“As children, we swim in stories… We use them to explore adventure, danger, independence, romance. We borrow personas and test-drive personalities—internalizing characters and all their embedded codes of what it means to be a hero, a heroine, a man, a woman, to be rescued, to be a rescuer, to be valued.”—Gayle Forman, from the introduction to TATTERHOOD

In the spirit of unfettered exploration of self that great books can prompt, the Feminist Press brings a new reading series for children to the Brooklyn Public Library, featuring classic tales read by drag queens. “Drag Queen Story Hour breaks down our most stifling ideas about gender while lifting up play, fierceness, and femininity for all,” says Jennifer Baumgardner, executive director and publisher of the Feminist Press. Michelle Tea, series editor for Feminist Press’s Amethyst Editions, will introduce this story hour and Lil Miss Hot Mess will share a story from Tatterhood.  

Lil Miss Hot Mess is a drag queen who has performed at venues ranging from gay bars to universities, SFMOMA to the streets of OccupySF. She is an organizer with the #MyNameIs campaign, a pageant title holder, and has been published in the Guardian, Salon, and the Huffington Post. 

Michelle Tea is the author of five memoirs, including Valencia, Rent Girl, and How to Grow Up. Her novels include Rose of No Man’s Land and a trilogy of young-adult fantasy novels. She cocreated the performance tour Sister Spit and founded the literary nonprofit RADAR Productions. Tea is the curator of the Amethyst Editions imprint for the Feminist Press.