Elyssa Maxx Goodman
Uncovers Drag in New York City in her book "Glitter and Concrete"
Table of Contents
Elyssa Maxx Goodman
Bringing Forgotten Stories to Light
Carrying on Oral Traditions
Why Drag Matters
Elyssa Maxx Goodman
Elyssa Maxx Goodman is journalist and author specializing in LGBTQ+ arts and culture. She fell in love with drag at the age of seven when she watched "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything. Julie Newmar." Over a nearly 20-year writing career, her essays, profiles, photography and commentary on drag performance have been published widely, including in Vogue, Vanity Fair, New York Times Style Magazine, Conde Nast's "them," and many others.
In her new book "Glitter and Concrete: The Cultural History of Drag in New York City," journalist Elyssa Maxx Goodman uncovers over 150 years of hidden heritage. Through exhaustive research and interviews with legendary performers, Goodman traces drag's enduring influence from Prohibition-era speakeasies to the age of RuPaul.
As an arts writer immersed in New York's vibrant scene, Goodman possesses firsthand insight into drag's modern manifestations. But the disciplined reporter also devoted five and a half years to excavating overlooked stories from drag's past, when laws and prejudices forced performers underground.
Bringing Forgotten Stories to Light
Few history books have centered the overlooked pioneers and venues vital to drag's development. So Goodman makes it her mission to spotlight forgotten trail blazers sidelined due to race, gender identity, class, and artistic preference. The Harlem Renaissance balls, trans women of color, drag artists organizing amid the AIDS crisis, and scrappy outer-borough venues all get their due.
While academic works have analyzed drag's socio-political role, Goodman moves beyond dry analysis with an insider's eye. She vividly conjures long-lost scenes and celebrates drag's singular power to catalyze joy and solidarity amid adversity.
Carrying on Oral Traditions
More than just an archivist, with this book Goodman assists in carrying on drag's time-honored traditions. Through skillful storytelling that entertains as much as it educates, Goodman channels that irreverent yet uplifting spirit.
The diverse cast of characters includes national figures like Sylvester and RuPaul alongside local heroes lost to time. Goodman allows their singular voices to shine through with playful wit and poignant candor. A work of narrative nonfiction, "Glitter and Concrete" synthesizes years of scholarly study with homespun lore.
Why Drag Matters
While drag today enjoys unprecedented visibility and acceptance, Goodman looks to the past to explain its enduring appeal. Throughout evolving eras of performance, she identifies core elements rooted in community ritual. The book makes a compelling case for why an art form too often dismissed as mere nightlife entertainment bears proud traditions older than America itself.
With "Glitter and Concrete,” Goodman cements her reputation as an incisive chronicler of queer culture. But more importantly, she secures drag’s rightful place in any honest account of New York City’s creative heritage. Both flashy celebration and hallowed resistance, Goodman shows how drag emerged as cultural lifeblood rather than mere sideshow. Indeed for Goodman, glitter belongs right alongside concrete as essential material in Gotham’s foundational mix.
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