News And Events

Miss V on Grube Tube TV

A re-run of Miss Vera’s full hour on The Grube Tube. The Grube Tube is hosted by Adrienne Youngstein, the wife of cable pioneer Steve Gruberg who died in March of 2012 after hosting the show for 35 years! It’s the longest running call in show in cable television history. Please join me as I speak of our Academy herstory and show photos too.

Miss Vera and the WOeRD

On July 11, 2010 Veronica Vera shared her story, “A Very Unusual Wedding” at the reading series Women of Experience Read Downtown (WOeRD), a quarterly event curated by Jo Weldon and Heather Litteer, two of New York’s most talented and well-known burlesque performers. The next reading for the series will be organized this winter.

Miss Vera is working on a memoir and will be doing more readings as this writing continues. Stay tuned...For more news on this and other events, you are invited to join our confidential mailing list.

Miss Vera at WOeRD
WOeRD (L to R) Anne Hanavan, Deb Devi, Tangerine,
Lily Burana, Pamela Des Barres, Heather Litteer,
Miss Vera, Karen Abbott. (Jo Weldon off-camera).

Ying Ang

In fall, 2009, when artist Ying Ang, a student at the International Center of Photography approached us with the idea of documenting the work of Miss Vera’s Academy, little did we know we would not only learn a lot about ourselves, but have the privilege to watch an artist in bloom. We’re busting our buttons with pride over our continuing collaboration with artist Ying Ang.

Ying went from cinematic documentary shots to work that was more emotional and provocative. She even brought her younger sister Ling into the mix to created videos starring our own Misty Madison which we’ve posted on our YouTube channel.

Here we are at ICP just two days prior to Ying’s graduation. Ms. Ying was class VALEDICTORIAN. Brava!

Artist Ying Ang and her muse, Miss V.
Artist Ying Ang and her muse, Miss V.
Miss V views Ying Ang photos at ICP end of year show.
Miss V views Ying Ang photos at ICP end of year show.

On Ying Ang's first visit she documented first time student Nicole.Thank you to Miss Lin for make-up. Here is a tiny portion of the shoot. It was very exciting to have these photos afterward and be able to be a voyeur at my own academy.

Miss V eyes our lady in waiting.
Miss V eyes our lady in waiting.
Nicole sitting pretty.
Nicole sitting pretty.
Sitting like a lady is a learned skill.
Sitting like a lady is a learned skill.
Miss Lin does make-up magic.
Miss Lin does make-up magic.
Lacing up.
Lacing up

On her second visit Ying photographed Me, Miss Deb and dear Mary.

Miss V and our beloved student Mary.
Miss V and our beloved student Mary.
Thank goodness for press-ons.
Thank goodness for press-ons.
Mary close-up and personal.
Mary close-up and personal.
Is that any way to treat a lady?
Is that any way to treat a lady?

Her shoot from Night of 1000 Gowns 2010 is in our yearbook. Special thanks to academy girls: Misty Madison, Nicole, Mary, Clair Martin, and Lily Spencer and all of our deans for their participation. For more of Ying’s work including images from “Le Corps” her work with Miss Vera’s Academy, visit www.yingangphoto.com.

Night of 1000 Gowns

Night of 1000 Gowns, the magnificent drag charity event produced by the Imperial Court of New York will take place on Saturday, April 6, 2019 in the grand ballroom of the Marriott Marquis Hotel, Times Square. Night of 1000 Gowns is way beyond a banquet or dinner dance. The famed opening number is a Broadway caliber production. It begins an evening of fantastic entertainment, awards presentations, beauties on the runway. All of this leads up to a romantic midnight coronation with all of the pomp and ceremony required of such events, combine that with the fact that attendees are in drag, or black tie, or military uniforms and you've got an evening that’s truly over-the-top.

If you would like to join us and be a guest at our academy table, please email for details. To learn more about the Imperial Court, visit www.icny.org. To see photos from previous balls see our yearbook.

Night Of A Thousand Gowns Coronation
Night Of A Thousand Gowns Coronation
Miss Vera's Table At Night Of A Thousand Gowns
Miss Vera's Table At Night Of A Thousand Gowns

Miss Vera joins Dr. Annie Sprinkle at Sidewalk Sex Clinic

Sidewalk sex clinic
Miss Vera, second from the left, at the sidewalk sex clinic

My dear friend Annie Sprinkle came up with a brilliant plan to promote her new book, Dr. Sprinkle's Spectacular Sex -- a sidewalk sex clinic to help needy New Yorkers. She invited erotic filmmaker, Candida Royalle, author of How to Tell a Naked Man What to Do; Barbara Carrellas, an expert in Tantric and spiritual sex and our own Dean of Femme Energy; Prof. Elizabeth Stephens, lesbian expert and Annie's wife; and myself, to join her on Fifth Avenue, in front of the Museum of Sex.

For four hours, we made ourselves available to any and all. It was amazing how people just came up and started talking about their sex lives. We each had our own area of expertise printed on a card. Mine was Transgender. But people pretty much disregarded the titles and sat down wherever there was a seat available.

My first consultation was with a lovely brunette in her early thirties. She told me that when she doesn't have a particular partner, she has sex with friends. She was happy to hear that I thought her “booty calls” were very self-affirming and that it was good that she didn't have to deny herself pleasure with a partner, just because she wasn't doing it with the love of her life.

Then there was the young man who felt he came too fast, the young woman who didn't like that her boyfriend watched porn, two young women who had never had orgasms, the man who was looking for free condoms, another man who was looking for free Viagra (neither of which we had, although the condoms will definitely be a part of any future sidewalk sex clinics, the young dyke who thought she might like to come to the Academy for femme training; and the most difficult case... the man who said he had been released from prison 90 days ago, and had not had a woman in 20 years. I suggested that he find a good professional or check out the ladies in his 12-step program... but all he wanted was for me to get a lot more personally involved in his case.

The clinic was an amazing experience, and I hope we do it again. In the meantime, you can get lots of wonderful advice from Dr. Sprinkle's Spectacular Sex.

For more information on Dr. Sprinkle and her new book visit: http://www.anniesprinkle.org

The Museum Of Sex

We are proud to say Miss Vera's Academy is included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Sex (MOSEX), NYC. The Permanent Collection begins on the second floor of MOSEX. The first floor exhibit is ever-changing and always provocative. Check the MOSEX website for a discount on admission.

The Museum of Sex
233 Fifth Avenue (@ 27th Street)
New York, NY 10016
General Information: (212) 689-6337
Ticketing: (866) MOSEXTIX / (866) 667-3984

Model Search

Would you like to come to the academy on scholarship as a Miss Vera’s spokesmodel. We have lots of projects underway that require enthusiastic volunteers who would like to surrender themselves to me and the deans for a time, one class, one week…depends on the project. In order to be considered to be a model for an academy video, or a television or magazine shoot, you must be comfortable appearing in both male and female mode. Let’s face it girls, everyone loves to see before and after. If you are interested, please fill out the enrollment application and send it to me along with a photo of yourself, and contact information.

Most times we won’t have a budget to fly you in, so you will need to take care of transportation on your own. But some projects could include travel expenses, so don’t be afraid to apply.