Courage, warmth, and honesty. These are values UW-Eau Claire alum, Chasten Buttigieg, reflects upon in his new memoir I Have Something to Tell You. “I always felt it was important for me to assert myself in a way that built other people up,” he said in an interview with Elle. “I found purpose and serenity in trying to help other people.”

Buttigieg graduated from UW-Eau Claire as a theatre arts and global studies student in 2014, and has spent his days since working as a teacher, sharing knowledge through his social media platforms, and traveling across the country to promote his husband Pete’s ground-breaking (although ultimately unsuccessful) presidential campaign.

“I found purpose and serenity in trying to help other people.”

CHASTEN BUTTIGIEG

AUTHOR of I have SOmething To Tell You

In the memoir, Buttigieg reflects positively on his time in Eau Claire, name-checking Erbert & Gerbert’s (“my budgeting strategies consisted of picking the cheapest sandwich”) and reminiscing about hanging out with other theater folks in the green room at Haas Fine Arts Center. “In many ways,” Buttigieg writes, “I thrived in the theater community at Eau Claire, and I was so happy to have found the college experience I'd seen on TV and in movies, with all the curiosity, lifelong friends, love interests, and late nights at the bar I’d imagined.”

Last fall, Buttigieg spoke at the university to share his perspective on the current election. Now, his memoir shares the story of growing up in rural Michigan, finding acceptance as a publicly gay man, and his dive into the world of politics since marrying the Democratic mayor of South Bend, Indiana. Buttigieg’s debut is available at local retailers and chain booksellers for about $27.