The Divas of Sheridan Square

J. Centola [Jimmy Camicia], Ralph Hall

New York

:

[Ralph Hall & Flash Storm]

,

1975

.
Artist’s Proof. Signed by Illustrator

21.5cm x 18cm. [24] pages, illustrations. Mimeo pressed unbound folded sheets.

Poems by J. Centola AKA Jimmy Camicia, founder of New York drag performance group, Hot Peaches, with illustrations by Ralph Hall. Published by Hall and his lover Flash Storm in 1975 and sold during a Hot Peaches musical production written by Camicia “[looking] at the disappointment experienced by drag queens and street people who had fought the inital battle for gay rights only to find themselves passed over, trod upon, and ignored by the progressive middle-class gays who took over the movement.” (from ‘My Dear, Sweet Self: A Hot Peach Life’, Jimmy Camicia) Largely based on events at and after Stonewall and Marsha P. Johnson, gay rights activist, founding member of the Gay Liberation Front, and Hot Peaches performer. Poems included in the collection are: The Divas of Sheridan Square, Fag Hag Whore, Alice, Space Queen, Change for a Dying Queen, Kroozin, Tax and Dues, The Revolution is Over, It’s Getting Tighter, and The Ballad of Gypsie Trash. This copy one of Hall’s prototypes, featuring a different cover variant to copies sold to the public. The interior is the same as the regular edition though printed on white paper of thicker stock, unbound, and bearing his signature to the contents page.

Minor shelf wear. Very minor soiling. Pen notation to the top right of the front cover. Near Fine Condition.