Flamboyants : The Queer Harlem Renaissance I Wish I’d Known

While many iconic figures of 1920s Black America may not have been public about their sexuality at the time, they still found ways to express their identities in essays, songs, poetry, and other art forms. And it wasnt always pretty or polite! From high-society weddings to raunchy music and friendship feuds, George M. Johnson delivers all the juicy details in twelve short biographies of these iconic flamboyantslike Langston Hughes, Ma Rainey, Zora Neale Hurston, or Josephine Bakerwhose sexualities have been obscured throughout history.

Interspersed with Johnsons personal narrative and their own poetry,Flamboyantsilluminates how American culture has always been shaped by people who are both Black andQueer. Award-winning author and illustrator Charly Palmer brings these flamboyant writers, artists, and activists to life on the page through gorgeous full-color portraits.

In their contributions to American thought and culture, these figures left a roadmap for the future. A future where people like George M. Johnson and others can not only live publicly as a queer person, but can create art fully immersed in a queer experience. And lead a flamboyant life!