Say Nephew

Name: Say Nephew
Price: 60 AUD
Availability: PreOrder
ISBN: 9781646222919

On Boyhood, Unclehood, and Queer Mentorship

Steven Pfau

$60

Hardback

Forthcoming
Pre-Order now

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English

Catapult
30 June 2026

History

An eclectic and inquisitive memoir for readers of Maggie Nelson and Jeremy Atherton Lin, Say Nephew delves into the rich and complex mythology of gay uncles

A profound and illuminating exploration of the mythology of gay uncles and the meaning of queer bonds across generations

In Say Nephew, Steven Pfau blends memoir and criticism to celebrate the gay uncles who shape our sense of queer identity, culture, and history. The most influential figure in Pfau's gay boyhood-the mentor who set the standard for all his future mentors-was his uncle Bruce.

A charismatic storyteller with a Burt Reynolds-esque bravado (and a mustache, leather jacket, and pair of cowboy boots to match), Bruce came out in 1950s Memphis and lived in New York City through many of the defining events of the gay liberation era. Bruce was both a unique fixture in his nephew's upbringing and a link in a long lineage of uncles, literal and figurative, who have offered various forms of queer tutelage to younger men.

But what role is the nephew supposed to play in these relationships? And who does he become once his uncles are no longer there to guide him? Both a coming-of-age story and a wide-ranging study, Say Nephew is a wholly original and expansive consideration of queer mentorship.

By: Steven Pfau
Imprint: Catapult
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 209mm, Width: 139mm,
Weight: 567g
ISBN: 9781646222919
ISBN 10: 1646222911
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 30 June 2026
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

STEVEN PFAU is a writer and editor based in Los Angeles. He graduated from the University of Idaho's MFA program, and his work has appeared in DIAGRAM, Guernica, The Iowa Review, The Offing, Passages North, and other publications.

Reviews for Say Nephew: On Boyhood, Unclehood, and Queer Mentorship

""In this fluid, sexy, and delightfully campy inversion of autotheory, Steven Pfau performs a kind of alchemy, turning grief into comfort, loss into nourishment. I can’t remember the last time a stylish debut brimmed over with such wisdom, and such stern tenderness."" —Patrick Nathan, author of The Future Was Color