Download or read book A Drag Queen s Guide to Life written by Bimini Bon Boulash and published by Random House. This book was released on 2022-06-09 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'MAGIC! A fun, fierce, honest origin story of how to drag yourself up out of trouble and become an icon' Katherine Ryan 'A triumph for UK queer culture' Travis Alabanza 'Eye-opening, intelligent, thoughtful as well as sassy and surprising - a must read' Lorraine Kelly _______________________________________ A witty and inspiring guide to transforming your life through lessons from drag, by the UK's favourite drag queen and star of RuPaul's Drag Race UK, Bimini Bon Boulash. From being told she couldn't have dance lessons as a kid in Great Yarmouth to having to conform to the stereotypes of the gay scene in London's East End, people have always been trying to put Bimini Bon Boulash in a box. It was only through discovering the art of drag that she began to fight back against those preconceptions, and understand that she had the power to define herself. In A Drag Queen's Guide to Life, Bimini tells the story of how drag took her from the brink of self-destruction to become a gag-inducing, death-dropping, plant-based superstar. Drawing on her own experience as a nonbinary person in a binary world, as well as inspirational stories from history, politics, pop culture and fashion, she uses all her wit, charm and kindness to show us how to lead the lives we wish we could lead, through the life-changing magic of dragging up. _______________________________________ 'Radical, life-affirming, and utterly important for this time' Riyadh Khalaf 'A very important read' Gottmik 'She's a superstar' Kathy Burke 'You will always be our winner' Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London 'A force of nature' James Acaster

Download or read book Faux Queen written by Monique Jenkinson and published by Bywater Books. This book was released on 2022-01-25 with total page 341 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Faux Queen: A Life in Drag is the memoir of a ballet-obsessed girl who moves to San Francisco from the suburbs and finds her people at the drag club. It joyously chronicles Monique Jenkinson’s creation of her drag persona Fauxnique, the people and cultural practices that crash her identity into being, her journey through one of the most experimental moments in queer cultural history, and her rise through the nightlife underground to become the first cisgender woman crowned as a major pageant-winning drag queen. Jenkinson finds authenticity through the glee of drag artifice and articulation through the immediacy of performing bodies. She pens a valentine to gay men and their culture while relaying the making of an open-minded feminist and queer ally. Faux Queen finds deep healing in irreverence and posits that it might be possible for us to come together in fabulous difference on the dance floor.

Download or read book Life is Drag written by Patruni Sastry and published by Ukiyoto Publishing. This book was released on 2023-09-09 with total page 92 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the captivating memoir “Life is Drag, Sas It Up,” Patruni Chidananda Sastry unveils a deeply personal and transformative journey that seamlessly weaves together art, identity, and activism. From the stages of classical dance to the vibrant world of drag, Patruni’s story is an intricate tapestry of self-discovery, resilience, and unyielding determination. At the heart of the narrative lies the exploration of gender and sexuality in a society that often confines these expressions within rigid norms. Patruni’s journey begins with the discovery of dance at a young age, and his unique dance style, “Expressionism,” becomes a canvas for conveying powerful stories of social awareness. As he navigates the world of classical dance, Patruni is inspired to bridge the gap between the corporate world and the realm of art, redefining data visualization and storytelling in innovative ways. The memoir takes readers on a remarkable journey through Patruni’s evolution as a drag artist, adopting the persona of Suffocated Art Specimen (S.A.S). Through S.A.S, Patruni challenges conventional drag norms, reimagining Tranimal Drag Art with an Indian perspective. His performances become a vehicle for social commentary, addressing intersectional discrimination, gender biases, and the fight for LGBTQ+ rights. As an activist, Patruni’s narrative is a testament to the power of art to effect change. He shares his experiences of using dance, drag, and street performances to ignite conversations about LGBTQ+ inclusion, challenging societal norms, and inspiring genuine empathy. From his collaboration with NGOs to his unique approach in corporate spaces, Patruni’s work becomes a catalyst for meaningful transformation. “Life is Drag, Sas It Up” goes beyond a personal journey, delving into the complexities of identity and the resilience needed to navigate a world that often misunderstands and marginalizes. Patruni’s story serves as an inspiration to those who strive to be their authentic selves, regardless of the challenges they face. Through his unwavering commitment to advocacy and art, Patruni Chidananda Sastry delivers a moving memoir that urges readers to embrace their own sassy spirit and work towards a more inclusive world.

