Joe Westmoreland’s Queer Cult Classic “Tramps Like Us” Returns to Bookshelves

Joe Westmoreland’s “Tramps Like Us,” a powerful autofictional novel chronicling queer life and survival across America’s shifting social landscape, is back in print after more than twenty years. The reissue is set for July 2025, following a June launch event at New York’s Strand Bookstore, and includes a new introduction by celebrated poet Eileen Myles and an afterword by Westmoreland himself .

Originally published in 2001, “Tramps Like Us” follows Joe and his friend Ali as they navigate the urban demimonde of New Orleans and San Francisco in the 1970s and ’80s. Westmoreland’s narrative unfolds against a backdrop of wild adventure and profound loss, capturing the exuberance and precariousness of queer self-discovery during an era riven by both liberation and the devastating onset of the AIDS crisis .

The novel has been praised for its candor and vulnerability, its depiction of communities forged by necessity and joy, and its unsparing portrayal of the epidemic’s impact on a generation of LGBTQ+ people. As Eileen Myles writes in the new edition, “I love this book most of all because it is so mortal” .

“Tramps Like Us” has long been regarded as a cult classic within queer literature, its raw and intimate prose compared to icons like David Wojnarowicz and other chroniclers of LGBTQ+ survival . The novel’s blend of hedonism, heartbreak, and humor offers a window into both the ecstasy and the anguish of queer existence in late twentieth-century America.

Critical responses to the reprint underscore the novel’s enduring relevance. Jeremy Lybarger of 4Columns notes, “Westmoreland’s blend of noise and sights, romance and friendship, render a portrait of queer joy as a hard-earned victory of survival” . The narrative’s depiction of “the piecemeal disintegration of Joe’s friends—the hospitalizations, the vigils, the denials, the fumbled goodbyes—are the book’s most gutting,” Lybarger observes, emphasizing the novel’s emotional resonance for readers today.

Prominent LGBTQ+ authors and critics have also celebrated the reissue. Andrea Lawlor, author of “Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl,” calls “Tramps Like Us” “a spare, unflinching, generous & lusty masterpiece of adventure writing, that great adventuring queer quest for sex & friendship & love & home” .

The decision to reissue “Tramps Like Us” in 2025 comes amid a broader resurgence of interest in LGBTQ+ literary heritage, as younger readers and scholars seek out stories that reflect the complexities and triumphs of queer life. The new edition aims to introduce Westmoreland’s voice to a new audience, offering both a historical document and a timeless meditation on resilience, intimacy, and the search for belonging .

Westmoreland, who now lives with his partner, artist Charles Atlas, in New York City, reflected on the novel’s continued relevance during recent bookstore events, expressing gratitude for the opportunity to share the work with those who may not have encountered it during its initial release .

For the LGBTQ+ community and allies, the return of “Tramps Like Us” is more than a literary event—it is a restoration of an essential voice in queer history, a celebration of stories that have too often been marginalized or lost. As today’s readers confront new challenges and victories in the ongoing struggle for equality, Westmoreland’s testament to friendship, love, and survival remains as vital as ever.