Soon back in print!
Bears on Bears: Interviews & Discussions
Revised edition
Including five new interviews
by Ron Jackson Suresha
Contents
* New to this edition
Part One: Bear Philosophy and Identity
1. Bears as Subcultural Subversives. An interview with Eric Rofes
2. You Can Lead a Bear to Culture But … A discussion with David Bergman and Michael Bronski
3. Big “B” Bears and Little “B” Bears. A discussion with Wayne Hoffman, Chris Wittke, and Rex Wockner
4. Bear Essentials: Bear Spirit in Community. A discussion with Al Cotton, Alex Damman, and Jim Mitulski
5. Bear Affirmation, Bear Activism. An interview with Rev. Troy Perry *
Part Two: Bear History and Evolution
6. The Birth of Girth and Mirth. An interview with Reed Wilgoren
7. Bearness’s Big Blank: Tracing the Genome of Ursomasculinity. An interview with Jack Fritscher
8. Rainbow MC and the Old Lone Star. A discussion with Pete Vafiades
9. Let the Laughing Bear Lead. An interview with Rick Trombly
10. From Cult to Subculture to Couture: Evolving Bear Community. A discussion with Les Wright
Part Three: Bear Arts and Culture
11. Hoping for Something Bigger. An interview with Bruce Vilanch
12. Surviving as a Fat Naked Fag. An interview with Rich Hatch
13. An Entertaining Bear Life. An interview with Larry Flick *
14. The Cartoonist as Middle-Aged Bear. An interview with Tim Barela
15. Bear Like Him. An interview with Jonathan Cohen *
16. Telling a New Bear’s Story. An interview with Kevin Bowe *
17. Does a Bear Run in the Woods? An interview with Dan Hunt *
Part Four: Bear Sex and Styles
18. What Makes a Bear Porn Legend? An interview with Jack Radcliffe
19. Weight and Fat as Masculine Drag. A discussion with Dr. Lawrence Mass
20. Bear Beauty and the Affirmation of Bear Contests. A discussion with Craig Byrnes, Gene Landry, and Michael Patterson
21. Bearotica and the Selling of Bearsex. A discussion with Richard Labonté and Tim Martin
22. Circuit Bears and the Bear Circus. A discussion with Lou Dattilo, Frank Perricone, Kajunbear, and Danny Williams
Part Five: Bear Ages and Stages
23. Bear Maturity, Bear Masculinity. A discussion with Arnie Kantrowitz and Mark Thompson
24. Tourists in Bearland: Nonbearish Bear-Lovers. A discussion with Manny Lim and Kirk Read
25. Ethnic Bears and Bears of Color. A discussion with David Gerard, Ali Lopez, and George Varas
26. From Boomer Bears to Gen-X Bears to Bear Youth. A discussion with Terry Jamro, Brian Kearns, and Heath McKay
Part Six: Bears Embodied and Beyond
27. Lesbears and Transbears: Dykes and FTMs as Bears. A discussion with S. Bear Bergman, Drew Campbell, Michael “Mike” Hernandez, and Matt Rice
28. Technobears and Cybearspace. A discussion with Steve Dyer, Jeff Glover, Mike Ramsey, and Alex Schell
29. A Space beyond Beardom: Postbears and Ex-Bears. A discussion with Van Buckley, Steven Evans, and Tim Morrison
30. International Bear Brotherhood. A discussion with Eduardo Chavez, Seumas Hyslop, Xavier Navarro, Marcelo Perales, Glen Purdon, Mali Sahin, Woody Shimko, and Justin Spooner
Selected Bibliography and Resources
*
Praise for the first edition of Bears on Bears: Interviews & Discussion
“The invaluable book [on Bears].” — Andrew Sullivan, Salon.com
“I wasn’t expecting Bears on Bears to touch me on such a deep level. … My personal connection to bears never occurred to me until I read this book. In fact, I think it should be required reading for anyone interested in gender studies because it’s about bears, and then it is about so much more than bears.” — Tristan Taormino, Village Voice
“Ambitious, entertaining, and often insightful … [its] give-and-take makes the book accessible, even inviting, for bears and non-bears alike.” — Kevin Riordan, Philadelphia Gay News
“A rich ethnographic forum … Bears on Bears is an extremely thorough primer on the Bear movement … indispensable. — Brøn Thorson, X Factor [Phoenix, AZ]
“A fascinating collection of confessions, opinions and attitudes. … will make you laugh, cry, cringe with guilt and pain, and generally feel astounded.” — Hal Campbell, We the People [Santa Rosa, CA]
“The quintessential book on Beardom, both for the uninitiated and for those who fancy themselves bear experts. Bears on Bears will open eyes to a diverse world, within a diverse world, that is full of history and change.” — Ken Gies, MidwestTimes.com
“A fascinating collection … insightful, often hilarious, stimulating, and thought-provoking. Suresha is to be commended … As interesting to non-Bears as it is to Bears.” — Geoff Parkes, “Logged Off” [Australia]
One of “My Favorite Books of 2002” — Bears on Bears … was easily the most joyous book I read last year. It also generated the most reader response.” — Hal Campbell, We The People [Santa Rosa, CA]
“A diverse collection of interviews with bears and their admirers on hot-button issues within bear culture. … Bears on Bears celebrates the individuals involved … through its candid discussions with bears from all walks of life.” — Mekado Murphy, Dallas Voice
“Lively … thought-provoking … never dull or boring. … Definitely worth a read.” — Dirk Kriete, Scotsgay
“In no way just another dull, scholarly tome, it’s a series of lively interviews … an easy, entertaining read. … Anyone who’s a bear, into bear culture, or not a bear but loves their bear men, ought to find this book a must-read. But anyone with an interest in the gay subculture in general will come away with a heightened sense of awareness about our community’s amazing diversity.” — Arthur Scuttle, The Letter [Louisville, KY]
“These interviews, from a diverse cross-section of men, leave a variety of impressions, like so many different-sized paw-prints, across the reader’s heart.” — Tony Peregrin, Windy City Times [Chicago]
“The encyclopaedia of bears.” — Laurence P. Byrne, GCN [Dublin, Ireland]