Download or read book Diary of a Drag Queen written by Crystal Rasmussen and published by Random House. This book was released on 2019-02-07 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Longlisted for the Polari First Book Prize 2020 Life's a drag... Why not be a queen? 'Stories like the one where you shagged a 79-year-old builder and knocked over his sister's ashes while feeding him a Viagra. Or the time you crashed your car because you were giving a hand job in barely moving traffic and took your eye off the car in front. That's the kind of dinner-party ice-breaker I'm talking about.' Northern, working-class and shagging men three times her age, Crystal writes candidly about her search for 'the one'; sleeping with a VIP in an attempt to become a world famous journalist; getting hired and fired by a well-known fashion magazine; being torn between losing weight and gorging on KFC; and her need for constant sexual satisfaction (and where that takes her). Charting her day-to-day adventures over the course of a year, we encounter tucks, twists and sucks, heinous overspending and endless nights spent sprinting from problem to problem in a full face of make-up. This is a place where the previously unspeakable becomes the commendable - a unique portrayal of the queer experience. (c) 2019, Crystal Rasmussen (P) 2019 Penguin Audio

Download or read book Dragging written by Shaka McGlotten and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2021-08-18 with total page 211 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dragging: Or, In the Drag of a Queer Life is an assemblage of fragments that collectively tell stories about a diverse group of artists and activists for whom drag serves as inspiration, method, object, and aim. Methodologically grounded in ethnography, Dragging incorporates auto-theoretical material that lays bare the intimacies of research, teaching, and loving, as well as their painful failures. Drag is more than gender impersonation, and it is more than resistance to norms. It is productively messy and ambivalent, and in these and other ways can serve to attune us to political and aesthetic alternatives to the increasingly widespread desire to be led. One of very few books about drag by an anthropologist, and using a uniquely personal approach, Dragging is an ethnography of artists and activists.

Download or read book Life as a Unicorn A Journey from Shame to Pride and Everything in Between written by Amrou Al-Kadhi and published by HarperCollins UK. This book was released on 2020-06-09 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A heart-breaking and hilarious memoir about the author’s fight to be true to themself WINNER OF THE POLARI FIRST BOOK PRIZE 2020 WINNER OF A SOMERSET MAUGHAM AWARD

Download or read book Life s Not Just a Drag written by Gary L. Alexander and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2013-03-26 with total page 249 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is about.wonderful hopes, and shattered dreams, the pain of growing up, and the pains of loosing family. It is about..what we think we cannot live through, but find we can. It is about conquering our mind and changing to what God wants us to be. It is about those things that we can conquer in life and how to be proud of those accomplishments, but more important it is what we can be if we do not give up. This life is not easy! What seems today as the worst day in our life, tomorrow just becomes a memory. I am so glad I did not give up during those difficult times. It is a story of redemption and salvation. It is a story of tragedy and triumph, of despair and being able to overcome what looks to be hopeless!He has been an accomplished survivor for over 70 years. He went from early family tragedy and low self-worth, to marriages and divorces, children, the military, dark days, the cheers of thousands as a female impersonator, singer, dancer, M.C., comedian, and stripper, to alcoholism and the very sexual 60s and 70s, and finally the humbleness of Gods Grace.

Download or read book The Drag King Book written by Del Lagrace Volcano and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What is a drag king? Why have drag kings not been as numerous or as popular as their drag queen counterparts in popular culture? Are drag kings lesbians? The Drag King Book tells you everything you've wanted to know and more about the lives and performances of contemporary male impersonators. The book profiles many different performers, among them San Francisco's larger-than-life Elvis Herselvis and New York's mackdaddy Dred, and presents interviews with drag kings alongside descriptions and analyses of actual shows. Lavishly illustrated with over 100 pictures by transgender photographer Del LaGrace Volcano, The Drag King Book is a striking testament to the multiple forms of gender variance today.

Download or read book Dragging written by Shaka McGlotten and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2021-08-18 with total page 211 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dragging: Or, In the Drag of a Queer Life is an assemblage of fragments that collectively tell stories about a diverse group of artists and activists for whom drag serves as inspiration, method, object, and aim. Methodologically grounded in ethnography, Dragging incorporates auto-theoretical material that lays bare the intimacies of research, teaching, and loving, as well as their painful failures. Drag is more than gender impersonation, and it is more than resistance to norms. It is productively messy and ambivalent, and in these and other ways can serve to attune us to political and aesthetic alternatives to the increasingly widespread desire to be led. One of very few books about drag by an anthropologist, and using a uniquely personal approach, Dragging is an ethnography of artists and activists.

