Books↙ | 6 |
---|---|
Articles↙ | 19 |
Books edited↙ | 1 |
Newspapers edited↙ | 1 |
Advice column↙ | 1 |
Contributor in books↙ | 12 |
Television↙ | 4 |
Theatre↙ | 13 |
References and footnotes |
American author Dan Savage (born October 7, 1964)[1] has written six books, op-ed pieces in The New York Times, and an advice column on sexual issues in The Stranger (an alternative newspaper from Seattle, Washington).[2][3] A graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign,[2] Savage began contributing a column, Savage Love, to The Stranger from its inception in 1991.[4][5][6] By 1998 his column had a readership of four million.[7] He was Associate Editor at the newspaper from 1991 to 2001, when he became its editor-in-chief,[3] later becoming its editorial director in 2007.[8]
Savage's books have had successful sales results and have been generally well received. Savage Love: Straight Answers from America's Most Popular Sex Columnist was published in 1998 and features selections from his advice column.[9][10] His next book The Kid: What Happened After My Boyfriend and I Decided to Go Get Pregnant was published in 1999, and recounts his experiences with his boyfriend whilst deciding to adopt a child.[11] The book received a PEN West Award for Excellence in Creative Nonfiction,[2][12][13] and an Off-Broadway musical based on the work was the recipient of the BMI Foundation Jerry Bock Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre.[14] Skipping Towards Gomorrah: The Seven Deadly Sins and the Pursuit of Happiness in America, published in 2002, describes the author's experiences indulging in the seven deadly sins.[15] The book was featured in The Best American Sex Writing 2004,[16] and won a Lambda Literary Award.[2][17]
Savage's 2005 book The Commitment: Love, Sex, Marriage, and My Family, recounting his personal experience deciding to marry his partner Terry Miller and analyzing same-sex marriage,[18] reached The New York Times Best Seller list,[19] and Nielsen BookScan noted it sold approximately 300,000 copies.[20] After founding the It Gets Better Project in 2010 to reach out to teenagers after incidents of suicide among LGBT youth,[21] his edited compilation of submissions It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living was published in 2011.[22] The book features notable contributors, including David Sedaris, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama.[22] Sales of the book were successful, and IndieBound reported it reached a list of best-sellers in the United States less than one week after publication.[23][24] It reached 16th on The New York Times Best Seller list in April 2011.[25] Savage collaborated with Lindy West, Christopher Frizzelle, and Bethany Jean Clement on a college guide, How to Be a Person, which was published in 2012.[26] His 2013 book American Savage reflects on Savage's experiences throughout the founding of the It Gets Better Project and was well received by The Washington Post and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.[27][28]
Year | Title | Identifiers | Publisher | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1998 | Savage Love: Straight Answers from America's Most Popular Sex Columnist | ISBN 978-0-452-27815-8 LCCN 98-20611 OCLC 39157512 |
Plume | Savage Love includes pieces from the author's sex advice column of the same name.[9][29] The book received a favorable reception in reviews from Library Journal,[10] Mademoiselle,[30] POZ,[31] and Gay and Lesbian Humanist.[32] |
1999 | The Kid: What Happened After My Boyfriend and I Decided to Go Get Pregnant | ISBN 978-0-525-94525-3 LCCN 99-32506 OCLC 41445757 |
Dutton | The Kid delves into the machinations involved in the process of adopting an infant boy, through the experiences of the author and his boyfriend.[11] The Kid is the recipient of a PEN West Award,[2][13] for Excellence in Creative Nonfiction.[12] The book was adapted into a musical in 2010 by librettist Michael Zam, with music composed by Andy Monroe, and lyrics by Jack Lechner.[33] It was performed Off-Broadway in Theatre Row, New York City; directed by Scott Elliott.[33][34] The play was the recipient of the BMI Foundation Jerry Bock Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre in 2009.[14] |
2002 | Skipping Towards Gomorrah: The Seven Deadly Sins and the Pursuit of Happiness in America | ISBN 978-0-452-28416-6 LCCN 2002-21252 OCLC 49421653 |
Dutton | The book's title is a reference to Robert Bork's 1996 book, Slouching Towards Gomorrah.[2][35] Skipping Towards Gomorrah examines the concept of happiness in American culture, as obtained by indulging in each of the Seven Deadly Sins.[15] Skipping Towards Gomorrah was selected for inclusion in The Best American Sex Writing 2004,[16] and won a Lambda Literary Award in 2003.[2][17][36] |
2005 | The Commitment: Love, Sex, Marriage, and My Family | ISBN 978-0-525-94907-7 LCCN 2006-297911 OCLC 61492912 |
Dutton | The Commitment recounts the author's experiences along with his partner, Terry Miller, as they debate getting married after spending 10 years in a relationship together.[18][37] The book reached The New York Times Best Seller list one month after it was published,[19] and saw successful sales with independent bookstores.[38] The Washington Post reported that according to Nielsen BookScan, approximately 300,000 copies of the book were sold.[20] |
2012 | How to Be a Person: The Stranger's Guide to College, Sex, Intoxicants, Tacos, and Life Itself | ISBN 978-1-57061-778-2 LCCN 2012-11132 OCLC 764336078 |
Sasquatch Books | How to Be a Person was co-authored with Lindy West, Christopher Frizzelle, Bethany Jean Clement.[26]
