ClampArt is pleased to announce “Linda Simpson: Pages,” which coincides with the release of the book of the same title from Peradam (Softcover, 60 pages, 30 color illustrations, 10 x 7 inches, $20).

“Back then our drag lingo was pretty blunt, nobody used the term ‘transgender.’ Page was considered a pre-op—a transsexual who hadn’t yet got The Operation (a.k.a. “the chop”). While it’s not uncommon for trans-sexuals to emerge from the drag scene, she traveled the opposite route. Hormones and feminizing came first, then she joined Channel 69’s queeny sorority. (Her name was conveniently unisex—she was born Page Potter Reynolds in Waspy Vermont.)”—Linda Simpson

Linda Simpson (usually Les Simpson during the day) began her multifaceted drag career in the late 1980s. “Pages” is her heartfelt homage to her captivating transgender friend, Page, who passed away in July 2002. Set in bygone gritty New York City in the 1990s, Simpson’s snapshots recall Page’s mysterious beauty, outlandish sense of style, and her provocative performances that made her a cult figure of downtown’s gender-bending nightlife scene. All of the portraits were spontaneous shots taken with simple, point-and-shoot, 35 mm cameras.

“Pages” is an offshoot of Simpson’s photographic time capsule, “The Drag Explosion,” which features her photographs of New York City’s momentous drag scene from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s. The multi-media project includes a website (TheDragExplosion.com) and live slideshow presentations.

“Pages” is the latest in a long list of creative undertakings by Linda Simpson, including hosting and promoting nightlife events, publishing the “gay revolutionary” magazine My Comrade, writing and producing four plays, and working as a game show host.