# Event Details - **Event Name**: Barry Walters with Stephan Pennington: Mighty Real - **Event Start and End Date**: Wed, 27 May, 2026 at 07:00 pm – Wed, 27 May, 2026 at 08:00 pm - **Event Description**: Read on for important details for this Brookline Booksmith event.About this EventJoin us at Brookline Booksmith to celebrate the release of Mighty Real with author Barry Walters, in conversation with Stephan Pennington.Register for the event!RSVP to let us know you're coming! Depending on the volume of responses, an RSVP may be required for entrance to the event. In the event that we reach capacity and have to close RSVPs, there will not be a waiting list.Get your copy!EVENT ATTENDEES: Preorder your copy of Mighty Real through this page. Books will also be available for purchase at the event. Books can be picked up 30 minutes before the event in the event space.CAN'T MAKE IT TO THE EVENT? Preorder the book here to have it signed, and choose to have it held for pickup or shipped from the store!Book orders are processed for pickup or shipping after ticket sales have closed.Event accessibilityThis event will take place at street level.If possible, events are livestreamed. Check out our store YouTube channel for livestream updates.ASL interpretation may be provided (based on the availability of interpreters) but must be requested at least 2 weeks in advance of the event.Please email us at ticketing@brooklinebooksmith.com as soon as possible if you require ASL interpretation, guaranteed seating, or other accommodations. Seats are limited.We will do our best to serve your needs! https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events8/banners/63fdd1c0-51c2-11f1-8215-97d343b7cc5a-rimg-w1200-h675-dc000101-gmir.jpg Mighty Real: A History of LGBTQ Music, 1969-2000“An essential book for this moment.”—Rob SheffieldThe definitive history of LGBTQ music, from Stonewall to RuPaul, and its impact on culture and American lifeFrom the underground dancefloors of the Seventies to the global charts of the Nineties, LGBTQ artists and audiences shaped music’s sound, style, and spirit. In Mighty Real, veteran journalist Barry Walters chronicles its LGBTQ history from the Velvet Underground to the 21st century’s dawn as he honors the artists who redefined gender, defied tradition, and dared to challenge sexual norms with the help of a record business that wasn’t as straight as commonly believed.Drawing on his decades as a New York- and San Francisco-based music critic, Walters examines how LGBTQ musicians, music industry executives, and fans reshaped the mainstream. He connects the dots between David Bowie’s dazzling reinventions, Grace Jones’s androgynous glamor, Prince’s boundary-shattering sexuality, and the radical candor of the Indigo Girls to prove they’re all doing the same thing: fighting oppression.With exuberance, insight, and encyclopedic knowledge, Walters brings to life the songs and society that filled dancefloors, bedrooms, and streets as he uncovers yesteryear’s coded LGBTQ messages that paved the way for today’s unabashedly queer hits. Mighty Real is a masterful love letter to the music that liberated generations, and it’s written in a page-turning, personal way that blurs distinctions between chronicle and memoir. This is the rare and revolutionary music history told to help you laugh, cry, and then rally against lingering inequality.Barry Walters has spent 40 years documenting the intersection of mainstream and LGBTQ culture. He began his career at The Village Voice — where he came out publicly in a 1986 Pet Shop Boys review — before becoming a fixture at Spin and Rolling Stone. In 1992, Walters’ work at the San Francisco Examiner made him the first critic to receive an award from The National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Association. Throughout the Nineties, he was The Advocate’s music columnist before a decade’s worth of writing at Out. Along the way, he’s regularly appeared in Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Pitchfork, and other media mainstays. Love Me Like You Should: The Brave and Bold Sylvester, a 2020 mini-documentary he wrote and co-produced for Amazon Music, won a Clio Award.Stephan Pennington is an Associate Professor of Music at Tufts University. His research interests are concerned with the politics of the performance of identity, focusing on race, gender, and sexuality. He has presented on a wide range of topics from on the rumba craze in 1930s Germany to appropriation as an historical process. A pioneering scholar on Transgender Studies in Music, he has been sought out for a number of public intellectual projects, including the documentary No Ordinary Man about trans masculine jazz musician Billy Tipton, and a forthcoming documentary on Black Queer music history, Hiding in Plain Sight. He is currently working on two book projects, one on transgender vocality and the second on the persistence of enlightenment white supremacy in current musicological culture.About Brookline BooksmithBrookline Booksmith, thriving in the heart of Coolidge Corner in Brookline, Massachusetts, since 1961, is one of New England’s premier independent bookstores. We offer a vast selection of books, ranging from current bestsellers to the most eclectic titles. We are also known for our beautiful and inspired gifts. Customers buy and sell gently used books in our treasured Used Book Cellar and enjoy our bountiful bargain book selection. We host award-winning events series (including our groundbreaking