Download or read book Drag written by Frank Decaro and published by Rizzoli Publications. This book was released on 2019-04-30 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Drag celebrates the fabulous current and historical influence of drag, and its talented and inspiring performers. Since man first walked the Earth...in heels, no other art form has wielded as unique an influence on pop culture as Drag. Drag artists have now sashayed their way to snatch the crowns as the Queens of mainstream entertainment. Through informative and witty essays chronicling over 100 years of drag, readers will embark on a Priscilla-like journey through pop culture, from television shows like The Milton Berle Show, Bosom Buddies, and RuPaul's Drag Race, films like Some Like It Hot, To Wong Foo..., and Tootsie, and Broadway shows like Hedwig and the Angry Inch, La Cage aux Folles, and Kinky Boots. With stops in cities around the globe, and packed with interviews and commentaries on the dramas, joys, and love that "make-up" a life in wigs and heels, Drag features contributions from today's most groundbreaking and popular artists, including Bianca del Rio, Miss Coco Peru, Hedda Lettuce, Lypsinka, and Varla Jean Merman, as well as notable performers as Harvey Fierstein and Charles Busch. It includes more than 100 photos--many from performers' personal collections, and a comprehensive timeline of drag "herstory."

Download or read book Legendary Children written by Tom Fitzgerald and published by National Geographic Books. This book was released on 2020-03-03 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A definitive deep-dive into queer history and culture with hit reality show RuPaul's Drag Race as a touchstone, by the creators of the pop culture blog Tom and Lorenzo NPR's Best Books of the Year 2020 pick A New York Times New & Noteworthy book One of Logo/NewNowNext's "11 Queer Books We Can't Wait to Read This Spring" From the singular voices behind Tom and Lorenzo comes the ultimate guide to all-things RuPaul's Drag Race and its influence on modern LGBTQ culture. Legendary Children centers itself around the idea that not only is RuPaul's Drag Race the queerest show in the history of television, but that RuPaul and company devised a show that serves as an actual museum of queer cultural and social history, drawing on queer traditions and the work of legendary figures going back nearly a century. In doing so, Drag Race became not only a repository of queer history and culture, but also an examination and illustration of queer life in the modern age. It is a snapshot of how LGBTQ folks live, struggle, work, and reach out to one another--and how they always have--and every bit of it is tied directly to Drag Race. Each chapter is an examination of a specific aspect of the show--the Werk Room, the Library, the Pit Crew, the runway, the Untucked lounge, the Snatch Game--that ties to a specific aspect of queer cultural history and/or the work of certain legendary figures in queer cultural history.

Download or read book Why Drag written by Magnus Hastings and published by Chronicle Books. This book was released on 2016-05-17 with total page 227 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For over a decade, Magnus Hastings has been photographing the world's greatest drag superstars and asking each of them a simple question: Why drag? The result is this mesmerizing volume in which the queens strut their stuff and reflect on their shared passion through a mixture of quips and philosophizing. Subjects include icons of reality TV and underground drag royalty, and photographs range from the divine to the trashy. Featuring the likes of Bianca Del Rio and Courtney Act, this collection is a beautiful celebration of drag as an art form and an exhilarating exploration of what drag means to its greatest artists.

Download or read book Drag Teen written by Jeffery Self and published by Scholastic Inc.. This book was released on 2016-04-26 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When life's a drag, you've gotta drag it up. JT feels like his life's hit a dead end. It looks like he'll always be stuck in Florida. His parents are anti-supportive. And his boyfriend, Seth, seems to be moving toward a bright future a long way from home.Scholarship money is nonexistent. After-school work will only get JT so far. There's only one shot for him -- to become the next Miss Drag Teen in New York City.The problem with that? Well, the only other time JT tried drag (at a school talent show), he was booed off the stage. And it's not exactly an easy drive from Florida to New York. But JT isn't going to give up. He, Seth, and their friend Heather are going to drag race up north so JT can capture the crown, no matter how many feisty foes he has to face. Because when your future is on the line, you have to be in it to win it, one fraught and fabulous step at a time.

Download or read book Virtual Intimacies written by Shaka McGlotten and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 2013-11-12 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Virtual Intimacies tells the stories of gay men, including the author, who navigate social worlds in which the boundaries between real and virtual have been thoroughly confounded. Shaka McGlotten analyzes intimate connection and disconnection across an array of media sites, including mass mediated public sex scandals, online spaces, Do-It-Yourself porn, and smartphone apps in order to show the ordinary ways people challenge and rework sexuality and technology. The book frames "virtual intimacy" in terms of the mocking disapproval that looks at using technology to connect as something shameful or as a means of last resort. However, where many see a dead end, Virtual Intimacies argues on behalf of more extensive understandings of intimacy, thereby contributing to many feminist and queer approaches that seek to expand the scope of what counts as connection, belonging, or love. The author also highlights the creative and resilient ways that queer people build social worlds using spaces and technologies in ways they were not intended.

