Drag Story Time: WHAT KIND OF QUEEN with Cindy Lozito

Word Up welcomes illustrator Cindy Lozito to celebrate with Drag Artists for Expression NYC her new picture book, What Kind of Queen?: A Royal Biography of Drag Queen and Activist José Sarria, a joyous picture book biography of José Sarria, a pioneering activist, drag queen, and the first openly gay candidate to run for public office in the United States. 

Drag Creature, Flame, will join the celebration to read and interact with the audience. After the reading, everyone will make a paper crown.  

This event is a $5 suggested donation ticket with 30 max attendees. Please register in advance.

Word Up Community Bookshop is located at 2113 Amsterdam Ave. (& 165th St.) in Washington Heights, NYC. You can take the 1 train to 168th St and the A/C train to 163rd or 168th  St.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Once upon a time, there lived a boy named José who dreamed of becoming royalty—and of a queendom where everyone would be treated fairly and with respect.

A child of immigrants from Colombia, José Sarria was born in San Francisco in 1922. With the support of his family, he grew up to discover what it means to be a queen.

He fought against evil by serving in WWII, helping to liberate a Nazi concentration camp; he inspired others to be their authentic selves by performing at San Francisco’s Black Cat Café, a haven for artists and activists; and he cared for his community through his LGBTQ+ advocacy work, including the establishment of the Imperial Court System, a global charitable organization that still thrives today.

Sarria led by example, joyfully giving back to his community while challenging the status quo. With a fairy-tale feel and radiant illustrations, this picture book biography celebrates his legacy of seeing the world not as it is but as it could be.

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

Cindy Lozito is an award-winning muralist, illustrator, and cartoonist based in Philadelphia, originally from Queens, NY. Her work is rooted in drawing and painting, which she explores through scales as small as comics to as massive as building-wide murals. She grew up in a Nuyorican Italian-American household and considers all of the faces she saw while riding the R train growing up as her earliest artistic inspirations. What Kind of Queen? A Royal Biography of Drag Queen and Activist José Sarria by Kyle Casey Chu and Andrew W. Shaffer, out with Abrams Books on April 28, 2026, is her first traditionally published book as an illustrator. Some of her other clients include the New York Times, Philadelphia Airport, the California Endowment, World Trade Center, and more.

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PHYSICAL ACCESSIBILITY: Word Up Community Bookshop/Librería Comunitaria is a fully wheelchair-accessible space with one ADA-compliant ramp from the street level to the store. Some of our bookcases and tables are on wheels and can be moved to provide additional access. Our visitor bathroom is wheelchair accessible and gender neutral. Our events are mic’d for sound. Free ASL interpretation is available for most programs upon request; please email events@wordupbooks.com to request interpretation as early as possible. The space is not scent or chemical free but we do our best to minimize the use of chemicals and scents throughout the space and use nontoxic materials whenever possible. If you have specific questions about the space or how an event can be made more accessible to you, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@wordupbooks.com.

https://wordupbooks.com/event/2026-05-09/drag-story-time-what-kind-queen-cindy-lozito