Reading with Monique Jenkinson

Iconic Bay Area performing artist and writer Monique Jenkinson (aka Fauxnique) shares an evening of stories from her memoir Faux Queen: A Life in Drag, which joyously chronicles the creation of her drag persona, the people and cultural practices that crash her identity into being, her journey through one of the most experimental moments in queer cultural history and her rise through the nightlife underground to become the first cisgender woman crowned as a pageant-winning drag queen. Jenkinson finds authenticity through the glee of drag artifice and articulation through the immediacy of performing bodies. She pens a valentine to gay men and their irreverent culture while relaying the making of an open-minded feminist.

As a singular Bay Area artist, Jenkinson has pushed the boundaries of drag and has created a body of work that critically examines the performance of femininity as a powerful, vulnerable, and subversive act. Her solo shows–rich with camp, physical intensity, and intellectual daring–have toured nationally and internationally in wide-ranging contexts from nightclubs to theaters to museums. Faux Queen: A Life in Drag is out now on Amble Press

Followed by an informal Q & A and book-signing.

Books for sale at the event.

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Praise for Faux Queen

Monique Jenkinson is the Jane Goodall of drag. As Fauxnique, she has also become one of it’s most admired primates. This book is a profound herstory of a uniquely fabulous tribe, as well as a deep dive into how to discover, then honor, your own transcendent path. Read and learn.

Justin Vivian Bond, trans-genre artist

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…underneath the artifice of the wigs, the lashes, the makeup, and the heels, the book is really about the deep self-discoveries, friendships, and feminism…
Josh Rotter, 48 Hills

Jenkinson's journey is both a fantastic trip down memory lane and a reflective perspective on the vibrancy, diversity, and fabulousness of queer culture.
Jim Piechota, Bay Area Reporter

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I've read many books about drag over the years and Monique Jenkinson's 'Faux Queen' is officially my new favorite- and I swear it's not just because I'm in it! Her life story in drag is unique and inspiring. She beautifully and thoughtfully describes an outrageous, provocative, and magical time in San Francisco drag history that's often misunderstood in hindsight. I'm so grateful to Monique for writing this incredible chronicle of our lives!

Peaches Christ, filmmaker / cult leader

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Faux Queen is a playful, engaging, critically serious, counter-culturally crucial memoir that is full of joy - the primal joys of art-making, fandom, connecting with like-minded weirdos, finding your place in the world and allowing your art and obsessions to lead you to it. I love this book.

Michelle Tea, author of Against Memoir

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If multiplicity is to your taste - Monique/Fauxnique can give

you a FEAST. Heralding a career spanning 3 decades that meets at the oh-so-perilous intersections of drag, post-modern dance and performance art, feminist theory and critique, and activism, this woman is someone I hold dear as a local performance art hero and a sister who has always answered the phone whenever I called. STEAL THIS BOOK!

Brontez Purnell, author of 100 Boyfriends

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An incredible window into the magical kiki of San Francisco’s underground drag scene. A voice that is dazzling, sassy and philosophical all at the same time. In writing her memories, Monique/Fauxnique has gifted us a rare invitation to unlock the treasure of queer herstory through the eyes and vision of a faux queen. Taking us on a journey of ballet, punk and fake eyelashes Faux Queen is a living document of the deep connections and histories built by drag queens. I live! 

Julián Delgado Lopera, author of Fiebre Tropical

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