Editors Notes

Started in 1989 by designer and writer Robert Ford, THING was a groundbreaking magazine documenting the Queer Black music and art scene of the early 1990s, especially Chicago’s House music underground. Published from 1989–1993 before Ford’s death from AIDS-related illness, the magazine featured artists like Frankie Knuckles, RuPaul, and Deee-Lite, alongside writers and activists including Essex Hemphill and David Wojnarowicz.

Blending club culture, art, politics, gossip, poetry, and HIV/AIDS activism, THING captured a vital moment in Black Queer history with both intellectual depth and underground energy. Though modestly produced, its influence was immense, offering a powerful portrait of Chicago’s ball and club culture and centering Black voices often overlooked in mainstream Queer discourse. All ten issues are collected here for the first time.

Paperback / softback

460 pages

21.4 x 27 cm