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Brontez Purnell

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American writer, musician, dancer, and director
Brontez Purnell
Purnell at the 2018 Texas Book Festival
Born (1982-07-02) July 2, 1982 (age 42)
Triana, Alabama, U.S.
Occupation(s)Author, musician, dancer
Years active2003–present
Notable workSince I Laid My Burden Down
Awards2018 Whiting Award

Brontez Purnell (born July 2, 1982) is an American writer, musician, dancer, and director based out of Oakland, California. He is the author of several award-winning books, including Since I Laid My Burden Down (2017), 100 Boyfriends (2022), which won a Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction, and the punk zine Fag School. Purnell is the frontman for the punk band The Younger Lovers and is the founder of the Brontez Purnell Dance Company.

Early life and education

Purnell grew up in Triana, Alabama. His great-grandfather, "Hard Rock" Charlie Malone, an accomplished bottleneck guitarist who played the Chitlin' Circuit from Chattanooga to Chicago in the 1930s, was the father of the musician J.J. Malone. Purnell created his first zine, Schlepp Fanzine, at the age of 14.

Work

After moving to Oakland at 19, he created Fag School out of "wanting there to be a Sassy for gay boys." "I hadn't really seen a zine or at least a personal gay zine that dealt with the difficult subject of gay sex with both humor and frank talk. It covered some real issues."

His electro rock band Gravy Train!!!! gained national prominence for their live shows. His punk band The Younger Lovers started in 2003 as a bedroom demo project.

Purnell has created music under his own name since 2020. On July 19, 2023, Purnell released his solo album No Jack Swing. When asked to describe the album, he said that "I allowed myself to just be a pretty Black boy making a pop record—and like, why the fuck shouldn’t I?"

Awards

In 2018, Purnell was awarded a Whiting Award for fiction.

In 2022, Purnell was awarded the Robert Rauschenberg Award for Performance Art/Theater, and the Lambda Literary Award for Best Gay Fiction.

On June 1, 2021, he was named a winner of the Jim Duggins Outstanding Mid-Career Novelists' Prize from the Lambda Literary Foundation.

Themes

Much of his work focuses on sex and sexuality. "In my work I try to use 'sex' or the body as this thing that does not create boundaries or separation with an audience, but instead gives my audience back their humanity." He is gay.

Bibliography

  • The Cruising Diaries (2014)
  • Johnny Would You Love Me if My Dick Were Bigger (2015)
  • Since I Laid My Burden Down (2017)
  • 100 Boyfriends (2021)
  • 10 Bridges I've Burnt (2024)

References

  1. Ramírez, Juan A. (2022-06-15). "Brontez Purnell Brings His Disparate Parts Back to the Dance Stage". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  2. "Brontez Purnell". Visualaids.org. Retrieved 2018-07-31.
  3. ^ "Naked Soap Operas: An Interview with Brontez Purnell - Art in America". Artinamericamagazine.com. Retrieved 2018-07-31.
  4. ^ "The Truth at the Heart of Brontez Purnell's Since I Laid My Burden Down". MTV News. Archived from the original on June 23, 2017. Retrieved 2018-07-31.
  5. "2022 Winners". Lambda Literary. Retrieved 2022-08-25.
  6. ^ "'I'm in the Band' Ep. 2: Brontez Purnell Talks Growing Up Black, Gay & Punk". read.tidal.com. Retrieved 2018-07-31.
  7. ^ "Brontez Purnell Is Everything". Granta Magazine. 2017-07-05. Retrieved 2018-07-31.
  8. "Guide to the J.J. Malone Audiovisual Collection". Oac.cdlib.org. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
  9. "I've Listened to This Breakup Song a Million Times". The New York Times. August 1, 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
  10. ^ Miles, Frank J (2012-01-02). "Brontez Purnell: Love, Compassion, and Rock & Roll". Lambda Literary. Retrieved 2018-07-31.
  11. "The Legendary Queer Punk Rocker and Hysterical Author Whose Book You Need to Read". MEL Magazine. 2017-10-10. Retrieved 2018-07-31.
  12. "Five Reasons to Love Brontez Purnell and The Younger Lovers". Colorlines. 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2018-07-31.
  13. "VIDEO PREMIERE: Punk band The Younger Lovers gives a triumphant, fun (and trippy) ode to the working class with "Whiskey And Water"". Afropunk.com. 2017-04-18. Retrieved 2018-07-31.
  14. "No Jack Swing, by Brontez Purnell". Brontez Purnell. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  15. "Suki Waterhouse, Brontez Purnell, Cautious Clay, and More on the Music That Fuels Them". www.culturedmag.com. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  16. Purnell, Brontez (2018-03-21). "Brontez Purnell, Fiction". The Paris Review. Retrieved 2018-07-31.
  17. "Brontez Purnell | FCA Grant Recipient". www.foundationforcontemporaryarts.org. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  18. "MCD | Brontez Purnell Wins the Lambda Award!". MCD. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  19. Leah Rachel Van Essen, "Announcing The Winners of the 2021 Lambda Literary Awards". Book Riot, June 2, 2021.
  20. "Brontez Purnell on Doing as Much as Possible". thecreativeindependent.com. Retrieved 2018-07-31.
  21. "100 Boyfriends". FSG Originals. Archived from the original on 2020-09-29. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
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