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‘I pick my way through the dressing room, stepping over debris from previous performances – a toy guitar, a picked-over sheet of stick-on moustaches, and a slowly deflating blow up doll. The front of my shirt is damp from where I tried to sponge out a pale purple stain from the Dark Fruits.

I slip on my coat, grab my umbrella, and make for the stage with what I hope is an air of masculine confidence.’

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Emily Doyle has covered drag, cabaret and burlesque since 2017, writing and illustrating features for Birmingham Review on both the local scene and touring shows that increasing come through the city. But having sat safely as an observer for the past two years – hidden behind a pen, notebook and the rows of other audience members – Emily wanted to experience it as one of the performers on stage.

Supported by the very Drag Kings and Queens she once went to review, Emily made her debut as Philip Phallus at Birmingham’s Valley of the Kings ‘open mic’ drag night – adopting an iconic costume and song for her obligatory lip sync performance.

From her initial Dutch courage decision, through the agony of choosing a suitably unsuitable name, to dressing room jitters and the camaraderie from other drag artists, Diary of a Short Lived Drag King is Emily Doyle’s story of when she decided to man up and get on stage.

A 24 page A5 ‘zine’, featuring words/illustrations from Emily Doyle and photography from Eleanor Sutcliffe, Diary of a Short Lived Drag is now available to buy – released through Review Publishing with license from Old Bort Designs.

Click here to order Diary of a Short Lived Drag.

Ed King
– featuring pictures by Paul Ward

‘It wasn’t until my second visit to Mumbai that I started to understand the torrid history of India under colonial rule. The British Raj, what lay before, during and after.

I grew up in Birmingham in the centre of England – amidst strong Gujarati, Punjabi and Kashmiri Diasporas – and have felt familiar to India since I was a child, as much of my home city would. Making Diwali candles and Eid Mubarak cards in primary school, eating onion bhajis and Kit Kats for lunch; India was the culture of classmates. But as for the shared past that brought us together, founded on both commerce and cruelty… the legacy of the British Empire was never taught in our history lessons.’

South City / Gateway of India

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Snapshots of Mumbai is the first in a series of books that explore the might and majesty of India, whilst softly explaining the roots of imperialism that stole seven islands to begin building an empire. A walk through the history of a modern day megacity – Snapshots of Mumbai is a collection of essays, interviews, and images about people who live and work in this sprawling metropolis.

A matt laminated case bound ‘coffee table’ book, laid out as A4 landscape, Snapshots of Mumbai tells its story through 204 pages, 55,000 words, and a rolling gallery of photographs from Paul Ward.

There is also the titular collage of ‘snapshots’, taken by people both featured in the book and those who remained a silent part of the project.

First run – limited editions of Snapshots of Mumbai are now available, click here for full details and links to online purchases.

**All money raised from the first run – limited editions will be reinvested back into the Snapshots of… project, helping to support the creatives behind it and encourage further work. The names of each purchaser will be printed on a special page at the front of all later editions, this is our way saying thank you for supporting the project and makes you a permanent part of the book.**

Author:

Diary of a Short Lived Drag King

Snapshots of Mumbai