Bandit/Queen:: The Runaway Story of Belle Starr - Paperback

by Margot Douaihy (Author), Bri Hermanson (Illustrator)

Belle Starr (1848-1889) traded a privileged upbringing for a life on the lam--marrying outlaws,

thieving, and providing shelter for criminal gangs, all with her signature brocade gowns and purple hats. After the media locked into her story, Belle Starr rocketed to fame. She was portrayed as a compelling anti-hero, icon, and criminal mastermind--"The Female Jesse James." Newspapers and books fabricated details about Belle, and a mass delusion seemingly took hold. But who was Belle Starr? Where do fiction and fact overlap? Today's evolving media ecosystem--fake news, deep fakes, carefully controlled social-media profiles-- underscores the enduring appeal of the person vs. persona tension. A feminist analog to Michael Ondaatje's Collected Works of Billy the Kid, this archive-driven book merges documentary poetry by Margot Douaihy with scratchboard illustrations by Bri Hermanson to examine identity, desire, rule breaking, and (in)authenticity.