Lil Miss Hot Mess and Drag Queen Story Hour

Known for throwing extravaganzas like her “Bat Mitzvah x2” and roller skating parties, Lil Miss Hot Mess has appeared on world-class stages like SFMOMA, Stanford University, and Saturday Night Live, as well as legendary clubs like The Stud, Hard French, Bushwig, Queen Kong, and many more.  She loves packing her performances full of political satire and technology to help illuminate what a hot mess the world can be. Lil Miss Hot Mess was among the first Drag Queen Story Hour, and serves on the board for the nonprofit organization.  She has hosted readings at the Brooklyn Museum, ICA LA, RuPaul’s Drag Con, Vice Media, WNET’s Let’s Learn, and numerous libraries, schools, and community groups coast-to-coast.  Her children’s book The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish was published in 2020, and her next book If You’re a Drag Queen and You Know It comes out in May 2022.   Hot Mess was also a founding organizer of the #MyNameIs campaign that challenged Facebook’s “real names” policy. Her writing has been published in The Guardian, Wired, Salon, and them., as well as in academic journals like Curriculum Inquiry, and her work has been in media around the world. When not twirling, Lil Miss Hot Mess works as a visual artist and a professor.  She splits her time between Tucson and Los Angeles.

          The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish encourages readers to boldly be exactly who they are. Written by a founding member of the nationally recognized Drag Queen Story Hour (DQSH), this playful picture book offers a quirky twist on a classic nursery rhyme by illustrating all of the ways to “work it”. The story plays off “The Wheels on the Bus” as it follows a drag queen who performs her routine in front of an awestruck audience. A fun frenzy of fierceness, this book will appeal to readers of all ages.

       Drag Queen Story Hour (DQSH) is just what it sounds like—drag queens, kings, and other fabulous beings reading stories to children in libraries, schools, and bookstores. We envision a world where kids can learn from LGBTQ+ herstories and experiences to love themselves, celebrate the fabulous diversity in their communities, and stand up for what they believe in and each other.