DEADLINE: DECEMBER 31, 2026
Bear Book III: The Evolution of an International Queer Identify, Community, and Culture will document the substantial growth and transformation of a queer culture still much understudied since the publication of Bear Book II in 2000. The Bear Book (1997) remains a seminal gay history text (still taught in queer history courses) and is the basic, most referenced book on gay bears. Bear Book III tracks the continuing spread of self-identifying bears across the globe into virtually every LGBTQ culture.
It has three focuses: (1) additional history of the early decades of its formation (1980s-2000s), (2) the still emerging transformations by queer sex and gender identities, and (3) the history of international (i.e., outside the American bubble) developments in bear identify, community and culture, organized by nation, region, or language area. It will include interviews, first-person essays, and academic studies.
Possible topics: beginnings and growth of bear identify, cultural-specific transformations of the American model, nonprofit and for-profit bear events (clubs, weekends, bars, contests,), collaborations among groups, bear businesses, significant individuals (organizers, writers, artists, filmmakers, personalities, gogo dancers, dragbears, etc.), issues within the bear community, formal/academic perspectives of educators, activists, etc. Empirical and theoretical academic studies which expand understanding of bear identity, community, and culture are encouraged.
Manuscripts of any length will be considered. They should follow the Chicago style guide and be submitted in PDF or WORD format. Works written in another language are encouraged and must include an English translation. Essays or articles published elsewhere will be considered, provided the author obtains permission to reprint.
Les K. Wright, Ph.D., is recognized internationally as the foremost scholar of bear history. Academically trained as a literary scholar, he learned to do “grassroots” community history by Allan Bérubé, author of Coming Out Under Fire: The History of Gay Men and Women in World War II. Bear History Magazine named him Bear Icon in 2024. The ILGCN and Bears International (Tallinn, Estonia and Oslo, Norway) honored him with their Calais Award (2026) for his professional work, queer activism, and building interventional bridges in the bear community. The Bear Book is a seminal text of queer history. He is the founder of the original Bear History Project and the current Bear History Project International (https://bearhistory.org). To join the BHPI go to Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/345065667129819.
Les K. Wright 