Leah Mell-Carrington ’19 on Poetry, Nonfiction and Drag
April 16, 2025
- Author
- Caroline Roy '20
Photo courtesy of Graham Morrison
Leah Mell-Carrington ’19 put together her first drag look during her senior year at Davidson College, borrowing a cocktail-server vest, bowtie and fishnets from the Theatre Department’s closet.
After years of attending drag shows in her home city of Charlotte, she wanted to do more than watch from the audience. She debuted her new persona at a local talent show and, before long, found herself a part of the drag community she’d always admired. A George S. Leight Family Scholar and Clarence L. Hardy II Scholar, Mell spent that year working on her creative writing thesis, honing her skills as a performer and occasionally marrying the two mediums.
“I’m a very campy, performative person across the board,” she said. “My writing has always had this over-the-top fabulosity to it, and I find it really interesting to write about drag. So much of queer life and gender expression is about performance. It’s important to acknowledge and celebrate that.”
In the spring of 2019, Davidson Queers and Allies hosted their first annual drag show in the C. Shaw Smith 900 Room and asked Mell if she would help bring in performers from the Charlotte scene. Today, the show continues to give students a chance to dip their toes into drag alongside professional performers.
Mell remained in Charlotte after graduation, working in the student information office at Central Piedmont Community College by day. At night, she poured herself into drag, working at various clubs, learning more about the craft and finding a second family. It was through drag that she met her wife, Dez, and the two married in 2022.
On the day of their wedding, Mell received news that she’d been admitted into a fully-funded creative writing MFA program at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas.
“Davidson is where I started taking myself seriously as a writer. I’m a first generation student and had no idea how academia, publishing or applying to graduate school worked. My mentors at Davidson showed me ways to become a writer and helped me become someone who knows how to talk and think about my writing.”
What Happens in Vegas
Originally intending to pursue poetry like she had at Davidson, Mell ended up switching to narrative nonfiction to take on her biggest writing project yet — a memoir about her drag family in Charlotte. The book draws on personal stories, archived materials and interviews with community elders to tell the history of drag in the Carolinas.
“Everyone I’ve talked to has been really excited about my interest in this topic,” she said. “Historically, drag was passed down from community elders and taught through word of mouth. The drag scene has changed rapidly in the age of social media, and newcomers don’t always have that shared sense of history.”
Given her roots as a poet, Mell said she found it challenging to make herself a main character in the book. In the end, she learned to honor the stories of community members while using her own experience as a narrative throughline.
“Artistically, drag and writing couldn’t be more different,” she said. “Performing drag is incredibly public. Your job is to talk to everyone and embody a larger-than-life character. Writing is something I do alone that demands honesty and rawness.”
When she graduates in May, Mell hopes to continue taking on work that crosses genre lines. Through her program, she’s been able to connect with literary agents and editors, publish several works — including an essay in Roxane Gay’s emerging writers series — and spend a fully-funded summer writing in Estonia.
“Now that I’m at a larger institution, I know how unique and special my relationships with Davidson faculty were,” Mell said. “It’s a huge privilege. I’m lucky to have people in my life who pushed me to apply for every possible opportunity and use every resource available.”
