Proud to Play by Erin Silver set to launch in March

Proud to Play by Erin Silver {for ages 10–17, Lorimer Publishing, coming out in March 2020. Place your pre-order with Lorimer here}. 

The 2018 Winter Olympics marked a milestone for LGBTQ+ athletes. Thirteen athletes out of 3,000 competitors were out and proud — nearly double the number who felt comfortable sharing their sexuality four years earlier at the Sochi Games.

Many athletes stay closeted for their entire sports careers, often unable to compete at their highest ability because of the shame and self-doubt they feel in not being true to their orientation or identity.

Coming out still means facing harassment from fans, teammates, opponents, and the media, and a lack of sponsorship opportunities. While organizations like You Can Play, the Canadian Olympic Committee and EGALE Canada have made progress in recent years in promoting inclusivity at the grassroots and elite sporting levels, there is still much work to be done to ensure all athletes feel safe being their authentic selves.

Athletes profiled in Proud to Play include swimmer Mark Tewksbury, rhythmic gymnast Rose Cossar, professional hockey player Brock McGillis, speed skater Anastasia Bucsis, pairs figure skater Eric Radford, volleyball players Betty Baxter and Christopher Voth and hockey player Angela James.

Generously illustrated with photographs and given context by an overview of the history of LGBTQ+ athletes in Canada, this book will make all young sports enthusiasts and competitors proud to play.

Generously illustrated with photographs and given context by an overview of the history of LGBTQ+ athletes in Canada, this book will make all young sports enthusiasts and competitors proud to play.

Erin Silver has been writing professionally for almost 20 years. She has a degree in journalism and an MFA in Creative Nonfiction. Her work has appeared in Good Housekeeping, The Washington Post, Today's Parent, The Globe and Mail and many other national magazines and newspapers. 

She has also blogged for several media outlets including Huffington Post. Erin's picture book, The Slap Shot, was named a finalist in the 2017 CANSCAIP Writing for Children Competition. 

In addition to Proud to Play, Erin has a second book coming out in October 2020, Just Watch Me, a hilarious middle grade novel about social media and video games {Common Deer Press}. 

Visit Erin’s website here.

Some time in March 2020, Proud to Play will be available in bookstores everywhere. But you can pre-order your copy now from Amazon here.

See Brian Henry’s schedule here, including writing workshops, weekly writing classes, and weekend retreats in, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Collingwood, Georgetown, Georgina, Guelph, Hamilton, Jackson’s Point, Kingston, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Midland, Mississauga, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Southampton, Sudbury, Toronto, Windsor, Woodstock, Halton, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.