Penn alum's new book finds the humor in life after college

1997 College grad Jason Brenner's new book is on life as a post-college male. Last month, Jason Brenner got the thrill of a lifetime: He was interviewed by Playboy.com. "It was the greatest experience of my life to be on [Playboy.com]. I'm so proud. I regret to inform you, I am not nude. It's just a head shot," Brenner said. So what did the 24-year-old 1997 College graduate do to become the world's most unlikely Playboy snapshot? He wrote a book -- an irreverent exposZ depicting the ups and downs of life as a recent college graduate that devotes multiple chapters to the adult magazine. Brenner, who works as a representative at a Connecticut marketing company, deemed no topic too big or too small in his undertaking, which is evidenced by chapter titles ranging from "My Toilet" to "My Left Testicle." "I kind of wanted to show part of what a guy recently out of college thinks about," he said. The 153-page book -- entitled From the Boardroom to the Bedroom -- depicts stories from Brenner's own life. Along the way, no one -- not even the Pikesville, Md., native himself -- is exempt from good-natured ridicule. On himself: "Every time I walk by a group of women, I see them pointing at me and laughing." On the institution of marriage: "l'll have a ring through my nipple before [my girlfriend] has a ring on her finger." Brenner's humor-writing days began while he was a student at Penn, where he was a columnist for The Daily Pennsylvanian for four semesters. In the fall of his junior year, he began writing a column that attracted the attention of much of the Penn community. "When I wrote 'My 20 Inches' in an attempt at humor, people would come up to me and say, 'That one was funny,' or 'That one sucked.' I learned how to write humor better." In addition to working as a marketing representative, Brenner has also written humor columns for The Stamford Advocate and The Hartford Courant. Some of his previously published columns are used in the book, but most of the material is entirely new. Still, Brenner's writing experience didn't exactly help him when it came time to find a publisher for his book. Finally, the Writer's Showcase -- a company with offices around the world -- agreed to take him on. Brenner refuses to say that there's anything "special" about him that would make his book a success, nor does he think his personal travails are so unique or fascinating. Therein lies the reason why he thinks his book works. "Every other guy out of college is having the same experience that I am. That's what I think makes this book different. If you go to a humor store all the books are written by famous people," Brenner said. "He's a regular guy, he has a regular job, he's average height, average weight. You don't really see this kind of book from a regular person," said 1997 Wharton graduate Ari Gendason, who has known Brenner since their days in junior high school. Brenner insists that this is not just a book for men, however. "I think everyone can appreciate it. Guys my age will read it 'cause they can relate to it. Girls my age will read it 'cause they want to know what's going through the guys' heads. And the parents will read it because they want to know what their kids are reading." Even Brenner's own father Richard admits to having read his son's work. "He sort of has a knack of looking at things in a way that we can appreciate," the elder Brenner said. Over the past few months, Brenner has taken an active role in promoting his book, which is currently available on the World Wide Web through jasonbrenner.com, amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com. He has been writing to newspapers and magazines requesting reviews and giving interviews. In addition to the Playboy.com profile, Brenner has been featured in Philadelphia Weekly and Baltimore magazine. Scattered throughout the book are references to his days at Penn. He jokes, for instance, about having taken a course called "Concepts in Human Sexuality" and using the fact that he got an A+ as a pick-up line. Penn is also the place where Brenner met his girlfriend Kimberly Bandman, whom he's been dating since senior year of college. Brenner devotes an entire section of his book to the opposite sex -- other sections include "Reflections on My Job," "Horrible Birthday Stories" and "Vacations" -- in which he often mentions his girlfriend. "I worry every time Jason opens his mouth to speak, so the thought of a book was a bit discomforting," Bandman said. Although he hopes to continue writing, Brenner said he isn't planning to quit his day job. "I like where I'm at now. I wrote the book because it was a fun thing to do. I'd like to do something fun and get paid a million dollars for it. I'd also like to play professional basketball, but I'm 5"9 and have no jump shot."

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