I had the absolute pleasure of speaking with author and storytime professional Lil Miss Hot Mess. LMHM is not only a talented author, but she is also one of the beautiful people who brought Drag Queen Story Hour to us all!
LMHM takes the lyrics to popular children’s songs and puts them in drag! Her books encourage children to not only see people and the world in an open-minded and loving way, but they also get them dancing and moving.
I am so excited for this opportunity to interview you! Your books are so much fun to read. What made you decide to become an author?
Thank you and thanks so much for interviewing me! I had a roundabout way of becoming an author: when I was a kid, I loved writing short stories and making them into books in school. And in college, I started writing a children’s book about a gender-fabulous grandparent — but then I kind of took a long pause, at least with children’s books. It wasn’t until I got involved with Drag Queen Story Hour that I was again immersed in children’s literature, and realized that I could write my own books that could extend the fun we had at story hour into families’ daily lives. Interestingly, too, in my “day job,” I’m an academic, so I am sort of an author for a living, but a very different kind. There’s something nice about the challenge of writing to different audiences.
Are all the characters in your book real people?
Nope! They’re all made up. I did share photos of my drag communities with my wonderful illustrator Olga de Dios, so I do see some resemblances here and there — but they’re all ultimately fictional. It was super fun to get to create a whole cast of fantasy drag performers, and especially to come up with kid-friendly names that would still capture the fun and sass of drag performers.
We would love to hear about a time you read this book out loud to families. What was the experience like?
You know what? I still haven’t had the opportunity to read this book in person to families, because it came out during the pandemic — which is partly why I’m so excited to go on tour soon! But I’ve done a bunch of readings virtually, and I was singing the song with kids at story hours before it became a book. I really enjoy seeing kids and parents singing and dancing along, especially swishing their hips or shimmying their shoulders. These are the types of moves that when I was a kid, I would have been teased for, but we’re able to create a safe space to explore how we express ourselves in the world. One of the other treats is getting to see recordings of other drag queens reading/singing the book, because everyone puts their own spin on it!
You are coming out with a new book this month! What can you tell us about IF YOU’RE A DRAG QUEEN AND YOU KNOW IT?
I’m so excited by this book, sort of a sequel or a sister to the first. It has a similar spirit and structure in offering a dragged-up take on a classic children’s song. There’s a whole new starring cast of characters, plus a bunch of favorites return to grace the pages. And if you loved snapping your fingers, you’re going to love shouting, “Yesss, queen!”
The amount of diversity and inclusiveness in your books is beautiful. I would love to hear how you work with your illustrator, Olga de Dios, to make sure everyone is represented.
Thank you, it’s definitely one of my goals to showcase the incredible diversity among drag queens and our communities as a whole: not just in terms of identity (though that’s certainly important), but also the styles and approaches to drag itself. Again, I take inspiration from my own community, and add an imaginative component as well. For this book, I especially wanted to ensure that we represented disabled queens (as I myself have a chronic illness). I think we’re getting there, but there’s always more work to be done!
UK’s underground drag troop featuring drag queens with Down’s Syndrome.
Have you ever had any pushback on your books from parents?
I haven’t received any from parents directly about this book, though of course, I’ve received a lot of hate mail for my work with Drag Queen Story Hour. My first book has also already made its way to banned books lists, and a recording I did for a local PBS affiliate was taken off the main PBS website, allegedly after complaints. It’s such a shame, and my attitude is that, if it’s not for you and your family, that’s fine with me — but don’t try to block others from accessing it.
There are many problematic songs in the storytime world, such as “Five Little Monkeys” and “Eenie Meeny Miney Mo.” How do you choose the songs you put in your books to avoid songs with harmful origins?
That’s such a great point! I guess I’ve worked intuitively to come up with songs that are familiar and fun but open to re-making, in the spirit of drag. I’ve done a bit of research on each to make sure there’s nothing too problematic in their origins.
Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?
One thing I always like to think about is that part of what makes drag so special and appropriate for children is that it really taps into a spirit of imagination and play that helps us rethink what the world could be. That is, drag offers adults a way to extend themes of childhood, and to push what dress-up can be into political territory, by offering a framework for challenging stereotypes and assumptions. For me, drag is literally about turning our fantasies into a reality through the audacity of wearing big hair and heels and having the courage to express ourselves, no matter the opposition. I actually think a lot of children’s literature has similar themes, and that as adults, too often we forget that.
What are some of your favorite read-alouds by other authors?
Some of my all-time favorites are NEITHER by Airlie Anderson, WORM LOVES WORM by JJ Austrian, MAYBE SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL by by F. Isabel Campoy and Therese Howell, and anything by Christian Robinson.
Can we expect a third book?
I can neither confirm nor deny, but I sincerely hope so!
What can we do to help support your work?
Buying my books is a huge help, as is requesting them in your local public and school libraries so more kids can find them. Following me at @LilMissHotMess on all social media is always helpful, as is supporting Drag Queen Story Hour, which is now a full-fledged nonprofit.
