guide all guncles will enjoy. Packed with relateable and sometimes surprising stories, you'll also find: Quotes from famous guncles like James Baldwin, Oscar Wilde, RuPaul Charles, Ian McKellen, Harvey Milk, Lil Nas X, and more Guncle Wisdom boxes containing takeaways from the chapters Advice on how to talk to your nieces and nephews about being gay and coming out (you or them!) Stats on LGBTQ youth and mental health The ultimate guncle bucket list How to spoil your nieces and nephews Photo tips for being the best insta-guncle around And more! In The Guncle Guide, Glenn Garner, who has gained a lifetime of knowledge as a gay uncle to twenty-two nieces and nephews, imparts some of that wisdom through heartwarming anecdotes and useful tips and tricks. This book will make the perfect gift for your own beloved guncle.

From the author of Lily and the Octopus comes a moving and deeply funny novel about a once-famous sitcom star who is left to care for his niece and nephew after an unexpected family tragedy. Patrick, or Gay Uncle Patrick (GUP for short), has always loved his niece, Maisie, and nephew, Grant. That is, he loves spending time with them … in small doses, with their parents there to handle the tears and tricky questions. So when tragedy strikes and Patrick finds himself suddenly taking on the role of primary guardian, he is, honestly, overwhelmed. Patrick has no idea what to expect, having spent years barely holding on after the loss of his great love, a stalled acting career, and a lifestyle not-so-suited to young children. But when he realises that parenting isn’t solved with treats and jokes, Patrick’s eyes are opened to a new sense of responsibility and the realisation that, sometimes, being vulnerable is the only way to heal from grief. Tender, charming and laugh-out-loud funny, The Guncle is a testament to finding happiness and peace in the most trying of times. ‘Steven Rowley’s The Guncle is a gift. At once funny, charming and heartbreaking, it’s that rare novel that will have you laughing out loud, even through tears. I have yet to meet a person who did not love this book.’ Sally Hepworth, bestselling author of The Good Sister and The Younger Wife ‘A joyous Auntie Mame spritz! A reading pleasure; pour yourself a tall glass and enjoy, preferably poolside. You deserve it!’ Andrew Sean Greer, winner of the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Less

The books in The Path to Self-Mastery series present a set of mystical and practical initiations designed to raise your consciousness and unlock your creative potential. Each book presents the initiations of one of the seven spiritual rays. Everything in the material universe is created from the energies of the seven rays. The way to increase your creative powers and manifest the life you want is to master the creative energies of these rays. This book presents the seven initiations of the Second Ray of wisdom and illumination. Each teaching is accompanied by a practical exercise designed to help you invoke and direct the creative energies of the Second Ray. This helps you integrate the lesson, shift your consciousness and manifest practical changes in your life. Master Lanto will teach you: How to stop using wisdom as a weapon How to avoid becoming imprisoned by wisdom How to love wisely How to overcome the quest for ultimate wisdom How to heal yourself by giving up false wisdom How to find peace beyond value judgments How to be free in expressing your inner wisdom

A national bestseller combining the emotional depth of The Art of Racing in the Rain with the magical spirit of The Life of Pi, “Lily and the Octopus is the dog book you must read this summer” (The Washington Post). Ted—a gay, single, struggling writer is stuck: unable to open himself up to intimacy except through the steadfast companionship of Lily, his elderly dachshund. When Lily’s health is compromised, Ted vows to save her by any means necessary. By turns hilarious and poignant, an adventure with spins into magic realism and beautifully evoked truths of loss and longing, Lily and the Octopus reminds us how it feels to love fiercely, how difficult it can be to let go, and how the fight for those we love is the greatest fight of all. Introducing a dazzling and completely original new voice in fiction and an unforgettable hound that will break your heart—and put it back together again. Remember the last book you told someone they had to read? Lily and the Octopus is the next one. “Startlingly imaginative...this love story is sure to assert its place in the canine lit pack...Be prepared for outright laughs and searing or silly moments of canine and human recognition. And grab a tissue: “THERE! WILL! BE! EYE! RAIN!” (New York Newsday).

