Downtown LA

Fabulous: The Rise Of The Beautiful Eccentric Book Party

An evening of reading, conversation, kees and whiskey with Madison Moore + Shaun J. Wright.

+++ DJ set by Shaun J. Wright

Madison Moore, PhD, is a cultural critic, DJ, and creative director whose writing has appeared in The Paris Review, Theater, Journal of Popular Music Studies, Dancecult: Journal of Electronic Dance Music Culture, Aperture, Thought Catalog, Out, Splice Today, and Inteview. Born in Ferguson, Missouri, madison currently lives in London and Berlin.

Shaun J. Wright - Born and raised in West suburban Chicagoland, Shaun J. Wright spent most of his teen years immersed in the sounds of house music. His love for dance music expanded throughout his high school years as he partook in the underground dance scene now globally known as Juke. While in undergrad at Morehouse College in Atlanta, he developed his skills as a dancer/voguer in professional dance companies and the ballroom scene. After acquiring an MA Fashion Curation, from the London College of Fashion, Wright enjoyed an active career in fashion in New York City. That is where he met Andrew Butler, founder of Hercules and Love Affair, and began a whirlwind collaboration with the ensemble as a vocalist. Currently, Wright is exhilarating dance floors worldwide as a DJ and is featured on several acclaimed releases with Stereogamous, Bell Boys, Bobmo, Kiki, Alinka, and System of Survival with more stellar collaborations on the horizon for 2016. He is also finishing his long-awaited solo EP.

ABOUT FABULOUS:

Prince once told us not to hate him ’cause he’s fabulous. But what does it mean to be fabulous? Is fabulous style only about labels, narcissism, and selfies—looking good and feeling gorgeous? Or can acts of fabulousness be political gestures, too? What are the risks of fabulousness? And in what ways is fabulous style a defiant response to the struggles of living while marginalized? Madison moore answers these questions in a timely and fascinating book that explores how queer, brown, and other marginalized outsiders use ideas, style, and creativity in everyday life. Moving from catwalks and nightclubs to the street, moore dialogues with a range of fabulous and creative powerhouses, including DJ Vjuan Allure, voguing superstar Lasseindra Ninja, fashion designer Patricia Field, performance artist Alok Vaid‑Menon, and a wide range of other aesthetic rebels from the worlds of art, fashion, and nightlife. In a riveting synthesis of autobiography, cultural analysis, and ethnography, moore positions fabulousness as a form of cultural criticism that allows those who perform it to thrive in a world where they are not supposed to exist.