Transnational Literature Series), offering more than 300 author talks, community conversations, and book clubs annually. Find more at brooklinebooksmith.com! - **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/brookline/barry-walters-with-stephan-pennington-mighty-real/100001986550860099 - **Event Categories**: lgbt-pride, art, music, entertainment, literary-art, contests, sports, fine-arts, nonprofit, virtual - **Interested Audience**: - total_interested_count: 0 - **Event Highlights**: - Duration: 1 hour - Location: Brookline Booksmith - Languages: English ## Ticket Details - **Ticket Price Range**: min: 0, max: 52.99, currency: USD ## Event venue details - **city**: Brookline - **state**: MA - **country**: United States - **location**: Brookline Booksmith - **lat**: 42.34263869999999 - **long**: -71.12171390000003 - **full address**: Brookline Booksmith, 279 Harvard Street, Brookline, United States ## Event gallery - **Alt text**: Barry Walters with Stephan Pennington: Mighty Real - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events7/banners/971cabc92432b94ec74a188f0ce398c37febf2249f2fb235a4de91665fde3f26-rimg-w1200-h600-dcffffff-gmir.jpg?v=1775214917 ## FAQs - **Q**: When and where is Barry Walters with Stephan Pennington: Mighty Real being held? - **A:** Barry Walters with Stephan Pennington: Mighty Real takes place on Wed, 27 May, 2026 at 07:00 pm to Wed, 27 May, 2026 at 08:00 pm at Brookline Booksmith, 279 Harvard Street, Brookline, United States. - **Q**: Who is organizing Barry Walters with Stephan Pennington: Mighty Real? - **A:** Barry Walters with Stephan Pennington: Mighty Real is organized by Brookline Booksmith. - **Q**: Who is this event for? Is it right for me? - **A:** Barry Walters with Stephan Pennington: Mighty Real is ideal for art lovers, collectors, creatives, and anyone inspired by visual arts, installations, and exhibitions. Whether you're a first-time attendee or a longtime enthusiast in Brookline, this event is thoughtfully curated to deliver a standout experience worth every moment. If Barry Walters with Stephan Pennington: Mighty Real sounds like your kind of event, don't wait - spots fill up fast. ## Structured Data (JSON-LD) ```json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Event", "name": "Barry Walters with Stephan Pennington: Mighty Real", "image": "https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events7/banners/971cabc92432b94ec74a188f0ce398c37febf2249f2fb235a4de91665fde3f26-rimg-w1200-h600-dcffffff-gmir.jpg?v=1775214917", "startDate": "2026-05-27", "endDate": "2026-05-27", "url": "https://allevents.in/brookline/barry-walters-with-stephan-pennington-mighty-real/100001986550860099", "location": { "@type": "Place", "name": "Brookline Booksmith", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "279 Harvard Street", "postalCode": "02446", "addressLocality": "Brookline", "addressRegion": "MA", "addressCountry": "US" }, "geo": { "@type": "GeoCoordinates", "latitude": "42.34263869999999", "longitude": "-71.12171390000003" } }, "eventAttendanceMode": "https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode", "description": "Read on for important details for this Brookline Booksmith event.", "offers": [ { "@type": "AggregateOffer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "USD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-09-11", "availabilityEnds": "2026-05-27", "validFrom": "2026-09-11", "lowPrice": "0.00", "highPrice": "52.99", "price": "0.00", "url": "https://allevents.in/brookline/barry-walters-with-stephan-pennington-mighty-real/100001986550860099" }, { "@type": "Offer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "USD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-09-11", "availabilityEnds": "", "validFrom": "2026-09-11", "url": "https://allevents.in/brookline/barry-walters-with-stephan-pennington-mighty-real/100001986550860099", "price": 0, "name": "RSVP" }, { "@type": "Offer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "USD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-09-11", "availabilityEnds": "", "validFrom": "2026-09-11", "url": "https://allevents.in/brookline/barry-walters-with-stephan-pennington-mighty-real/100001986550860099", "price": "7.18", "name": "RSVP + Support Our Store" }, { "@type": "Offer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "USD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-09-11", "availabilityEnds": "", "validFrom": "2026-09-11", "url": "https://allevents.in/brookline/barry-walters-with-stephan-pennington-mighty-real/100001986550860099", "price": "41.64", "name": "RSVP + Mighty Real (event pickup)" }, { "@type": "Offer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "USD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-09-11", "availabilityEnds": "", "validFrom": "2026-09-11", "url": "https://allevents.in/brookline/barry-walters-with-stephan-pennington-mighty-real/100001986550860099", "price": "52.99", "name": "Mighty Real (book only, priority mail)" }, { "@type": "Offer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "USD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-09-11", "availabilityEnds": "", "validFrom": "2026-09-11", "url": "https://allevents.in/brookline/barry-walters-with-stephan-pennington-mighty-real/100001986550860099", "price": "41.64", "name": "Mighty Real (book only, store pickup)" } ], "organizer": [ { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Brookline Booksmith", "url": "https://allevents.in/org/brookline-booksmith/22552756" } ] } ] ```