Young Adult

Drag Storytime in an Academic Library

Apr 7, 2025

$251-500

Byline

Shelley Woods, Shelley Woods, Queen's University Library, Ontario, Canada

This drag storytime in an academic library is a reading and performance extravaganza that celebrates creativity, joy and being yourself.

Advanced Planning

Our goal for the event was to offer a social program promoting acceptance and equality, welcoming new students to the university and library as a safe space. We wanted to do this through the power of story. Planning began a month in advance of the event in this order:

Sought approvals
Contacted a drag queen and agreed on a date and time
Booked library space
Promoted the event, including pre-registration
Ordered food
Created and printed button designs

Marketing

We promoted the storytime to Queen’s University students and employees, library staff and the local public by means of newsletters, emails, printed and digital posters (on library screens) and social media. Promotional material included a QR code to an online form, and people were invited to pre-register. The event was well attended.

Budgeting

Costs will vary. We provided an honorarium to the drag queen, purchased food and drink (pastries, fruit and vegetables, and carbonated water and soda pop), and printed colored designs for buttons.

Day-of-event Activity

The room set-up included a podium and microphone, comfortable chairs, a Queen’s Library banner, chairs for guests, a button-making table with books for purchase and a food table. Our Literary Events Committee hosted the event. Six colleagues helped to run it, including the University Librarian who welcomed our guests. It was a fun, lively, and impactful event. We received positive feedback.

Program Execution

The program ran for one hour. In addition to a performance with some audience participation of singing and dancing, Rowena read from: "Be Drag Fabulous" by Katie Mockridge, "The Queens’ English" by Chloe O. Davis, and "If You’re a Drag Queen and You Know It" and "The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish Swish Swish" both by Lil Hot Mess.

Advice

Work with your partners. This helped us with cross-promotion.

Clearly communicate the program goals to the performer. In our case, we explained that we wished to host a storytime similar to a public library storytime, but for young adults. Our drag queen selected the stories, and we highlighted them in the library spaces.