Walking Through Clear Water In a Pool Painted Black

A cult classic of underground literature, is a raw, vivid and unflinching collection of autobiographical stories by writer, actress and counterculture icon Cookie Mueller. Spanning the 1960s to the 1980s, these stories take readers on a wild ride through New York, Provincetown, San Francisco and Europe—filled with sex, drugs, art, rebellion and survival.

Mueller's voice is sharp, funny and heartbreakingly honest as she recounts her time in John Waters’ films, her experiences in the punk and art scenes, and her encounters with joy and tragedy, including the impact of the AIDS crisis. Her storytelling blends gritty realism with surreal beauty, painting a portrait of a fiercely independent woman navigating life on the edge.

A testament to radical self-expression and fierce resilience, this collection is a must-read for fans of outsider art, queer history and literary nonconformity.