Welcome to Listen Together: Libro.fm Audiobook Club! Meet the host, get the audiobook, learn about the author, and save your Listening Schedule for July.
Meet the Host: Hunter of @shelfbyshelf
My name is Hunter, otherwise know as @shelfbyshelf. I’m a writer, reader, cupcake eater. Reading is the constant in my life—I love every kind of book, and discussing them at length with whoever will listen.
My favorite people to discuss books with are my friends at my local indie bookstore, The Bookshelf in Thomasville, Ga. I’ve been going there since I was a kid, I got engaged there, and it’s the place that’s always brought the most joy. While I haven’t been able to shop in person due to quarantine, it’s been great to support them in other ways, like through Libro.fm.
Audiobook Pick: The Groom Will Keep His Name
A riotous collection of “witty and captivating” (Bitch Magazine) essays by Matt Ortile, a gay Filipino immigrant in America learning that everything is about sex—and sex is about power.
When Matt Ortile moved from Manila to Las Vegas, the locals couldn’t pronounce his name. Harassed as a kid for his brown skin, accent, and femininity, he believed he could belong in America by marrying a white man and shedding his Filipino identity. This was the first myth he told himself. The Groom Will Keep His Name explores the various tales Ortile spun about what it means to be a Vassar Girl, an American Boy, and a Filipino immigrant in New York looking to build a home.
As we meet and mate, we tell stories about ourselves, revealing not just who we are, but who we want to be. Ortile recounts the relationships and whateverships that pushed him to confront his notions of sex, power, and the model minority myth. Whether swiping on Grindr, analyzing DMs, or cruising steam rooms, Ortile brings us on his journey toward radical self-love with intelligence, wit, and his heart on his sleeve.
Meet the Author: Matt Ortile
Matt Ortile is the managing editor of Catapult magazine. Previously, he was the global publishing lead for BuzzFeed International and the founding editor of BuzzFeed Philippines. His writing has been published by BuzzFeed, Into, Self, and Out, among others. He lives in NYC, and his favorite bookstore is Greenlight Bookstore in Brooklyn.
Listening Schedule
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