Who Is Clay Rivers?

I am a son.

I am a brother.

I am an uncle.

I am a friend.

I am a man with a deep faith in God.

I’ve worked as a Disney character (Donald Duck), a print art director, and an actor for stage and screen. (This fall I’ll be performing in the 2011 Radio City Christmas Spectacular in New York—yes!) I like to think of myself as a bon vivant, and I’m currently working on becoming a published author.

This blog is about my adventures as I work towards publishing my first book, my memoir, which answers the question: how does an African-American dwarf who is Christian and gay define self-worth in a world that equates success with physical perfection, stature, and race?

No joke.

Hopefully, the answer will make you laugh, cry, and expand your view of the world a little. Here’s a few images that inspired the first chapter. The chapter is all fun and games until something goes horribly wrong and the reader gets to retrace significant moments in my life.

As of this writing, I’m in the middle of a search for a literary agent. From time to time, I’ll test drive a few passages from my manuscript here with observations about everything from food to pop culture to current events. (And I will try my best to avoid politics at all costs.)

I’m interested in meeting new people and finding out how they came to be the people they are today—be it choices, accidents, or providence—the road to the here and now is what I’m interested in.

As for having a good time, I’m all over that. I relish stimulating conversation with people who have something worth saying. Give me good food or an espresso drink, two chairs, and someone of substance to talk with, and I’m in hog heaven.

My goal is to be as transparent and open in my writing as possible. It’s taken me quite a while to get to the point where I’m comfortable in my own skin, but it’s been a journey worth taking. With an extensive background with art history and graphic design, I’ve come to understand that art, in whatever form, can be only connect with its intended audience when the artist exposes his own humanity, warts and all, through his/her art. And that comes through self-acceptance.

If I could be summed up in six statements, anyone who knows me would agree that the following are true—

1. I am surrounded by angels.
2. I’ve been called sweet, but I can’t stomach the term; so I call that quality ebullient.
3. If I smack you (not physically, mind you), it’s cause I love you.
4. I refuse to be confused.
5. When life gives you lemons, make limoncello.
6. A little confidence goes a long way.

So there you have it, all this by a short guy with a little bite and a lot of heart who’s trying to find his way as a writer. Enjoy the read! And try to overlook the typos.