The book received a favorable review in the New York Post in their "Required Reading" section.[39] |
2013 | American Savage: Insights, Slights, and Fights on Faith, Sex, Love, and Politics | ISBN 978-0-525-95410-1 | Dutton | American Savage is a collection of essays that reflect on the author's experiences during the years prior to the book's publication, including the founding of the It Gets Better Project with his husband.[40]
The book received a positive reception from Chandler Burr of The Washington Post,[27] the Seattle Post-Intelligencer,[28] Entertainment Weekly,[41] and The A.V. Club;[42] while Reason criticized the book for being disorganized.[43] |
Year | Title | Identifiers | Publisher | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
2011 | It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living | ISBN 978-0-525-95233-6 LCCN 2011-283060 OCLC 690088227 |
Dutton | Savage started the It Gets Better Project in September 2010 to address incidents of suicide among LGBT youth.[21] It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living contains selections of writings addressed to teenagers within the LGBT community.[44] Celebrities, ordinary individuals and teenagers submitted pieces for inclusion in the book,[45][46] which includes over 100 essays,[47] selected from 10,000 entries.[48] |
Year | Author | Title | Identifiers | Publisher | Contribution |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2000 | Noelle Howey; Ellen Samuels | Out of the Ordinary: Essays on Growing Up with Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Parents | ISBN 978-0-312-24489-7 LCCN 00-25493 OCLC 43540186 |
St. Martin's Press | Preface[49] |
2001 | Ariel Gore; Bee Lavender | Breeder: Real-Life Stories from the New Generation of Mothers | ISBN 978-1-58005-051-7 LCCN 00-54914 OCLC 45636941 |
Seal Press | Foreword[50] |
2004 | Daniel O'Connor | The Best American Sex Writing 2004 | ISBN 978-1-56025-598-7 LCCN 2005-205773 OCLC 57047561 |
Running Press | Featured selection: Skipping Towards Gomorrah[51] |
2004 | Kathy Pories | The "M" Word: Writers on Same-Sex Marriage | ISBN 978-1-56512-454-7 LCCN 2004-54571 OCLC 55887361 |
Algonquin Books | Essay: "Double Standards"[52] |
2006 | Pamela Kruger; Jill Smolowe | A Love Like No Other: Stories from Adoptive Parents | ISBN 978-1-59448-215-1 LCCN 2005-42140 OCLC 57625643 |
Riverhead Trade | Chapter: "Living with a Very Open Adoption"[53] |
2007 | Daniel Jones | Modern Love: 50 True and Extraordinary Tales of Desire, Deceit, and Devotion | ISBN 978-0-307-35104-3 LCCN 2006-29412 OCLC 71350359 |
Three Rivers Press | Chapter: "DJ's Homeless Mommy"[54] |
2007 | Lloyd Dangle | Troubletown Told You So: Comics that Could've Saved Us from this Mess | ISBN 978-0-9723544-1-7 OCLC 154800614 |
Troubletown Books | Introduction[55] |
2008 | Annie Knepler; Ellie Knepler, Myrna Knepler | Crossing Cultures: Readings for Composition | ISBN 978-0-618-91806-5 OCLC 141385491 LCCN 2006-26289 |
Cengage | Chapter: "Role Reversal"[56] |
2008 | Ben Karlin | Things I've Learned from Women Who've Dumped Me | ISBN 978-0-446-58069-4 LCCN 2007-37697 OCLC 154698729 |
Grand Central Publishing | Chapter: "I am a Gay Man"; "Lesson #14"[57] |
2009 | Rebecca Walker | One Big Happy Family: 18 Writers Talk About Polyamory, Open Adoption, Mixed Marriage, Househusbandry, Single Motherhood, and Other Realities of Truly Modern Love | ISBN 978-1-59448-862-7 LCCN 2008-50339 OCLC 233548166 |
Riverhead Books | Chapter: "The Enemy Within"[58] |
2012 | Merle Miller | On Being Different: What It Means to Be a Homosexual | ISBN 978-0-14-310696-8 LCCN 2012-23606 OCLC 778419347 |
Penguin Classics | Foreword[59] |
2013 | Matt Hern | Stay Solid!: A Radical Handbook for Youth | ISBN 978-1-84935-099-0 OCLC 843174077 |
AK Press | Contributor: Section "Sex"[60] |
Year | Award | Work | Organization | Result | References |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1995 | Seattle Pretty Inclusive Theater (SPIT) Award | Saint Joan, play produced by Greek Active | The Stranger | Won | [82] |
1999 | PEN West Award for Excellence in Creative Nonfiction | The Kid: What Happened After My Boyfriend and I Decided to Go Get Pregnant | PEN Center USA | Won | [2][12][13] |
2003 | Lambda Literary Award | Skipping Towards Gomorrah: The Seven Deadly Sins and the Pursuit of Happiness in America | Lambda Literary Foundation | Won | [2][17][36] |
2004 | The Best American Sex Writing 2004 | Running Press | Featured selection | [16] | |
2010 | Mashable Award | It Gets Better Project, social web personality | Mashable Inc. | Nominated | [104] |
2011 | Webby Award for Special Achievement | It Gets Better Project | International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences | Won | [105][106] |
Anthony Giffard "Make the Change" Award | Master of Communication in Digital Media program, University of Washington | Won | [107][108][109] | ||
2012 | Emmy Governors Award | It Gets Better Project | Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Board of Governors (ATAS)[110][111] | Won | [112][113][114] |
Emmy Award (Category: Outstanding Children's Nonfiction, Reality or Reality-Competition Program) | It Gets Better: Television Special, MTV | ATAS/NATAS | Nominated | [115][116][117] | |
2013 | Bonham Centre Award | It Gets Better Project | The Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies at the University of Toronto | Won | [118] |
Humanist of the Year | Body of writing, activism for separation of church and state, and support for LGBT youth | American Humanist Association | Won | [119][120][121] | |
2014 | Readers' Choice Award | Body of writing, It Gets Better Project, It Gets Better specials | Out magazine | Nominated | [122] |