Billy Porter will make his children’s literature debut next year, People magazine reports.
Abrams will publish the actor and singer’s Songbird in the Light, co-written with Chris Clarkson and illustrated by Charly Palmer, in the spring. It calls the book “a beautiful and empowering story about learning to love yourself.”
Porter first rose to fame as the originator of the role of Lola in the Broadway show Kinky Boots, for which he won the Tony Award for best actor in a musical. He is also known for playing emcee Prayerful “Pray” Tell in the FX series Pose; he won an Emmy Award for his work on that show.
He is the author of a memoir, Unprotected, published in 2021 by Abrams. A critic for Kirkus wrote of the book, “Overcoming racism, homophobia, bullying, and abuse, a theatrical star is born.”
Songbird in the Light tells the story of a young boy who is bullied at school for his voice and mannerisms but performs in the school’s showcase at the urging of his choir teacher.
Porter told People that the book was inspired by his own experiences at school.
“I was bullied mercilessly from, like, the first to the fifth grade,” he said. “I created this book for my younger self, to be the thing that I did not actually have.”
Songbird in the Light is slated for publication on March 17, 2026.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
