Raised in the Wild
by Drag Queens:
A Memoir about Moving
From FEAR to F*CK IT
A Drag Queen is a queen
who has built her crown
out of her own
blood,
sweat,
imagination
& ingenuity.
A master of making something out of nothing,
she has no institutions of power other than her own
finely-crafted identity which she must rigorously
prioritize or face genocide.
It’s a life or death conjuring.
This conjuring is an amazing power play.
Because, as the author of your own story,
there are no limits to what you can do or
what your story will look like.
If something feels beautiful,
like sunshine on your face,
you simply follow it.
You don’t ask permission to feel good
you don't stop to ask others to weigh in
or try to figure out the safest way to go about it
You simply pack your bags,
run towards the sunlight &
figure out the rest later.
I was raised in the wild by drag queens...
queens wearing tatters convincing you
they were monarchs. Weaving the story
of their ascent in spite of the sprawling
poverty of body, mind & spirit surrounding them.
A cadre of pistol-packing southern belles,
crossdressing-church-choir sinners,
gay, straight & in between radicals
tearing down bullshit that no longer
served them.
They were outcasts holding court
in this new world they were creating.
The lives they were crafting were rich in laughter,
joy, a sense of rightness & a journey worthy of their
delusions of grandeur.
Delusions,
they fiercely wove into realities by sheer dint of will.
They forced the molecules to bend to their will.
I was raised by these miracles of nature &
thought them to be standard-issue genius.
I had no idea how rare they are...
I took them for granted until
the world of breeders
& the joneses halted me
in my tracks & told me
in no uncertain terms:
You can’t just do only what you want to do.
& in that moment,
I distinctly heard a
chorus of queens,
howling:
Fuck that!
And I did.
who has built her crown
out of her own
blood,
sweat,
imagination
& ingenuity.
A master of making something out of nothing,
she has no institutions of power other than her own
finely-crafted identity which she must rigorously
prioritize or face genocide.
It’s a life or death conjuring.
This conjuring is an amazing power play.
Because, as the author of your own story,
there are no limits to what you can do or
what your story will look like.
If something feels beautiful,
like sunshine on your face,
you simply follow it.
You don’t ask permission to feel good
you don't stop to ask others to weigh in
or try to figure out the safest way to go about it
You simply pack your bags,
run towards the sunlight &
figure out the rest later.
I was raised in the wild by drag queens...
queens wearing tatters convincing you
they were monarchs. Weaving the story
of their ascent in spite of the sprawling
poverty of body, mind & spirit surrounding them.
A cadre of pistol-packing southern belles,
crossdressing-church-choir sinners,
gay, straight & in between radicals
tearing down bullshit that no longer
served them.
They were outcasts holding court
in this new world they were creating.
The lives they were crafting were rich in laughter,
joy, a sense of rightness & a journey worthy of their
delusions of grandeur.
Delusions,
they fiercely wove into realities by sheer dint of will.
They forced the molecules to bend to their will.
I was raised by these miracles of nature &
thought them to be standard-issue genius.
I had no idea how rare they are...
I took them for granted until
the world of breeders
& the joneses halted me
in my tracks & told me
in no uncertain terms:
You can’t just do only what you want to do.
& in that moment,
I distinctly heard a
chorus of queens,
howling:
Fuck that!
And I did.
April Yvette Thompson is a Tony-winning producer/writer/actor &
FOUNDER/CEO of TheDreamUnLocked: Boutique Coaching for Actors, Writers & Dreamers
W/25 years of teaching, acting, writing & advocating for people's dreams, April has the uncanny ability to help her clients find their personal transformation magic.
April is a midwife of genius: helping u give birth to ur dreams & crossing the finish line to ur goals.
The DreamingOutLoud Technique from April's Ted Talk: ReWrite Your Story, is the basis of her teaching method
. • Writing is the way to focus ourselves in the present, on what's working & figuring out new ways to get around old problems •Writing is a way to align the life ur living w/the life uv always dreamed about
• Writing is also how u let go of the BS beliefs u have about what ur capable of. The DreamingOutLoud Technique allows u to grieve the losses, forgive urself for past mistakes & weave a new story of how ud like to spend the rest of ur life thriving instead of just surviving.
HOW I HELP YOU MOVE FROM FEAR TO F🌀CK THIS
The DreamingOutLoud Technique uses writing exercises, a rigorous questioning process & dismantling of all the limiting beliefs u hold that no longer serve u
Like Kali, the Hindu goddess of destruction & transformation, I help u root out the dead weight so that u can focus on flying.
I teach u
How to get
past FEAR
to F🌀CK THIS
F🌀CK THIS is that place where even though you're broke & nothing is working & you're afraid of complete failure, you finally decide:
I'm doing this sh🦋t by any means necessary because JOY is my BIRTHRITE.
TheDreamingOutLoud Technique is what happens next after F🌀CK THIS
From escaping the Pork N' Beans projects to Vassar, Broadway/Film/TV & doing the fabulous black expat writer thing in Morocco; I've figured out how to WEAVE a RICH life
by RE-IMAGINING POOR beginnings
I’ve created a process where u can learn how to change the very fabric of your life. This magic is available to everyone
It's called ReWriteYourStory, the fuel that drives the DreamingOutLoud Technique
TheDreamUnLocked.com
AprilYvetteThompson.com
FOUNDER/CEO of TheDreamUnLocked: Boutique Coaching for Actors, Writers & Dreamers
W/25 years of teaching, acting, writing & advocating for people's dreams, April has the uncanny ability to help her clients find their personal transformation magic.
April is a midwife of genius: helping u give birth to ur dreams & crossing the finish line to ur goals.
The DreamingOutLoud Technique from April's Ted Talk: ReWrite Your Story, is the basis of her teaching method
. • Writing is the way to focus ourselves in the present, on what's working & figuring out new ways to get around old problems •Writing is a way to align the life ur living w/the life uv always dreamed about
• Writing is also how u let go of the BS beliefs u have about what ur capable of. The DreamingOutLoud Technique allows u to grieve the losses, forgive urself for past mistakes & weave a new story of how ud like to spend the rest of ur life thriving instead of just surviving.
HOW I HELP YOU MOVE FROM FEAR TO F🌀CK THIS
The DreamingOutLoud Technique uses writing exercises, a rigorous questioning process & dismantling of all the limiting beliefs u hold that no longer serve u
Like Kali, the Hindu goddess of destruction & transformation, I help u root out the dead weight so that u can focus on flying.
I teach u
How to get
past FEAR
to F🌀CK THIS
F🌀CK THIS is that place where even though you're broke & nothing is working & you're afraid of complete failure, you finally decide:
I'm doing this sh🦋t by any means necessary because JOY is my BIRTHRITE.
TheDreamingOutLoud Technique is what happens next after F🌀CK THIS
From escaping the Pork N' Beans projects to Vassar, Broadway/Film/TV & doing the fabulous black expat writer thing in Morocco; I've figured out how to WEAVE a RICH life
by RE-IMAGINING POOR beginnings
I’ve created a process where u can learn how to change the very fabric of your life. This magic is available to everyone
It's called ReWriteYourStory, the fuel that drives the DreamingOutLoud Technique
TheDreamUnLocked.com
AprilYvetteThompson.com