Hodder & Stoughton is delighted to announce the publication of Eat, Gay, Love by writer and radio presenter Calum McSwiggan.
Ian Wong, Assistant Editor for Non-Fiction, acquired World Rights from Ella Kahn at Diamond Kahn & Woods Literary Agency. The book will be published in hardback, trade paperback, eBook and audio on 28 May 2020.
Eat, Gay, Love is Calum’s first book and is a heartfelt, no-holds-barred account of his time travelling and working abroad as a young, single gay man, after the end of a long-term relationship. From a family home on the outskirts of Rome to the sex clubs of Berlin, to the busy streets of New Delhi and an animal sanctuary in Thailand, Calum finds his feet again by exploring the world beyond the small town he has known his whole life. Along the way, as he comes to terms with his own ups and downs, he meets people from all walks of life and every part of the rainbow. His meetings and friendships with them and the stories they share offer a glimpse not only of the different challenges faced by LGBT+ people around the world, but also the profound power and joy that can be found in community.
Calum McSwiggan is a writer, radio presenter, digital content creator and LGBT+ advocate who has worked with charities such as Switchboard, Terrence Higgins Trust and Stonewall. He hosted a popular radio show for FUBAR Radio and has also created several short films, including the award-winning Love Happens Here, which was named ‘Best LGBT+ Short Film’ at the Buffer Festival in Toronto. In 2019 he started a book club to encourage young people to read more LGBT+ literature.
Ian Wong says: ‘There’s a power in personal stories that helps us see ourselves in others – and others in ourselves. Calum’s story is in many ways very different from mine – I’ve certainly not been as up close with a tiger as he has! – but it touches on some things I’ve experienced myself growing up as a gay man halfway across the world, and those of many others I know. For readers outside the LGBT+ community, this book offers not just a wonderful read, but a way to step into our shoes for a little bit; above all, I hope it shows them that Calum and I are merely pieces of a much bigger puzzle, and opens the way for them to seek and listen to the stories of others in our community, too.’
Calum says: ‘I’ve always had passion for reading about the unpredictable nature of life on the road, and I’m excited to be able to share my own experience of it as a young gay man. Many of the stories in the book I’ve already been fondly telling my closest friends and family for years, but some of them are also stories I have never shared before. Representation is enormously important to me, and my hope is that by telling my story and those of the people I met, fellow members of my community will be able to see themselves reflected in these pages, in however small a way. It’s also my hope that people from outside the LGBT+ community will find some connection with these stories as well – because above all else, it’s a story of friendship, hospitality and the kindness of strangers, and I think that’s something that absolutely everyone can relate to.’
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