In his first say llectn sce 'The Book of Delights,' Ross Gay explor how joy is more plited than we thk—and more attaable.
Contents:
ROSS GAY’S SECRETS FOR LIVG A MORE JOYFUL LIFE
Ross Mathews is the Amerin helium-voiced and openly gay celebry mentator who first rose to fame wh his role as an tern, and later, a rrponnt for The Tonight Show wh Jay Leno. Sce Mathews, who jok, "I've been gay sce birth," first appeared as Ross the Intern on The Tonight Show Wh Jay Leno, 's been part of his missn to be visible and reprent for those g up behd him."I remember beg a kid a farm town and realizg I was gay and then askg myself, What do a gay grown-up person look like?" Mathews says.
"I remember thkg, God, I have to s down and talk to him bee he knows I'm gay, jt bee, you know, I'm on TV. "But I wonr if he's ever seen a gay uple or somethg. There’s an say Ross Gay’s new llectn, Incg Joy, that begs wh a discsn of his favore sports book, John Edgar Wiman’s Hoop Roots, a memoir told through the thor’s lifelong relatnship wh basketball.
Over the next eleven pag, Gay, a longtime hoop lover himself, offers a medatn on the bety of the pickup game, and how a good urt is a microsm of mocracy. ”Gay, a 48-year-old poet and profsor at Indiana Universy, has ma a reer of explorg the wonr to be found our everyday liv, notably his btsellg 2019 say llectn, The Book of Delights.
ROSS MATHEWS: GAY PEOPLE 'WANTED ME OFF TV'
”Book ver of “Incg Joy” by Ross Gay.
Courty of Ross GayGQ: A word that up aga and aga your work is the word practice. Ross Gay: I started to thk about that word when I was dog The Book of Delights. Today, we're stg down wh the wrer Ross Gay.
So many thgs light Ross Gay: handma fy srv and loerg, the joy of rryg a heavy bag between two people, paw paws and even weeds.
ROSS GAY
This summer, I reread yet aga and found myself medatg on a sire Gay had voiced: wantg to be softer a world so ready to sharpen and to make hard. So, a recent terview, I talked to Gay about that sire, as well as the role of joy daily life, the difficulty of allowg yourself to be moved, and why he thks 's important to e the word "love. When Ross Mathews started his reer as “Ross the Intern” on “The Tonight Show wh Jay Leno, ” there were only a small number of LGBTQ people on TV and gay men, Ross says, weren’t happy wh him reprentg them.
Jefey Masters: I thk Jay Leno would be acced of gay bashg today. He was potg out the obv, but he also put me on his show for 13 years, so there was a method behd the madns, I Thkg about you on Chelsea Lately and your show, I’m shocked by how recent was bee still felt subversive to see an out gay man on TV, one that’s not tryg to butch I jt never gave a flyg fuck what people thought or thk. I thk that me embracg what I am, which is this pl size, unapologetilly, openly gay person, woke some people How did you navigate beg visibly gay and not rg what people thought wh the fact that ’s not always safe to be perceived to be gay?