After almost 25 years in the kink and leather community, writer J. Tebias Perry decided to fulfill what he calls his “social responsibility to pass my knowledge on to the next generation” by writing “Leather Mentorship,” the 101 rundown on leather, kink, and fetish lifestyles.
The book is a blueprint for newcomers to the leather community as they navigate their relationship with their mentor or mentee, including information on the vetting process, insight into the struggles they may face, and what mentorship should (and shouldn’t) look like, inspired by Perry’s many years and experience within the community.
“I’ve seen people fall into holes of sexual deviancy and exploitation, and I wanted to give them a blueprint of how [mentorship] should be and how mentorship should not be,” Perry told Georgia Voice. “I’m not opposed to sex during mentorship, but I do feel that there’s a major influence that you have over the mentee when you’re mentoring them, and sex should not be the middle point or the bargaining tool to influence people. I wrote this book solely so that people wouldn’t fall into the same pitfalls that I fell into many, many years ago.”
While the book is catered to leather newbies, “Leather Mentorship” also acts as a crash course refresher for seasoned vets — and the reception from both the New and Old Guard has been overwhelmingly supportive. The book launched last year in Sydney, Australia, with a launch event that was more than Perry ever expected.
“When we think book signing, we’re thinking, ‘Oh, this going to be something brief, something small, like at a coffee shop,’” he recalled. “Hell no. It was this huge, four-story bar with a sea of Leatherman and Leatherwomen, like 150 people, and I sold out of all my books.”
The last year since the release has been “insane,” Perry says, filled with keynote speaking engagements, leather competitions, podcast interviews, and book events in DC, Baltimore, Philly, and New York. Despite being booked and busy, Perry already has his eye to the future, working on the likely two-volume “Leather Leadership,” which he hopes will be ready for release in the middle of next year.
For those who are newcomers to leather, Perry emphasized the importance of taking your time and relying on trust.
“Get under someone that you trust, leave the sex out, and don’t rush,” he said. “Start slow and get behind someone that is consistent with what they’re saying.”
Perry’s passion for leather shines through in his book, and he hopes people curious about the community will pick it up and consider joining a community that means “family… structure… discipline… honoring those who came long before us, and continuing the legacy of leather.”
You can purchase “Leather Mentorship” by J. Tebias Perry on Amazon.