Acknowledgments

Pieces of this memoir, in different forms, have appeared in GOOD, Tin House, Autostraddle, The Toast, xoJane, and Brevity.

Thank you to Law & Order: SVU for always being on television so I can have something familiar in the background as I write.

I want to thank Maya Ziv, Cal Morgan, Kate D’Esmond, Amanda Pelletier, and Emily Griffin at HarperCollins for supporting this book so fiercely, so completely. Maya, who first acquired this book, has always been its most ardent champion, and Emily offered generous, insightful edits that helped shape this book into what it is.

Thank you to “Team Gay,” which includes my incredible book agent, Maria Massie; my film and TV agent, Sylvie Rabineau; my speaking agents, Kevin Mills and Trinity Ray; and my lawyer, Lev Ginsburg.

Thank you to Sarah Hollowell, a beautiful young woman I met at the Midwest Writers Workshop, who taught me more than she will ever know about my right to take up space and advocate for my body and feel beautiful in my body exactly as it is.

Thank you to my friends Lisa Mecham, Laurence José, Alissa Nutting, Jami Attenberg, Molly Backes, Brian Leung, Terry McMillan, Lidia Yuknavitch, Mensah Demary, and Brian Oliu. Also thank you to anyone I’ve forgotten because I always forget someone and I apologize for that.

Thank you to my family, who have always loved me unconditionally and made sure I knew I could always come home—Michael and Nicole Gay, Michael Gay Jr., Jacquelynn Camden Gay and Parker Nicole Gay, Joel and Hailey Gay, Sony Gay, Marcelle Raff, and Mesmin Destin and Michael Kosko.

I found the courage to write Hunger because of the support of my best friend, Tracy, who sees me as I am and takes me as I am and taught me how to use Snapchat and always makes me laugh. Thank you, thank you, thank you.