I’m kind of scared of the Google traffic on this one. Anyway, I got news today that Queer in the Choir Room: Essays on Gender and Sexuality in Glee is coming out from McFarland this Fall. Amazon has it down as a November release. Yay! My essay, “Gold Stars and Slushies: The High Cost for Overachieving Girls on Glee”, focuses on  how (in the first three seasons) the female characters on the show who were high achievers were either bullied or depicted in hyperbolic and damaging ways. I write primarily about Rachel, Quinn, and their relationship, but also consider the depictions of Emma, Sue, and Santana.

Look how pretty the cover is! You can click the picture to go to the McFarland site, or see it on Amazon here: Queer in the Choir Room: Essays on Gender and Sexuality in Glee

The table of contents isn’t available yet, but I’m curious and excited about the other essays, especially based on the McFarland blurb:

These new essays examine the many ways that issues of gender and sexuality intersect with other identities and practices—including race, religion, disability, music and education—on the Fox hit program Glee. With gender and sexuality concerns at the crux, the authors tackle such specific aspects of the show as the coming out narrative, Glee fandom and fan fiction, representation of sex education, and the intersection of Broadway music and queerness. The aim of these essays is to open up a dialogue about Glee—which is often dismissed by critics and fans alike—and to reveal how scholars are critically engaging with the show around issues of gender and sexuality.

To celebrate I’m going to have to catch up on the last few seasons of Glee. I am also embarrassingly excited to get my hands on a copy of Lea Michele’s forthcoming book, Brunette Ambition. Who wants to send me a copy? I’m curious.

For you to celebrate these books with me, here are some of my favorite Rachel Berry .gifs