photo: Joe Montana
About Lil Miss Hot Mess
book a performance or reading!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 is a storyteller and serves on the board for Drag Queen Story Hour. She has hosted readings for the Brooklyn Museum, ICA LA, RuPaul’s Drag Con, Vice Media, HBO, 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 is a professor at the University of Arizona. She splits her time between Tucson and Los Angeles.
If You're a Drag Queen and You Know It
If you’re a Drag Queen and You Know It
written by Lil Miss Hot Mess, illustrated by Olga de Dios
coming May 2022, from Running Press Kids
Strike a pose. Blow a kiss. Mouth the words. A fun, sing-along book with a drag twist that encourage kids to embrace all the playfulness of drag culture.
If you’re a drag queen and you know it, let it show by winking, shaking your bum, laughing real big, twirling around, and more! Join a cast of fabulous drag queens as you sing along to the tune of “If You’re Happy and You Know It” in this playful celebration of expressing your brightest and boldest self.
Pre-Order Now!
…or ask your favorite local bookstore to pre-order.
Some of these contain affiliate links, so your purchase supports me ever more!
Pre-Order Now!
…or ask your favorite local bookstore or library to pre-order.
Some of these contain affiliate links, so your purchase supports me ever more!
The hips on the drag queen go Swish, swish, swish
The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish
written by Lil Miss Hot Mess, illustrated by Olga de Dios
published by Running Press Kids, 2020
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.
Buy Now!
…or ask your favorite local bookstore to pre-order.
Some of these contain affiliate links, so your purchase supports me ever more!
Buy Now!
…or ask your favorite local bookstore to stock it.
Some of these contain affiliate links, so your purchase supports me ever more!
pRAISE
Kirkus Reviews, starred review: “This book’s gonna werk, werk, werk all through Pride Month and beyond. Drag persona Lil Miss Hot Mess rewrites ‘The Wheels on the Bus’ to create a fun, movement-filled, family-friendly celebration of drag. . . . Appropriately psychedelic. . . . Fun, fun, fun all through the town!”
BuzzFeed: “The Wheels on the Bus? Throw her out, she’s OVER. The Hips On the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish is a funny, inspiring picture book that encourages children to be themselves. Remember, children need to learn how to read books before they read people.
Elizabeth Bird, Fuse8 (School Library Journal): “The Hips on the Drag Queens Go Swish Swish Swish takes the familiar and renders it fabulous.”
Matt Baume, them.: “features bright, imaginative illustrations of dancing drag queens accompanied by kid-friendly song lyrics designed to get youngsters excited to read, move around, and express themselves.”
She Knows: “a fun romp into Dragland kids of all ages will love. From the costumes and the makeup to the rhymes, this story and its queens make it clear: Being yourself is the coolest.
The Tiny Activist: “All of the drag queen characters… encompass a variety of drag styles, so much personality is conveyed through the illustrations!… Having a space where everyone is accepted for whatever they like to do is crucial for kids, and having books that specifically celebrate creativity and fashion assist in making that happen.”
More Press
PRESS
- Publishers Weekly: “Dressed for Success: LGBTQ Children’s Books 2020”
- Romper: “The Spirit Of Drag Queen Story Hour Has Moved Online & Onto Your Shelves”
- Mombian: “Drag Queens and Other Performers Take Center Stage in New Kids’ Books”
- 48 Hills: “A Drag Queen Story Hour star and activist publishes her own kids’ book”
Extras
Coloring Pages
Now’s your chance to color the characters from the book, with these phenomenal (and printable) illustrations by Olga de Dios!
You can also draw your favorite characters — or create your own drag persona!
Post your artwork on social media and tag me @lilmisshotmess with #drawadragqueen.
Book Stickers
Request a personalized book sticker from Lil Miss Hot Mess!
Since I can’t travel now to sign books, I’m happy to send a signed sticker to all my friends and fans! It’s FREE, but donations to Drag Queen Story Hour are welcome if you can! Just fill out the the form.
WRITING + Press
Essays + Articles
- Curriculum Inquiry: “Drag Pedagogy: The Playful Practice of Queer Imagination in Early Childhood” (with Harper Keenan)
- Wired: “A Drag Queen’s Guide to Protecting Your Privacy on Facebook by Breaking the Rules”
- Them: “I’m Deleting Facebook Until It Learns to Respect Queer Users”
- Wired: “Facebook’s Hate Speech Policies Censor Marginalized Users”
- Salon: “Not so fast, Mark Zuckerberg: 4 reasons to be skeptical of his $45 billion giveaway”
- Huffington Post: “One Year Later, Facebook Fails to Fix Its Biased Real Names Policy”
- Salon: “Say my name: Facebook’s unfair “real names” policy continues to harm vulnerable users”
- The Guardian: “Facebook’s ‘real name’ policy hurts real people and creates a new digital divide”
- Huffington Post: “Shame on Facebook: How Zuckerberg’s Confusing “Real Names” Policy Hurts More Than It Helps”
- Salon: “Let me be Lil Miss Hot Mess: Facebook took away my stage name”
press clippings
- New Yorker: “Kids Attend Drag Queen Story Hour”
- Vox: “Drag queens are more political than ever. Can they lead a movement?”
- LGBTQ Nation: “Rising queen Lil Miss Hot Mess on how drag upsets the status quo” (interview with Michael Musto)
- Them: “Drag Queens Are Bringing Families Together at Public Libraries Across the U.S.”
- Tablet: “Lil Miss Hot Mess Makes a Great Children’s Storyteller”
- New York Times: “Drag Performers Fight Facebook’s ‘Real Name’ Policy”
- NPR: “Facebook Requires Real Names. What Does That Mean For Drag Queens?”
- More coming soon!
Lil Miss Hot Mess on Channel 4
Photos
@Lilmisshotmess Instagram
More photos, videos, and press clippings coming soon!
Get in touch.
Love letters only please!