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Say Nephew
  • Published: 30 June 2026
  • ISBN: 9781646222919
  • Imprint: Catapult
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 304
  • RRP: $65.00

Say Nephew

On Boyhood, Unclehood, and Queer Mentorship

  • Steven Pfau
Formats & editions
EBook
26 May 2026
Hardback
30 June 2026
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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.
  • Published: 30 June 2026
  • ISBN: 9781646222919
  • Imprint: Catapult
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 304
  • RRP: $65.00
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Praise for Say Nephew

Debutiful, A Most Anticipated Book of the Year

"A beautiful ode to family and coming into your own. A blend of traditional memoir with a larger scope exploring mentorship, this book was a pleasure." —Adam Vitcavage, Debutiful

"Say Nephew is both a memoir and intellectual journey on the complex gay relationships between younger and older men. Courageous, and often written with poetic subtlety, this book explores both the dark and light aspects of these bonds, which challenge and enlighten conventional ideas." —Jennifer Clement, author of The Promised Party

"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

Debutiful, A Most Anticipated Book of the Year

"A beautiful ode to family and coming into your own. A blend of traditional memoir with a larger scope exploring mentorship, this book was a pleasure." —Adam Vitcavage, Debutiful

"Say Nephew is both a memoir and intellectual journey on the complex gay relationships between younger and older men. Courageous, and often written with poetic subtlety, this book explores both the dark and light aspects of these bonds, which challenge and enlighten conventional ideas." —Jennifer Clement, author of The Promised Party

"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