Writing Countercultures from the Inside Out: Leather and Ballroom Nonfiction Books

Reading
Tom of Finland Foundation

1421 Laveta Terrace
Los Angeles, CA 90026

What does it mean for queers to write about their own countercultures? Join Tina Horn, author of the new book Why Are People Into That? A Cultural Investigation of Kink, and Sydney Baloue, author of the upcoming book Undeniable: A History of Voguing, Ballroom and How It Changed My Life (and the World), for a conversation on nonfiction craft, infiltrating mainstream publishing, and the challenges of being true to your community while also telling compelling true stories.

“Writing Countercultures from the Inside Out: Leather and Ballroom Nonfiction Books” will take place at Tom of Finland Foundation on Saturday, October 5, 2024, from 6-8:30 p.m. 

This program may not be suitable for all ages.


Participants


Sydney Baloue is a writer, producer, director, dancer, archivist and journalist. He is in the House of Xtravaganza and he was Co-Executive Producer on HBOMax’s LEGENDARY Seasons 1 and 2.  In 2022, he was the first Black trans man in the Writers Guild of America after working as a staff writer in scripted TV on THE VANISHING HALF (HBO) and TOM SWIFT (CW). Sydney is the author of Undeniable: A History of Voguing, Ballroom And How it Changed My Life (And the World).


Tina Horn is a writer, educatrix, and media-maker. She is the author of Why Are People Into That?: A Cultural Investigation of Kink (Hachette), a book based on her long-running indie fetish podcast. Tina is the creator/writer of the sci-fi sex-rebel comic book series Safe Sex /SfSx (Image), and the cult detective thriller Deprog; she was also the host/cowriter of the phone sex podcast Operator (Wondery). Her reporting on sexual subcultures has appeared in Rolling Stone, Playboy, Hazlitt, Glamour, Jezebel and elsewhere; she is the author of two other nonfiction books and has contributed to numerous anthologies including We Too: Essays on Sex Work and Survival, which she also coedited. Tina has lectured on adult entertainment politics and queer BDSM identities at universities and community centers all over North America, and works as an on-set consultant for theater, film, and television including the dominatrix scenes of Pose. She is a LAMBDA Literary Fellow, an AVN nominee, the recipient of two Feminist Porn Awards, and holds an MFA in Creative Nonfiction Writing from Sarah Lawrence. You can follower her on Twitter and Instagram @TinaHornsAss and visit TinaHorn.net


This reading is organized by Tina Horn as part of Circa: Queer Histories Festival 2024, presented by One Institute.

  • Tom of Finland Foundation is dedicated to protect, preserve, document and educate the public about erotic art and erotic artists. The Foundation shall continue to encourage the work of erotic visual artists regardless of race, creed, religion, gender, sexual identity, medium of expression or any other censoring criteria.