A subspecies of the entertainment industry'
s velvet mafia, the Velveteen mafia is comprised of the many gay
men (and the occasional lesbian) who work in the field of
children's book publishing.
Though not formally organized, these editors, authors, illustrators, art directors, publishers, etc. do tend to huddle together at industry events (making quite the splash) and are known for their wit, style, and general panache around the office...and around town. They are highly influential.
An obvious (and brilliant)
mash-up of author Stephen Gaines' term "the velvet mafia" (which he used to describe the in-crowd of Studio
54's heyday) and the title of Margery Williams' classic 1922 children's book, "The Velveteen
Rabbit."
Do any straight
men work in
kids books or are they really all part of the Velveteen mafia?
The Velveteen mafia does not bat for my team, damn it!