Queer authors will always be heroes to me, as it is within the written word where the magical path to self-discovery and freedom begins. Add in a unique slant of “spicy, queer Appalachian Romantasy” and you have the stuff of literary legend. This is Thomas (TJ) West, who has written a couple of books, including the queer Appalachia fantasy ‘Country Road Romance’ which was inspired by his own experiences growing up in West Virginia. (He also wears the coolest shirts.) Today he is crowned our Dazzler of the Day.
Standing in line for an herbal peppermint tea, I listened as the woman ahead of me told the brief and fascinating story of her book ‘The Message Catcher‘ and how it was a fictionalized journey of her life journey. She turned to me and smiled, inviting me to stop by her table, where several copies of ‘The Message Catcher’ were on display, right beneath a framed rendering of a crow.
Too shy to approach (and by the time I was leaving she was already engaged with someone else), I instead looked her up online and discovered her intriguing body of written work and a tragic and inspiring personal trajectory. Her name is Darryl McGrath, and she lost her husband a number of years ago while on vacation in Cape Cod. He saved her life and lost his – the kind of tragedy that transforms a person irrevocably, and to the benefit of her readers McGrath turned her experience into meaningful artistic expression while navigating her own arc of loss and healing.
The most dazzling people I’ve featured here aren’t usually the superhuman Olympians, the sports stars, the perfect models or the sparkling celebrities – they are the humans who have gone through the adversity of life, rising from tragedy and finding other ways to triumph, ways to find grace in the often-awful hand that life deals out. To that beautiful end, Darryl McGrath is our Dazzler of the Day.
Another wonderful person of many hats, Matt Ortile is editor, writer, host, and educator. He gained early experience as the global publishing lead for BuzzFeed International and was the founding editor of BuzzFeed Philippines. His writing has been published by Vogue, Esquire, Afar, TripAdvisor, BuzzFeed News, Into, Self, and Out, and he has written a book of essays entitled ‘The Groom Will Keep His Name’. A more comprehensive list of accomplishments may be found at his website here, and he can add Dazzler of the Day to the ever-growing list of honors.
Sometimes the strongest and most powerful voices come from the prettiest packages – and when that happens it often results in the crowning of a new Dazzler of the Day. Introducing the amazing Thoren ‘Thor’ Bradley, who has gained a prominent and substantial social media thanks to his combination of fitness, wood-chopping, intelligent discourse, and inclusive championing for all people. A recent post of his particularly moved me, especially in light of the boorish and barbaric behavior of the US Men’s Hockey Team. When white cis men who look like Bradley speak truth about and against centuries of patriarchy, it’s a huge help. Glad there are noble humans still out there to restore a little faith in humanity. For that reason alone, he earns his first Dazzler of the Day.
“My heart goes out to all the daughters, wives and girlfriends in the United State…who have faced the harsh realization that a man in their life is so spineless in the face of clear injustice… that they can’t even form a fucking opinion in private. I’m not even talking about speaking out in public. I know he’ll never have your respect again and I know that must be a lonely feeling. Rest assured you are not wrong. That isn’t normal.” – Thoren Bradley
I love a hairpin turn in one’s career trajectory, and no one has zigged harder of late than Davey Wavey, who went from his popular YouTube and social media impresario role (and some incendiary adult entertainment work) to owning the Frog Meadow Bed & Breakfast in Vermont. Innkeepers Jeremiah and Zac will run the property, but Davey’s hands are already all over the place. The relaxed drama-free atmosphere that has made Frog Meadow such a beloved destination for many years doesn’t look to end, and Davey promises the heart and soul of what is considered sacred space to many will remain untouched and unchanged.
Maintaining and building on the vision of original founders Scott Heller and Dave King, Davey intends to honor the legacy of what they created: a place for the soul to be nurtured. In looking ahead, he also plans on working on the singular item of most interest and obsession for me: a signature fragrance. To that end, and the future of Frog Meadow, Davey earns this Dazzler of the Day for the very first time.
While the US Men’s Hockey Team squandered their impressive win with embarrassing and shameful locker room behavior (that included laughing at the US Women’s Team while on the phone with felon Trump) the US Women’s Hockey Team proved that they had more grit, sense, and grace in their gold medal win, earning them this Dazzler of the Day crowning. It also merits much fanfare that the US Women’s Hockey Team has won way more medals than the US Men’s Hockey team, and still goes egregiously unheralded in comparison. Here’s to the heroic Women’s Hockey Team, putting the men to shame year after year after year after year…
Six-time Olympian Elana Meyers Taylor just earned the gold in a lifelong quest for that elusive and precious medal. The grit, determination, and focus required to make it to that many Olympic Games is astounding – really unimaginable for mere mortals like myself. All I can do is marvel and cheer Taylor on as she puts her bobsledding legacy into the record books. This Dazzler of the Day honor is the very least of her laurels.
Joining Japan’s next figure skating hopes for a gold medal is Kaori Sakamoto, who skates her short program today, in a season when three Americans also stand a chance of making the podium for the gold. Sakamoto earns her Dazzler of the Day crowning for the years of dedication and champion-level bravura – and she has the fiery drive to add to her 2022 Olympic bronze medal.
Deserving of this double Dazzler of the Day crowning, Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara found themselves in 5th place after a lift in their short program shorted out, and after being the favorites coming in – and Japan’s first possible gold medal in figure skating pairs – they are in jeopardy of not making the podium. However, if the Olympics stay true to their unpredictable nature, they maintain the possibility of a medal – even a gold one – and this pair is one that has defied devastating falls in the past to come through in the clinch. They earn this Dazzler honor regardless of how things turn out based on their history of championship performances.
Figure skaters dominate the Dazzlers of the Day this week as Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin earn their first crowning thanks to a powerful and practically perfect performance for their short program. Representing Germany, this figure skating pair has been on an arc of momentum, and cresting during the Olympic Games is the very best timing.
US figure skating pair Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea turned in a lovely short program yesterday and will skate for a place on the podium in their long program today. Figure skating has been mired in muck of late, so when a pair of skaters performs without drama, bringing beauty and grace to the proceedings, they more than earn this Olympic Spotlight.
He once penned a song about gay cowboys, and for that alone Willie Nelson more than earns this Dazzler of the Day crowning. Add in all the albums, all the activism, all the songs, all the performances, and all the years (he’s 92 and will turn 93 in April) and you have a dazzler who has achieved icon status.
This sort of upset is the stuff of Olympic legend, and because most of us were counting on Ilia Malinin to bring home the gold, it felt more stunning to see him falter. Perhaps no one was more shocked with this outcome than Mikhail Shaidorov, who turned in a technically marvelous skate that earned him the gold medal and this Dazzler of the Day. It’s often said that no one can predict what happens at the Olympics, and that proved true with the men’s free skate. Congratulations to Mikhail Shaidorov for rising to the moment.
I’ve seen a lot of online posts about Ilia Malinin being the first athlete to land a backflip on Olympic ice, but with all due respect to Malinin, this is woefully wrong and entirely untrue. That honor belongs solely to Surya Bonaly, whom I very much remember defiantly landing one on Olympic ice – against the rules, against the judges, and against a sport unprepared and unwilling to recognize and reward her power and brilliance. This Dazzler of the Day goes to her for an astounding career in the face of adversity and odds all stacked against her, and for leaving an impact so great that I still remember her whenever Mr. Malinin does a backflip.