Download or read book How to Drag a Body and Other Safety Tips You Hope to Never Need written by Judith Matloff and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2020-05-19 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As we have seen with the recent COVID-19 pandemic, disaster preparedness is not a luxury. Everyone from Louis Pasteur to the Girl Scouts has championed the motto “Be Prepared”—but what does that mean in today’s constantly changing world? In this age of anxiety, when reports of mass shootings, political unrest, the threat of nuclear war, devastating natural disasters, and digital attacks dominate the news and are transforming our lives, we yearn for some control. We want to make sensible decisions to help keep us on track when everything seems to be going off the rails. We want to be ready—to the best of our abilities—for the worst that can happen. As a seasoned war correspondent with more than thirty years of experience working in crisis zones and a pioneering safety consultant, Judith Matloff knows about personal security and risk management. In How to Drag a Body and Other Safety Tips You Hope to Never Need, she shares her tried-and-true methods to help you confidently handle whatever challenges comes your way. Learn how to: Perform emergency first aid Create a bunker Keep yourself safe when traveling Keep yourself safe from online hacks and dozens of other invaluable tips to stay safe in any circumstances Blending humorous stories and anecdotes with serious advice, Matloff explains how to remain upright in stampedes, avoid bank fraud, prevent sexual assault, stay clean in a shelter, and even be emotionally prepared for loss. From cyber security, active shooter situations, and travel, to natural disasters and emotional resilience, she shares tips that will give even the most anxious person a sense of control over life’s unpredictable perils. Unfortunately, we can’t anticipate all the crises of our lives. But with How to Drag a Body and Other Safety Tips You Hope to Never Need, you’ll find the skills and confidence you need to weather an emergency. The book includes 38-42 black-and-white illustrations.

Download or read book Life in Lashes written by Kita Mean and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2022-10-01 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The hilarious tell-all memoir by the first winner of RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under Hailing from a sleepy eastern suburb of Auckland, Nick Nash grew up feeling like he stood out for all the wrong reasons. It wasn't until he experimented with the art of drag that he found freedom in his fierce and confident alter-ego, Kita Mean. From wild nights partying like there was no tomorrow, to scrounging together delightfully camp costumes on a shoestring budget, buying an iconic cabaret bar with bestie Anita Wigl'it, and competing on the global stage alongside Kiwi and Aussie drag legends in the first season of RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under, Kita shares behind-the-scenes goss and important life lessons - many learned the hard way - about fighting your demons and being proud of your most authentic self. Bursting with outrageous style and cheek, Life in Lashes is a memoir of a lost boy who found salvation as a drag queen, learned to love herself, and went on to share her fabulousness with the world.

Download or read book Drag Queens at the 801 Cabaret written by Leila J. Rupp and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2015-10-02 with total page 275 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It's Saturday night in Key West and the Girlie Show is about to begin at the 801 Cabaret. The girls have been outside on the sidewalk all evening, seducing passersby into coming in for the show. The club itself is packed tonight and smoke has filled the room. When the lights finally go down, statuesque blonds and stunning brunettes sporting black leather miniskirts, stiletto heels, and see-through lingerie take the stage. En Vogue's "Free Your Mind" blares on the house stereo. The crowd roars in approval. In this lively book, Leila J. Rupp and Verta Taylor take us on an entertaining tour through one of America's most overlooked subcultures: the world of the drag queen. They offer a penetrating glimpse into the lives of the 801 Girls, the troupe of queens who perform nightly at the 801 Cabaret for tourists and locals. Weaving together their fascinating life stories, their lavish costumes and eclectic music, their flamboyance and bitchiness, and their bawdy exchanges with one another and their audiences, the authors explore how drag queens smash the boundaries between gay and straight, man and woman, to make people think more deeply and realistically about sex and gender in America today. They also consider how the queens create a space that encourages camaraderie and acceptance among everyday people, no matter what their sexual preferences might be. Based on countless interviews with more than a dozen drag queens, more than three years of attendance at their outrageous performances, and even the authors' participation in the shows themselves, Drag Queens at the 801 Cabaret is a witty and poignant portrait of gay life and culture. When they said life is a cabaret, they clearly meant the 801.