S. Bear Bergman

S. Bear Bergman
S. Bear Bergman at the Center for Sex and Culture
Bergman at the Center for Sex and Culture, San Francisco
Born (1974-09-22) September 22, 1974 (age 50)
United States
OccupationWriter, theater artist
LanguageEnglish
Period2002–present
SubjectLGBT
Notable worksButch Is A Noun
SpouseJ. Wallace Skelton[1]
Website
www.sbearbergman.com

S. Bear Bergman (born September 22, 1974) is an American author, poet, playwright, and theater artist. He is a trans man, and his gender identity is a main focus of his artwork.[2]

Biography

Bergman, who was educated at Concord Academy, was one of the founders of the first Gay–straight alliance[3] and a member of the Governor of Massachusetts' Safe Schools Commission for LGBT youth.[4] He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree[citation needed] from Hampshire College in 1996.[5]

Bergman's first book, Butch Is A Noun, was released in September 2006 by Suspect Thoughts Press and was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award in the LGBT Nonfiction category.[6] A new edition was published by Arsenal Pulp Press in 2010. Bergman's second book, The Nearest Exit May Be Behind You, was released by Arsenal Pulp Press in the fall of 2009 and was a Lambda Literary Award finalist in the Transgender category.[7] He co-edited with genderqueer author Kate Bornstein Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation, which won a 2011 Lambda Literary Award in the LGBT Anthology category[8] and a special Judges Award from the Publishing Triangle.[9] He is also the author of four books for children (one of which, The Adventures of Tulip, Birthday Wish Fairy, was a 2013 Lambda Literary Award finalist in the LGBT Children's/Young Adult category[10]) and has a sixth book titled Blood, Marriage, Wine & Glitter published September 23, 2013 from Arsenal Pulp Press.

In addition, Bergman continues to lecture and perform at universities, festivals and theatres throughout the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. His performances have received judges' awards at each of the last three biennial National Gay & Lesbian Theatre Festival[11] in Columbus, Ohio, including Best of the Festival and Best New Work. In 2005, Bergman was awarded a Massachusetts Cultural Council grant for playwriting, as well as a Millay Colony for the Arts Fellowship award.[12] He has also been given an assortment of honors for service to the transgender community, including The Spirit of Stonewall Award, the Trans 100[13] has been selected to the Toronto Arts Council Leaders Lab for his work in equity in the arts,[14] and similar.

Bergman is the founder and publisher[15] of Flamingo Rampant, a micropress focused on making celebratory, inclusive picture books for LGBT2Q+ children and families. He also writes the popular advice column Asking Bear, which ran on the Bitch media platform[16] from 2015-2017 and is now an independent column.

Bergman lives in Toronto, Ontario, and is married to educator J Wallace Skelton. They have three children. Bergman has openly discussed his polyamorous orientation[17] in his essays.

In 2015, Bergman wrote, as a Contributor for the Huffington Post, an article entitled "I Have Come to Indoctrinate Your Children Into My LGBTQ Agenda (And I'm Not a Bit Sorry)."[18]

Books

  • Special Topics in Being a Human: A Queer and Tender Guide to Things I've Learned the Hard Way about Caring For People, Including Myself 2021, Arsenal Pulp Press, ISBN 978-1551528540
  • Blood, Marriage, Wine & Glitter 2013, Arsenal Pulp Press, ISBN 978-1-55152-511-2
  • The Adventures of Tulip, Birthday Wish Fairy 2012, Flamingo Rampant, ISBN 978-0987976307
  • Backwards Day 2012, Flamingo Rampant, ISBN 978-0987976314
  • Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation co-edited with Kate Bornstein. 2010, Seal Press ISBN 978-1-58005-308-2
  • The Nearest Exit May Be Behind You 2009, Arsenal Pulp Press, ISBN 978-1-55152-264-7
  • Butch Is A Noun 2006, reissued 2010, Arsenal Pulp Press, ISBN 978-1-55152-369-9

Theater and performance

  • Gender Reveal Party[19]
  • Machatunim
  • The Virginity Lost & Found
  • Monday Night in Westerbork
  • Clearly Marked
  • You'll Never Piss In This Town Again
  • Ex Post Papa
  • The First Jew in Canada: A Trans Tale

References

  1. ^ "Writing". Archived from the original on November 16, 2013.
  2. ^ "My Conversation With Customs/Immigration Upon Returning To Canada Today (Unedited)". S Bear Bergman's blog. Archived from the original on July 9, 2012. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  3. ^ Standing Out, Standing Together: The Social and Political Impact of Gay-Straight Alliances. Miceli, Melinda. NYC, 2005. Routledge
  4. ^ Making Schools Safe for Gay and Lesbian Youth: Breaking the Silence in Schools and in Families: Education Report Archived September 15, 2012, at the Wayback Machine The Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth, February 25, 1993
  5. ^ "Hampshire Alum and Writer S. Bear Bergman 92F's New Book is an Illustrated Guide to the Challenging Parts of Being Human". Hampshire College. October 8, 2021. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  6. ^ "CV" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016.
  7. ^ "22nd Annual Lambda Literary Awards". May 10, 2010. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  8. ^ "23rd Annual Lambda Literary Awards". Archived from the original on June 8, 2019. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  9. ^ "Publishing Triangle 2011 Awards". Archived from the original on July 29, 2019. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
  10. ^ "25th Annual Lambda Literary Award Winners Announced!". June 4, 2013. Archived from the original on March 31, 2015. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  11. ^ Award Winners Of The 2004 Festival Archived July 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Columbustheatrefestival.com.
  12. ^ Writers Archived March 10, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Millay Colony.
  13. ^ "100 Amazing Trans Americans You Should Know". BuzzFeed. April 9, 2013. Archived from the original on February 7, 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  14. ^ "TAC Leaders Lab Fellows: 2018 Cohort - Toronto Arts Council". torontoartscouncil.org. Archived from the original on October 26, 2019. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  15. ^ Rawhani, Anisa. "Flamingo Rampant's Diverse Queer Kids Books Centre Joy, Not Injury – Broken Pencil Magazine". Archived from the original on October 26, 2019. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  16. ^ "Ask Bear". Bitch Media. Archived from the original on October 26, 2019. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  17. ^ Bergman, S. Bear (September 23, 2013). Blood, Marriage, Wine, & Glitter. arsenal pulp press. ISBN 9781551525129.
  18. ^ Bergman, S. Bear (March 7, 2015). "I Have Come to Indoctrinate Your Children Into My LGBTQ Agenda (And I'm Not a Bit Sorry)". Archived from the original on April 12, 2022. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  19. ^ Sumi, Glenn (August 10, 2019). "SummerWorks review: Gender Reveal Party". NOW Magazine. Retrieved October 26, 2019.[permanent dead link‍]