Brontez Purnell | |
---|---|
Born |
Triana, Alabama, U.S. | July 2, 1982
Occupation(s) | Author, musician, dancer |
Years active | 2003–present |
Notable work | Since I Laid My Burden Down |
Awards | 2018 Whiting Award |
Brontez Purnell (born July 2, 1982) [1] is an American writer, musician, dancer, and director based out of Oakland, California. [2] [3] He is the author of several award-winning books, including Since I Laid My Burden Down (2017), [4] 100 Boyfriends (2022), which won a Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction, [5] and the punk zine Fag School. [6] Purnell is the frontman for the punk band The Younger Lovers [4] and is the founder of the Brontez Purnell Dance Company. [7]
Purnell grew up in Triana, Alabama. [7] 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. [8] [9] Purnell created his first zine, Schlepp Fanzine, at the age of 14. [10] [3]
After moving to Oakland at 19, [11] he created Fag School [10] out of "wanting there to be a Sassy for gay boys." [6] "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." [10]
His electro rock band Gravy Train!!!! gained national prominence for their live shows. [12] His punk band The Younger Lovers started in 2003 as a bedroom demo project. [13]
Purnell has created music under his own name since 2020. On July 19, 2023, Purnell released his solo album No Jack Swing. [14] 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?" [15]
In 2018, Purnell was awarded a Whiting Award for fiction. [16]
In 2022, Purnell was awarded the Robert Rauschenberg Award for Performance Art/Theater, [17] and the Lambda Literary Award for Best Gay Fiction. [18]
On June 1, 2021, he was named a winner of the Jim Duggins Outstanding Mid-Career Novelists' Prize from the Lambda Literary Foundation. [19]
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." [20] He is gay. [6]
Brontez Purnell | |
---|---|
Born |
Triana, Alabama, U.S. | July 2, 1982
Occupation(s) | Author, musician, dancer |
Years active | 2003–present |
Notable work | Since I Laid My Burden Down |
Awards | 2018 Whiting Award |
Brontez Purnell (born July 2, 1982) [1] is an American writer, musician, dancer, and director based out of Oakland, California. [2] [3] He is the author of several award-winning books, including Since I Laid My Burden Down (2017), [4] 100 Boyfriends (2022), which won a Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction, [5] and the punk zine Fag School. [6] Purnell is the frontman for the punk band The Younger Lovers [4] and is the founder of the Brontez Purnell Dance Company. [7]
Purnell grew up in Triana, Alabama. [7] 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. [8] [9] Purnell created his first zine, Schlepp Fanzine, at the age of 14. [10] [3]
After moving to Oakland at 19, [11] he created Fag School [10] out of "wanting there to be a Sassy for gay boys." [6] "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." [10]
His electro rock band Gravy Train!!!! gained national prominence for their live shows. [12] His punk band The Younger Lovers started in 2003 as a bedroom demo project. [13]
Purnell has created music under his own name since 2020. On July 19, 2023, Purnell released his solo album No Jack Swing. [14] 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?" [15]
In 2018, Purnell was awarded a Whiting Award for fiction. [16]
In 2022, Purnell was awarded the Robert Rauschenberg Award for Performance Art/Theater, [17] and the Lambda Literary Award for Best Gay Fiction. [18]
On June 1, 2021, he was named a winner of the Jim Duggins Outstanding Mid-Career Novelists' Prize from the Lambda Literary Foundation. [19]
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." [20] He is gay. [6]