Drag culture and performance Books

Book SynopsisArdelle Schneider’s photographic project Butterflies and Caterpillars offers authentic impressions of the current drag scene in the United States. Her photos address issues such as the meaning of identity and the construction of a self that goes beyond gender-specific roles and their constraints. Schneider accompanied her subjects in their everyday lives over a long period, capturing private moments and public performances alike. She observed their transformation and dual nature as their self-presentation and self-image repeatedly collide with society’s expectations. Do our clothes change the way we act? Does our outward appearance reveal our character and affect the way others perceive us? What lies underneath these layers of tulle and makeup? In her intimate, sensitive photographs, Schneider brings out the nuances and complexities of the personalities hidden behind the garish masquerade. Her keen intuition and carefully tuned lighting allowed her to create images that ooze warmth, dignity, and power. This book is a monument to acceptance and mutual respect. Text in English and German.

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Book SynopsisIn the 1970s, queer people were openly despised, and drag queens scared the public. Yet this was the era when Doris Fish (born Philip Mills in 1952) painted and padded his way to stardom. He was a leader of the generation that prepared the world not just for drag queens on TV but for a society that is more tolerant and accepting of LGBTQ+ people. How did we get from there to here? In Who Does That Bitch Think She Is? Craig Seligman looks at Doris' life to provide some answers.After moving to San Francisco in the mid-'70s, Doris became the driving force behind years of side-splitting drag shows that were loved as much as you can love throwaway trash-which is what everybody thought they were. No one, Doris included, perceived them as political theatre, when in fact they were accomplishing satire's deepest dream: not just to rail against society, but to change it.From the rise of drag shows to the obsession with camp to the conservative backlash and the onset of AIDS, Seligman adds needed colour and insight to this era in LGBTQ+ history, revealing the origins and evolution of drag.

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Book SynopsisWhen Fi went to support her best friend’s drag debut, she didn’t imagine a killer would be going to watch it too. And they’re waiting for their grand finale… Fi McKinnery is full of nerves as the gorgeous Mae B (aka her best friend Robyn) takes to the stage for her debut at drag club TRASH, but Mae B is dazzling…that is until local queen Eve lampoons her performance and ruins the show. So when Eve turns up dead later that night, face down in the gutter of a rain-soaked Dublin street, the timing seems awfully suspicious… The police are quick to rule Eve’s death an accident, but Fi is convinced it was foul play. When her ‘Hagatha Christie’ amateur sleuthing backfires, it drives a wedge between Fi and Robyn. But when another friend is targeted in a hit-and-run, she’s determined to get this twisted killer caught, no matter what the consequences. Even as the rest of the gang start to distance themselves, Fi is certain that they’re all in terrible danger. Something dark is lurking beneath the feathers, glitter and sequins of Dublin’s drag scene. And it’s not just the sticky floor and cracked mirrors. Someone is targeting the queens. When another member of the group is gunned down, it’s clear the danger is coming ever closer. Can Fi stop the killer before any more of her friends are hurt?Trade Review“Dublin’s flamboyant drag scene provides the backdrop for Murphy’s scintillating debut and series launch…Readers will eagerly await the sequel.” —Publishers Weekly “Murphy’s first ‘Dublin Drag’ mystery is a bittersweet story with a big, brassy climax…This character-driven mystery flips convention on its head when the straight amateur sleuth is an outsider to the drag community where her best friend is welcome.” —Library Journal

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Book SynopsisLessons in life from the fabulous, fearless, and phenomenal world of drag Drag is a world of larger-than-life personalities, glamorous looks, and attitude to die for. When you feel lacking in confidence, unsure of yourself, or just plain unhappy, who better to give you a boost of self-esteem than the queens and kings of the drag world? With their firm belief that anyone can be who they want to be, they are living proof that you can change what you don't like about your life and even yourself. With the help of real-life drag stories, Brandi Amara Skyy shows you how to follow the rules of drag, to be the most fabulous you that you can be.

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Book SynopsisA “funny, poignant, dishy, and even enlightening” adventure through a tight-knit world of drag performers making art, mayhem, and dreaming of making it big, this book is “the story of America now” (Alexander Chee, The New York Times). In How You Get Famous, journalist Nicole Pasulka raucously documents the rebirth of the New York drag scene, following a group of iconoclastic performers with undeniable charisma, talent, and a hell of a lot to prove. In the past decade, drag has become a place where edgy, competitive showoffs can find security in a callous and over priced city, a shot at real money, and a level of recognition queer people rarely achieve. But can drag keep its edge as it travels from the backroom to the main stage? A “joyful and scrappy” (Esquire) portrait of the 21st-century search for celebrity and community, How You Get Famous is “dripping in plush detail and drama” (Mother Jones) and “stitched together with great respect and love” (The Guardian). It’s the story of an aimless coat check worker who sweet-talked his way into hosting a drag show at a Brooklyn dive bar, a pair of teenagers sneaking into clubs and pocketing tips to help support their families, and eclectic performers who have managed to land a spot on TV and millions of followers…all colliding in an unprecedented account of a subculture on the brink of becoming a cultural phenomenon.“If you like to have a good time, you want to read this book!”—BuzzFeedTrade Review“Funny, poignant, dishy and even enlightening... it’s the story of America now.” —Alexander Chee, The New York Times“Takes us tumbling down a glittery rabbit hole... a vivid portrait of a singular subculture: joyful and scrappy.” —Esquire“Original and compelling… stitched together with great respect and love.” —The Guardian“If you thought you knew everything there was to know about drag in New York, think again. How You Get Famous tackles Brooklyn’s rich and often labyrinthine history of drag with journalistic precision. Never afraid to embrace chaos and nuance, this is a book that’s both informative and, like so many of the divas it takes as its subjects, wildly entertaining.” —John Paul Brammer, author of Hola Papi“Can a queer subculture hit the big time without losing its edge? In this richly reported account, Pasulka takes readers on a riotous tour through a spiky demimonde on the verge of breaking through.” —Sara Marcus, author of Girls to the Front“Nicole Pasulka brings the underground world of Brooklyn drag to fabulous life, exploring the triumphs, heartaches, compromises, and catastrophes of trying to achieve fame in a fishbowl—all reality, no television.” —Hugh Ryan, author of When Brooklyn Was Queer“Every generation moves to New York City for fame, fortune, and love; this one did it in heels. Nicole Pasulka has written a shady and fabulous history of our time.” —Choire Sicha, author of Very Recent History“Dripping in plush detail and drama.” —Mother Jones“If you like to have a good time, you want to read this book!” —Buzzfeed“Spills the hot-mess tea—then reads the leaves to divine the myriad things drag has meant and could be.” —Jeremy Atherton Lin, author of Gay Bar

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