Dyke Delusions Essays & Observations

Dyke Delusions: Essays and Observations is a nonlinear memoir that reclaims the notion of self as it reminds us to sit with the discomfort that comes with the journey. In a mix of personal essays and cultural criticism, Samantha Mann confronts body politics, motherhood, queerness, sexuality, and childhood trauma in a way we haven’t seen before. Published work and never-before-seen essays come together for fans who were eagerly waiting for the follow-up to Mann’s first book of essays, Putting Out: Essays on Otherness.

Samantha Mann opens her collection with a close reading of the word “dyke,” from her personal history with the word to the reclamation that ends with hope and possibility. From there, the ebb and flow of writing matches the healing waters that Mann searches for in “Good and Clean and Fine,” by stating clearly, “We’re meant for bigger things.” Dyke Delusions explores the liminal space between childhood and adulthood, whether it’s Mann understanding her queerness as a camp counselor in “Camp Out” or finally finding love and living the life she deserves in “Great Escape.”

Told in Samantha Mann’s pitch-perfect observations and signature humor, Dyke Delusions is a collection filled with desire, yearning, and a search for more. Every essay connects to something bigger than us – emphasizing the importance of being honest with ourselves and with each other. The message behind Dyke Delusions is essential: we need to be talking more.