| Josh Kilmer-Purcell | |
|---|---|
Josh Kilmer-Purcell at the 2011 Texas Book Festival. |
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| Born | Joshua Gordon Kilmer August 28, 1969 Albany, New York |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Nationality | United States |
| Alma mater | Michigan State University |
| Period | 2006-present |
| Notable work(s) | I Am Not Myself These Days: A Memoir Candy Everybody Wants The Bucolic Plague |
| Partner(s) | Brent Ridge |
Josh Kilmer-Purcell (born August 28, 1969) is an American writer. In 2006 Harper Perennial published I Am Not Myself These Days: A Memoir, a tragicomic account of Kilmer-Purcell's early days in New York City, living as an advertising art director by day and a drag queen named "Aquadisiac" (or "Aqua") by night. The memoir details his relationship with a crack-addicted male escort named "Jack", and was a New York Times bestseller in the spring of 2006. Candy Everybody Wants, a novel by Kilmer-Purcell, was published by HarperPerennial in 2008. The Bucolic Plague, a memoir about Kilmer-Purcell's purchase of a historic mansion and goat farm in Sharon Springs, New York was published by HarperCollins in June 2010, and quickly became a national bestseller.
Starting in 2006 Kilmer-Purcell began writing a monthly column about urban gay life for Out magazine. He has contributed to national media outlets including The Advocate and National Public Radio.
In 2010, Discovery Network's Planet Green channel debuted a reality television series about Kilmer-Purcell and his partner, Dr. Brent Ridge, titled The Fabulous Beekman Boys. The series documents their relationship and lives as farmers in upstate New York as they build a green lifestyle company together.[1] The President and General Manager of Planet Green declared it the "No. 1 original series" on the network.[2]
On March 10, 2010, Bravo television network announced a development deal with Darren Star to produce I Am Not Myself These Days as a scripted television series.[3]
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Kilmer-Purcell (born "Joshua Gordon Kilmer") was born in Albany, New York, and was raised in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. He attended high school in Mansfield, Massachusetts and attended Michigan State University, where he studied creative writing with the poet Diane Wakoski. He received a BA in English Literature in 1991. He added his stepfather's surname "Purcell" in 1990. He met partner Dr. Brent Ridge in New York City in 2000.
Kilmer-Purcell has worked at several Manhattan advertising agencies, including Kirshenbaum Bond & Partners, Merkley Newman Harty, TBWA\Chiat Day, SS+K, & JWT. It is widely believed that the events in I Am Not Myself These Days: A Memoir took place while he was working at Merkley Newman Harty.
As his drag queen alter ego "Aqua" (short for "Aquadisiac"), Kilmer-Purcell performed at nightclubs in New York City, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Tokyo. Aqua was best known for her use of live goldfish in the breasts of her costumes. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) sent a letter of protest to Kilmer-Purcell condemning the use of live animals in his shows.[4]
In 2008 Kilmer-Purcell and his partner launched Beekman 1802, a green lifestyle company inspired by their farm in Sharon Springs, New York.
In 2010 he premiered in a reality television series on Planet Green. The Fabulous Beekman Boys follows Kilmer-Purcel and Ridge, through their daily activities on the Beekman Farm in Sharon Springs.[5]
Kilmer-Purcell is openly gay, and his partner, Dr. Brent Ridge, a physician at Mount Sinai Hospital who was the vice president of healthy living at Martha Stewart Omnimedia, have been together since 2000. They divide their time between the Upper East Side of Manhattan and their farm in upstate New York, which is where they film The Fabulous Beekman Boys.