Chasten Buttigieg - "I Have Something to Tell You (for Young Adults)" - Peter Sagal

Chasten Buttigieg will discuss his book I Have Something to Tell You (for Young Adults). 

Presented in partnership with International House at the University of Chicago

This is a ticketed event. Purchase tickets HERE

About the book: The young adult adaptation of the moving, hopeful, and refreshingly candid memoir by the husband of a former Democratic presidential candidate about growing up gay in his small Midwestern town. Growing up, Chasten Glezman Buttigieg didn’t always fit in. He felt different from his father and brothers, who loved to hunt and go camping, and out of place in the rural, conservative small town where he lived. Back then, blending in was more important than feeling seen. So, when Chasten realized he was gay, he kept that part of himself hidden away for a long, painful time. With incredible bravery, and the support of his loved ones, Chasten eventually came out—and when he did, he learned that being true to himself was the most rewarding journey of all. Finding acceptance and self-love can seem like a tremendous challenge, but it’s never impossible. With honesty, courage, and warmth, Chasten relays his experience of growing up in America and embracing his identity, while inspiring young people across the country to do the same.

About the author: Chasten Glezman Buttigieg (he/him/his) grew up in Traverse City, Michigan. He is a teacher, advocate, and husband of former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg. Chasten currently lives with Pete; their two children, Gus and Penelope; and their two rescue dogs, Buddy and Truman, in Northern Michigan. I Have Something to Tell You—For Young Adults is his second book.

About the interlocutor: In 1997, Peter Sagal, who had never had, or even dreamed of a career in radio, got a call from a friend telling him about a new show at NPR, which was looking for "funny people who read a lot of newspapers." He auditioned and appeared as a panelist on the first broadcast of Wait, Wait... Don't Tell Me! in January of 1998, and moved to Chicago become the host in May, alongside the original judge and scorekeeper, Carl Kasell. In the 25 years since, he has traveled the country with the show, playing in venues such as the Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park, Red Rocks, Tanglewood, the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House, and Carnegie Hall. He's interviewed two Presidents; a number of Nobel Prize winners; astronauts and rocket scientists; musicians Elvis Costello, Yo Yo Ma, and Ice Cube; actors Tom Hanks and Scarlett Johansson; and many, many others. Wait, Wait has grown from 50,000 weekly listeners on nine stations at its launch to over five million listeners on more than 700 stations, making it the most-listened-to hour in public radio. In 2008, he accepted a Peabody Award on behalf of the panelists, crew, and producers of this show. In addition to hosting Wait, Wait..., Peter is an award-winning playwright and journalist whose articles and essays have appeared in Runner’s World, The New York Times, Chicago Magazine, Opera News, AARP the Magazine, Atlantic Monthly, and many others. He is the author of two books, The Book of Vice: Naughty Things and How to Do Them, and The Incomplete Book of Running. On television, he hosted the PBS documentary series Constitution USA with Peter Sagal and Hi$tory for Curiosity Stream. He’s also hosted a number of podcasts including The Chernobyl Podcast and The Plot Against America podcast for HBO, plus Nerdette Recaps with WBEZ Chicago. In addition, he’s also worked as a theater director, dramaturg, grocery store clerk, voice over actor (Inside Out, The Simpsons) and was an extra in the Michael Jackson music video,Remember the Time. He also wrote the feature film Dirty Dancing 2: Havana Nights without meaning to. He has traveled to many places and done many things but is now happiest where he lives, north of Chicago, with his wife, Mara Sagal, one dog and two sons.