Critically acclaimed gender-fluid drag queen, visual artist, speaker, illustrator and author, Sasha Velour has been a force in the international drag scene long before her scene-stealing, rose-petal-filled win on season nine of the Emmy Award-winning RuPaul’s Drag Race. 

Her first book, The Big Reveal: An Illustrated Manifesto of Drag has been heralded as “a rousing tribute to a revolutionary art form and its practitioners” (Publisher’s Weekly). 

In her talk titled The Big Reveal: Why Drag Matters, Now & Forever, Velour will delve into queer history and the importance of drag as an expression of oneself, as a revolutionary act of visibility for queer culture, and as a rich, multifaceted and politically-charged art form that delights and disrupts. “Drag embodies the queer possibility that exists within each of us,” Velour states, “the infinite ways in which gender, good taste, and art can be lived.” Following the talk, Dr. Sheri Atkinson, Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Life, Campus Community and Retention Services, will moderate a discussion and Q&A. 

Velour’s star continues to rise with the success of her one-queen drag show Smoke & Mirrors, acclaimed NYC drag show NightGowns, work on HBO’s Peabody and Emmy-Award winning tv show We’re Here, and her recently commissioned theatrical experience with the Tony Award-winning Tectonic Theatre Project, Velour: A Drag Spectacular.