Elyssa Maxx Goodman: Documenting the History of Drag in New York City
Elyssa Maxx Goodman is a writer and photographer specializing in arts and culture, specifically drag and photography. Her work has been published in Vogue, T: The New York Times Style Magazine, Vanity Fair, ELLE, i-D, Town & Country, Photograph, InsideHook, and many others online and in print.
Elyssa has also written about LGBTQ+ history and culture for Conde Nast’s them, where she was the site’s “Drag Herstory” and Queer Women’s History columnist. She has contributed drag journalism to VICE, CR Fashion Book, Billboard, Out, and more.
She has been a freelance writer for 19 years, and in love with drag for 27 years, since the age of seven. Follow her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
In this post, Goodman shares her experience documenting New York City’s long history of drag, her top two tips for other writers, and more.
Elyssa Maxx Goodman (Photo credit: Ben Seagren)
Name: Elyssa Maxx Goodman
Literary agent: Melissa Danaczko
Book title: Glitter and Concrete: A Cultural History of Drag in New York City
Publisher: Hanover Square Press/HarperCollins
Release date: September 12, 2023
Genre/category: Nonfiction/History
Elevator pitch for the book: Covering drag history in New York City from 1865 to the present, Glitter and Concrete is a nonfiction narrative that weaves together the stories of drag artists past and present. In its pages are a vibrant portrait of drag as an art form, a mode of self-expression, rebellion, resistance, and triumph over adversity.
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What prompted you to write this book?
I wanted to write the book because it was something I wanted to read. After legendary New York drag queen Flawless Sabrina passed away, I was surprised to find other stories of New York drag artists hadn’t been collected as a history somewhere else.
I didn’t want any other stories to get lost, and I wanted to show people how far back New York’s drag history goes and how influential it’s been. I started wondering if this was something I could do, and then after chatting with some colleagues who were very encouraging, I decided to dive in.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
The first time I spoke the idea aloud was in December 2017. I held onto it for a while and then in March 2018 I sat down with my colleague Fran Tirado, who said, yes, you should do it. I started that night. By the time the book comes out, it will have been five and a half years from that day.
The idea did change throughout the process–originally I had thought it would go from 1945 to the present, but when I was looking for introductory material, it just kept going and going. So now it starts in 1865! I’m excited to tell these stories because I don’t think they get highlighted nearly as much as they should.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
Writing is such a solitary process, and it grows more moving parts as you go on, when you begin working with a larger team and start thinking about the publishing side of the equation. I’m locked in my cave all the time with myself, so to speak, so it was really valuable for me to learn more about my work style as it relates to others and share what I need to be supported as a writer.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
I would say my favorite kinds of surprises in the writing process were the moments where I got to learn something interesting about drag that I could then share with people in the book. This includes everything from what the scenes at drag balls were like in the 1960s, to what it was like to date a mafioso as a person in drag, to how supermodels and movie stars would drop in on drag venues in the East and West Village and dance with everyone like it was a regular part of their day.
The world was a lot different before everyone had a camera on their phone. I’m glad I got to learn about some of those moments and put them on paper!
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
I have several hopes for the book: that it can help people find roots who want to know of them, that it encourages people to learn more, that it creates opportunities for people to understand drag’s past and connect to its future. I also hope the book will help contribute to the ongoing work being done to get drag the respect it deserves as a powerful art form and vehicle of self-expression.
Drag goes back much further than 1865, of course–it’s thousands of years old–and I hope that in the book’s pages people will see there’s a deep history that can’t, won’t, and hasn’t been erased.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
If I could share one piece of advice with other writers, it would be to trust yourself and pace yourself. I guess that’s two pieces, but still!
Writing a book, as the cliche goes, is very much a marathon and not a sprint. It happens over a long time, and any day you produce work, even if it’s a little, contributes to your process. It’s easy to say even though it’s difficult to experience in the moment.
The same goes for trusting yourself. You have to remember you’re here doing this work for a reason–for me, that was making sure the stories got told–and that you wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t something you could do. So go slowly, and know you can do it.
I pasted a Toni Morrison quote on my bookshelf that helped me a lot: “It’s not possible to constantly hold onto crisis. You have to have the love and you have to have the magic. That’s also life.”
Maybe the only way a book can really enter the world is with love and magic, and that love and magic comes from ourselves. Trusting yourself and being kind to yourself (with pacing and otherwise) is part of that.