We were lucky to catch up with Elise Chenoweth recently and have shared our conversation below.

Elise, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?

Being a Drag Story Hour director can fill my day with joy and love for our amazing community. There are also days where I have to consider if the program is worth the threats, to both the organization and myself.

Our purpose with DSH is to teach children (along with their grown-ups) to be their true authentic selves and to bring a light of change to their community by using picture books and charismatic drag performers to create something special. We use books on so many different subjects, not just queer literature, so that children will have both mirrors and windows to observe the world and form ideas outside of their small reach.

Some grownups seem to think children shouldn’t be allowed to experience anything different or “other” and they show up outside our events or in our inbox expressing fear and hatred. We choose to counter these people by blocking out any hatred with a wall of love and welcoming the people coming to the events with joy. Our hope is that these children and their grown-ups will use what they learn at story hour to turn their community in to a better, kinder place.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I started the Triangle chapter of Drag Story Hour with queens Satine Allure and Amazing Grace back in June of 2019 at Medicine Mama’s Farmacy. Originally, I just wanted it to be something fun to do with my child, but after a week of news interviews and then a full day of amazing support we decided to continue the event and form a chapter.

In October 2019 we became a program of the LGBT Center of Raleigh. January 2020 we won our first award, the WRAL Voters Choice Award for Best Family Friendly Event.

We are a non-profit and I am a full time volunteer. We are always looking for volunteers for our royal guard to help keep our programs safe, as well as volunteers to help run story hours. Our volunteers, as well as our Drag Storytellers are fully back ground checked.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I am a very big proponent of shopping local. Even when running DSH Triangle, I do my best to try to network with small, local businesses so we can uplift each other as much as possible.

Also, we pay our artists. Drag is art and it’s not cheap. The first step I made as director when we had enough money to have a budget was start paying our artists.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My biggest goal with DSH is to make the world a little bit better. I hope that these stories we’re sharing with the families that come to our events spark change. I hope the children can see differences and otherness in the books so that when they come upon it in the real world they aren’t afraid, because I believe that fear settles in and turns into the awful hate that we have to deal with as a community as adults. My hope is that instead of fearing they will begin embracing the differences of the world and each generation will grow up a little brighter…with a lot more glitter.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.dragstoryhour.org
• Instagram: @dragstoryhourtriangle
• Facebook: Drag Story Hour Triangle
• Other: TikTok: @dragstoryhourtriangle