Out Of Play

Rock star drummer Bishop Riley just needs a few months to relax and detox before his band’s next tour. But the last place he expected to do it is in Seldon, Alaska. And the last person he wants to do it with is Penny Jones. Fiery, headstrong Penny has zero in common with the cocky, too-hot-for-his-own-good Bishop, and she’d like to keep it that way. But the more Bishop gets under her skin, the more she wants to let him in. And the more Penny lets him see, the more Bishop wants to know this stubborn girl with the killer body and soulful eyes. The simmering heat between them won’t go away, no matter how hard either of them tries. Their time together in Alaska may be running out—but so is their resolve for not taking a chance on love.

Queer community sports leagues, by their sheer numbers, are changing the energy and space of school gyms and community recreational spaces. Some leagues are well-established – having been in existence for over twenty-five years – whereas others are relatively new, but their collective presence tells stories about the shifting dynamics of queer communities in Canada. Who's Coming Out to Play considers the potential of queer community sports to disrupt notions of the embodiment of gender and community, while maintaining an awareness of numerous factors that limit this potential. Exploring queer teams and leagues of varying sizes and from various locations, this book focuses on leagues that have previously identified as women's or lesbian and are now becoming trans and genderqueer inclusive. Queer community leagues are based in a commitment to community building, prioritizing fun, socializing, and inclusivity over competing or winning. As a result of these commitments, these spaces and the people who come to play in them reflect new ways of being in and with bodies, different ways of embodying gender, and new or different forms of engagement – notably distinct "rules of play" – within sporting arenas. Who's Coming Out to Play paints a vivid picture of the lived experiences of queer bodies in queer sporting spaces, exploring both the possibilities and the continued problems they face.

Can you come out and play? If you woke up tomorrow in Egypt with a yen for a good game of tag, you could find it. Then you could hop on your magic carpet and fly to Thailand to play Go Fish with some new friends. Later, you could seesaw until the cows come home in Ireland. Everyone loves to play and the universal appeal of games and goofing around is joyfully evident in COME OUT AND PLAY. Brilliant, full-color photographs portray exuberant, playful kids from over 35 countries engaging in games of all kinds. The It's a Kid's World series is dedicated to the fascinating, imaginative lives of children everywhere. Each compact little book is jammed with bright, kinetic photographs of kids from around the world playing, going to school, caring for their animals, and much more. These action-packed and engaging books are sure to inspire and educate young minds about the world around them while introducing them to kids just like themselves.

A history making memoir of the first openly gay professional athlete in North America, now the producer of Fellow Travelers and My Policeman “Rogers made history.” —Sports Illustrated Robbie Rogers knows better than most that keeping secrets can crush you. But for much of his life Robbie lived in paralyzing fear that sharing his big secret would cost him the love of his family and his career as a professional soccer player. So he never told anyone what was destroying his soul, both on and off the field. While the world around Robbie was changing with breathtaking speed, he knew that for a gay man playing a professional team sport it might as well be 1958. He could be a professional soccer player. Or he could be an out gay man. He couldn’t do both. Then at the age of twenty-five and after nearly stepping away from a brilliant career—one that included an NCAA Championship, winning the MLS Cup, and competing in the Olympics—he chose to tell the truth. But instead of facing the rejection he feared, he was embraced—by his family, by his teammates, and his fans. In Coming Out to Play, Robbie takes readers on his incredible journey from terrified teenager to a trailblazing out and proud professional soccer player for the L.A. Galaxy, who has embraced his new identity as a role model and champion for those still struggling with the secrets that keep them from living their dreams.

Cheyenne wants to go outside and play. She invites you to come with her as she explores all the things you can do outdoors. Join Cheyenne as she explores playtime activities through song and pictures. Sing along as she sings a song about playing together.

"My storey is about my life. I was born in 1939, and my family literally broke apart when I was "little". I do not recall ever living in a home with my mother and father together. There were several years I spent in foster care; and then living with Mom and then Dad, bouncing back and forth a couple of times, until I was a junior in high school. My father moved, but I didn't. I spent my final year in high school living with a local family, thanks to a basketball coach who took special interest in me. I spent some of my time growing up being a juvenile delinquent; petty theft, shop-lifting, drinking, smoking and other such irresponsible activities. I made a decision to change my life after my freshman year in high school, and went to live with my father, whom I already knew was a strict disciplinarian and a very controlling individual. But, I got the chance to start my life over again at age 15. I made the most of my new start, and I want to tell my story!"

Queer community sports leagues, by their sheer numbers, are changing the energy and space of school gyms and community recreational spaces. Some leagues are well-established – having been in existence for over twenty-five years – whereas others are relatively new, but their collective presence tells stories about the shifting dynamics of queer communities in Canada. Who's Coming Out to Play considers the potential of queer community sports to disrupt notions of the embodiment of gender and community, while maintaining an awareness of numerous factors that limit this potential. Exploring queer teams and leagues of varying sizes and from various locations, this book focuses on leagues that have previously identified as women's or lesbian and are now becoming trans and genderqueer inclusive. Queer community leagues are based in a commitment to community building, prioritizing fun, socializing, and inclusivity over competing or winning. As a result of these commitments, these spaces and the people who come to play in them reflect new ways of being in and with bodies, different ways of embodying gender, and new or different forms of engagement – notably distinct "rules of play" – within sporting arenas. Who's Coming Out to Play paints a vivid picture of the lived experiences of queer bodies in queer sporting spaces, exploring both the possibilities and the continued problems they face.

'Everyone who now remembers Nigel Dennis thinks that his first novel was Cards of Identity (1955). But in fact he had already written Boys and Girls Come Out to Play (1949)... what I recall liking so much about it was first the story of a young man's emergence from the dark tunnel of his childhood, with the discovery that there are drugs to control the epilepsy that has kept him imprisoned, and then the account of his first glorious summer of freedom... in an unnamed but famously picturesque north European city... What caught my imagination was Dennis's ability both to enjoy the brightness of this little arena of casual pleasure and to go with the waiters and skivvies into the backstage world of dark kitchens and hard labour that frames and sustains it.' Michael Frayn, Guardian