Join us in the NYU Skirball Lower Lobby on Thursday, Nov 20, to discuss Tourmaline’s new biography of queer activist (and Hot Peaches member) Marsha P. Johnson.
About the Book
Black transgender luminary Tourmaline brings to life the first definitive biography of the revolutionary activist Marsha P. Johnson, one of the most important and remarkable figures in LGBTQIA+ history, revealing her story, her impact, and her legacy.
“Thank god the revolution has begun, honey.” Rumor has it that after Marsha P. Johnson threw the first brick in the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, she picked up a shard of broken mirror to fix her makeup. Marsha, a legendary Black transgender activist, embodied both the beauty and the struggle of the early gay rights movement. Her work sparked the progress we see today, yet there has never been a definitive record of her life. Until now.
Written with sparkling prose, Tourmaline’s richly researched biography Marsha finally brings this iconic figure to life, in full color. We vividly meet Marsha as both an activist and artist: She performed with RuPaul and with the internationally renowned drag troupe The Hot Peaches. She was a muse to countless artists from Andy Warhol to the band Earth, Wind & Fire. And she continues to inspire people today.
Marsha didn’t wait to be freed; she declared herself free and told the world to catch up. Her story promises to inspire readers to live as their most liberated, unruly, vibrant, and whole selves.
About the Book Club
From 2019-2022, we paired each show in NYU Skirball’s season with a complementary text – including fiction, non-fiction, memoir, graphic novels, and poetry. The majority of the texts were published within 5 years of the clubs’ meetings. Each book shared themes or concepts with the curricular theme and performances of each season. We considered it a cross-genre take on comparative literature.
Originally designed as a pre-show gathering in the lobby, the series was a popular zoom option during Covid lockdowns, before in-person programming resumed, and particularly during the summer of 2020, when the focus of the club shifted to readings on race & justice in the US.
Now, we’re focusing on one book per semester that connects to NYU Skirball’s larger mission, and the history, legacy and ethos of downtown New York.