Two writers who grew up gay in the south have plenty of stories to tell—sometimes harrowing, sometimes hilarious. Kevin Sessums' Mississippi Sissy was a New York Times bestseller, and David Schmader (originally from Texas) will read from Litter, his new solo performance work-in-progress. Both authors will be interviewed together by the irrepressible Carlotta Philpott.
Kevin Sessums
New York, NY 
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Kevin Sessums has been a contributing editor at Allure and Vanity Fair, where he worked for 14 years. His writing has also appeared in Interview (for which he was Executive Editor), Elle, Playboy, and many other magazines. His widely-praised memoir Mississippi Sissy was a 2007 New York Times bestseller.
David Schmader
Seattle, WA visit website
David Schmader, Associate Editor and columnist for The Stranger, is also an accomplished solo performer whose plays include Letter to Axl, Mansize, and Straight, which he's performed to great acclaim in Seattle and across the U.S. A bona fide authority on—in his words—"the brilliant horribleness" of Paul Verhoeven's Showgirls, Schmader is at work on a new autobiographical solo work, called Litter.
Carlotta
Carlotta Philpott moved to Seattle after her husband, Fred, was transferred from Midway, Tennessee's Canteen Company to Boeing Snack Services. Once here Carlotta discovered the bounty of art and culture and wanted to be a part of it; thus, she started the Wing Ding in 1997, a live interview, cabaret "whathaveya" show (as she calls it). An audience favorite in local venues for 10 years, the Wing Ding has also been pursued by HBO and Comedy Central. "Just pray I get my own TV show..." says Carlotta. "Wouldn't THAT be somethin'!?"