MLK Library is proud to welcome actor, playwright and activist Harvey Fierstein in conversation with global LGBTQ activist Jack Harrison Quintana on Fierstein’s latest memoir I Was Better Last Night.
This virtual conversation will stream live from the DC Public Library Youtube Page. Join the conversation June 21 at 7 p.m.
For reasonable accommodations, please contact the Center for Accessibility at 202-727-2142 or DCPLaccess@dc.gov. For ASL or tactile interpretation, please allow at least seven (7) days notice.
I Was Better Last Night bares the inner life of this eccentric nonconforming child from his roots in 1952 Brooklyn, to the experimental worlds of Andy Warhol and the Theatre of the Ridiculous, to the gay rights movements of the seventies and the tumultuous AIDS crisis of the eighties, through decades of addiction, despair, and ultimate triumph.
Mr. Fierstein’s candid recollections provide a rich window into downtown New York City life, gay culture, and the evolution of theater (of which he has been a defining figure), as well as a moving account of his family’s journey of acceptance. I Was Better Last Night is filled with wisdom gained, mistakes made, and stories that come together to describe an astonishingly colorful and meaningful life. Lucky for us all, his unique and recognizable voice is as engaging, outrageously funny, and vulnerable on the page.
Harvey Fierstein’s legendary career has transported him from community theater in Brooklyn, to the lights of Broadway, to the absurd excesses of Hollywood and back. He’s received accolades and awards for acting in and/or writing an incredible string of hit plays, films, and TV shows: Hairspray, Fiddler on the Roof, Mrs. Doubtfire, Independence Day, Cheers, La Cage Aux Folles, Torch Song Trilogy, Newsies, and Kinky Boots. While he has never shied away from the spotlight, Mr. Fierstein says that even those closest to him have never heard most of the tales—of personal struggles and conflict, of sex and romance, of his fabled career—revealed in these wildly entertaining pages.
Jack Harrison-Quintana
Director of Grindr for Equality
Jack Harrison-Quintana, M.A., is a queer Latino activist, author, and researcher, currently serving as the Director of Grindr for Equality. His work at the intersection of digital advocacy and LGBTQ justice has earned him recognition as one of Foreign Policy magazine’s top geopolitical thinkers of 2016 as well as Fast Company’s most creative people in business.
Prior to his current position, Jack has worked with the National LGBTQ Task Force, the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE), the Global Trans Research and Advocacy Project (GTRAP), and Khemara, as well as five state and local LGBTQ-related ballot measure campaigns.
Jack has spoken in over a quarter of the world's countries. He has presented to the National HIV Prevention Conference, International AIDS Conference, ILGA World, and Creating Change. He's also briefed the US House of Representatives; the US Senate; the United Nations; and members of the British Parliament, the Norwegian Stortinget, and the Hong Kong Legislative Council.
He has co-authored two books – Outing Age 2010: Public Policy Issues Affecting Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Elders and Injustice at Every Turn: A Report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey. He recently contributed chapters to two additional books – Bodies and Barriers: Queer Activists on Health and Friendship as Social Justice Activism: Critical Solidarities in a Global Perspective. His peer-reviewed articles have appeared in the Harvard Kennedy School Journal of LGBTQ Policy Studies, Transgender Studies Quarterly, Sexual Health, JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, and HIV Medicine.
A native of Signal Mountain, Tennessee, Jack earned both his B.S. in International Studies and his M.A. in Communication, Culture, and Technology, from Georgetown University. His ever-continuing education has also included pursuits at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea and the Rockwood Leadership Institute.
AGE GROUP: | Seniors | Adults |
EVENT TYPE: | LGBTQ Pride | Author Talk |