Meet the LGBTQ+ dealmakers, trailblazers, and glass-ceiling breakers in business, politics, and beyond. The people who are creating national public policy, running billion-dollar tech enterprises, and winning Olympic medals. Andrew Gelwicks interviews the leaders who have forged their own paths and changed the world. From Troye Sivan to Margaret Cho, George Takei to Billie Jean King, Shangela to Adam Rippon, each person credits their queer identity with giving them an edge in their paths to success. Their stories brim with the hard-won lessons gained over their careers. With variances in age, background, careers, and races, key themes shine through: Channeling anger in a positive way -- using it as rocket fuel to succeed Leveraging your difference to beget new ideas and strategies Bridging generational gaps Accessing resources to conquer crippling denial, internalized homophobia, and doubt The power of the Internet as a tool of self-discovery Using your sensitivity and attunement to read the room, deciding when to fit in and when to stand out Finding a queer tribe and learning to help and lean on one another Collecting incisive, deeply personal conversations with LGBTQ+ trailblazers about how they leveraged the challenges and insights they had as relative outsiders to succeed in the worlds of business, tech, politics, Hollywood, sports and beyond, The Queer Advantage celebrates the unique, supercharged power of queerness.

Big data entrepreneur Allen Gannett overturns the mythology around creative genius, and reveals the science and secrets behind achieving breakout commercial success in any field. We have been spoon-fed the notion that creativity is the province of genius -- of those favored, brilliant few whose moments of insight arrive in unpredictable flashes of divine inspiration. And if we are not a genius, we might as well pack it in and give up. Either we have that gift, or we don’t. But Allen shows that simply isn’t true. Recent research has shown that there is a predictable science behind achieving commercial success in any creative endeavor, from writing a popular novel to starting up a successful company to creating an effective marketing campaign. As the world’s most creative people have discovered, we are enticed by the novel and the familiar. By understanding the mechanics of what Gannett calls “the creative curve” – the point of optimal tension between the novel and the familiar – everyone can better engineer mainstream success. In a thoroughly entertaining book that describes the stories and insights of everyone from the Broadway team behind Dear Evan Hansen, to the founder of Reddit, from the Chief Content Officer of Netflix to Michelin star chefs, Gannett reveals the four laws of creative success and identifies the common patterns behind their achievement.

Chloe loves, loves, LOVES her special uncle Bobby. So when she learns that Uncle Bobby is going to be getting married to his boyfriend Jamie she's not at all pleased. What if Uncle Bobby doesn't have time to play with Chloe anymore? But after spending a fun-filled day with Bobby and Jamie, she soon realises she's not losing an uncle, but gaining a whole new one! An uplifting celebration of love in all its forms, this book is perfect for any child who has a special grown-up in their life.

The Instant New York Times Bestseller "From “Family Guy” to his own Instagram account, Janetti has been behind some of his generation’s greatest comedy. This book of essays is no exception." — The New York Times Fans of David Sedaris, Jenny Lawson, and Tina Fey... meet your new friend Gary Janetti. Gary Janetti, the writer and producer for some of the most popular television comedies of all time, and creator of one of the most wickedly funny Instagram accounts there is, now turns his skills to the page in a hilarious, and poignant book chronicling the pains and indignities of everyday life. Gary spends his twenties in New York, dreaming of starring on soap operas while in reality working at a hotel where he lusts after an unattainable colleague and battles a bellman who despises it when people actually use a bell to call him. He chronicles the torture of finding a job before the internet when you had to talk on the phone all the time, and fantasizes, as we all do, about who to tell off when he finally wins an Oscar. As Gary himself says, “These are essays from my childhood and young adulthood about things that still annoy me.” Original, brazen, and laugh out loud funny, Do You Mind If I Cancel? is something not to be missed.

A definitive deep-dive into queer history and culture with hit reality show RuPaul's Drag Race as a touchstone, by the creators of the pop culture blog Tom and Lorenzo NPR's Best Books of the Year 2020 pick A New York Times New & Noteworthy book One of Logo/NewNowNext's "11 Queer Books We Can't Wait to Read This Spring" From the singular voices behind Tom and Lorenzo comes the ultimate guide to all-things RuPaul's Drag Race and its influence on modern LGBTQ culture. Legendary Children centers itself around the idea that not only is RuPaul's Drag Race the queerest show in the history of television, but that RuPaul and company devised a show that serves as an actual museum of queer cultural and social history, drawing on queer traditions and the work of legendary figures going back nearly a century. In doing so, Drag Race became not only a repository of queer history and culture, but also an examination and illustration of queer life in the modern age. It is a snapshot of how LGBTQ folks live, struggle, work, and reach out to one another--and how they always have--and every bit of it is tied directly to Drag Race. Each chapter is an examination of a specific aspect of the show--the Werk Room, the Library, the Pit Crew, the runway, the Untucked lounge, the Snatch Game--that ties to a specific aspect of queer cultural history and/or the work of certain legendary figures in queer cultural history.