Books
Who was the real Jean-Michel Basquiat?
The Making of an Icon — A new book by art world insider Doug Woodham aims to illuminate the near-mythical artist’s life, via the friends, family and collaborators who knew him best.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Remembering Clark Henley’s ’80s cult classic The Butch Manual
The New Drag — The playful book is back in print more than 40 years since it was first published. We revisit its gender-subverting fun and lasting influence.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Inside Japan’s ’90s gabber and hardcore underground
Manga Corps — A new book published by Italian hardcore artist Gabber Eleganza archives ephemera and flyers from the early days of gabber and hardcore from Tokyo and Osaka, which has gone on to have an outsized influence on popular music today.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Alex Kazemi’s Y2K period novel reminds us that the manosphere is nothing new
New Millennium Boyz — Replete with MTV and endless band t-shirt references, the book follows three teenage boys living in 1999 USA as they descend into a pit of darkness. We spoke to its author about masculinity, the accelerated aging of teenagers, and the rebirth of subcultures in the algorithm age.
Written by: Isaac Muk
How pop music introduced queer culture to the mainstream
The Secret Public — Between the ’50s to the ’70s, pop music was populated with scene pushers from the margins. A new book by Jon Savage explores the powerful influence of LGBTQ+ folk.
Written by: Miss Rosen
There have never been only two sexes — intersex people exist
Hemaphrodite Logic — Juliana Gleeson’s new book explores the intersex movement from 1990-2025. In this exclusive extract, the author outlines intersex liberation as an “unlikely offspring” of feminist and gay/lesbian struggles.
Written by: Juliana Gleeson
A new book explores Tupac’s revolutionary politics and activism
Words For My Comrades — Penned by Dean Van Nguyen, the cultural history encompasses interviews with those who knew the rapper well, while exploring his parents’ anti-capitalist influence.
Written by: Isaac Muk
A visual trip through 100 years of New York’s LGBTQ+ spaces
Queer Happened Here — A new book from historian and writer Marc Zinaman maps scores of Manhattan’s queer venues and informal meeting places, documenting the city’s long LGBTQ+ history in the process.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Dalia Al-Dujaili: “When you’re placeless, nature can fill the void”
Babylon, Albion — As her new book publishes, the British-Iraqi author speaks about connecting with the land as a second-generation migrant, plants as symbols of resistance, and being proud of her parents.
Written by: Zahra Onsori
Katie Goh: “I want people to engage with the politics of oranges”
Foreign Fruit — In her new book, the Edinburgh-based writer traces her personal history through the citrus fruit’s global spread, from a village in China to Californian groves. Angela Hui caught up with her to find out more.
Written by: Angela Hui
Remembering Holly Woodlawn, Andy Warhol muse and trans trailblazer
Love You Madly — A new book explores the actress’s rollercoaster life and story, who helped inspire Lou Reed’s ‘Walk on the Wild Side’.
Written by: Miss Rosen
“Welcome to the Useless Class”: Ewan Morrison in conversation with Irvine Welsh
For Emma — Ahead of the Scottish author’s new novel, he sat down with Irvine Welsh for an in-depth discussion of its dystopic themes, and the upcoming AI “tsunami”.
Written by: Irvine Welsh
