Palm Springs Public Library Foundation Announces Armistead Maupinto Headline “Pride on the Page” Book Festival
Media Contacts:
Julie Warren / Palm Springs Public Library / Julie.warren@palmspringsca.gov / (760) 416-6731
David Perry / DP&A, Inc. / news@davidperry.com / (415) 676-7007
Palm Springs Public Library Foundation Announces Armistead Maupin
to Headline “Pride on the Page” Book Festival
Legendary Tales of the City Author Appears Friday, October 13
at Palm Springs Cultural Center to Kick Off
the 2nd Annual Pride on the Page Book Festival
15 August 2023 / Palm Springs: Armistead Maupin, whose Tales of the City novels and TV series have made the author one of the world’s most important and best known gay literary voices, will appear as a special guest at this year’s 2nd Annual Pride on the Page Book Festival (www.prideonthepage.org). The on-stage discussion with local writer David Eugene Perry on Friday, October 13 at 7pm will benefit the Palm Springs Public Library Foundation. United Airlines, a longtime ally of the LGBTQ community is sponsoring the appearance with additional support from El Mirasol Villas Resort and Visit Palm Springs. Maupin and his husband, artist, and photographer Christopher Turner, make their home in London, England.
“Chris and I are thrilled to be returning to Palm Springs,” said Maupin, “and I look forward to reading aloud a sneak preview of my new novel, Mona of the Manor, to be published in March 2024.”
Maupin will be onstage in conversation with longtime journalist David Eugene Perry, host and creator of 10 Percent TV, the longest running LGBTQ TV show in California history which ran for ten years and 351 episodes. Perry’s debut novel, Upon This Rock, won the 2021 Ben Franklin Silver Medal from the Independent Book Publishers Association and “Best Gay Book of 2021” from the San Francisco Book Festival. Called an “elegant, twisty thriller” by Maupin, and “the gay ‘DaVinci Code but a lot better” by Fenton Johnson, Upon This Rock, is currently in screenplay development with a sequel, Thorns of the 15 Roses, underway. Following the main event Maupin will autograph books. A selection of his titles will be available for sale in the lobby courtesy of The Best Bookstore in Palm Springs.
Tickets for the evening are $65 in advance for general admission seating ($75 day-of, if available) with a limited number of VIP tickets at $95 that include a pre-event reception (6pm), a copy of his memoir Logical Family and preferred seating. Tickets to the event may be purchased online at: https://rb.gy/3nvgw.
Launched in 1976 as a groundbreaking serial in the San Francisco Chronicle, Armistead Maupin’s iconic Tales of the City series has since blazed its own trail through popular culture from a sequence of globally best-selling novels to a Peabody Award-winning television miniseries starring Olympia Dukakis and Laura Linney, to an ambitious new musical that had its world premiere at San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theater in 2011. The series now encompasses eight hugely popular novels: Tales of the City, More Tales of the City, Further Tales of the City, Babycakes, Significant Others, Sure of You, Michael Tolliver Lives, and Mary Ann in Autumn. The final Tales novel, The Days of Anna Madrigal, was released in January 2014. It premiered at #3 on the Independent Bestseller list and #7 on the New York Times Bestseller list. In 2019 Netflix aired a new series based on the novels titled Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City.
Maupin’s 1992 novel, Maybe the Moon, which followed the serio-comic adventures of a dwarf actress working in Hollywood, was named one of the ten best books of the year by Entertainment Weekly. The Night Listener (2000), a psychological suspense novel inspired by an eerie episode in Maupin’s own life, became a 2006 feature film starring Robin Williams and Toni Collette.
In 2017 he wrote a memoir titled Logical Family which grew out of his critically acclaimed one-man show of the same name. Neil Gaiman said this about Logical Family; “Maupin is one of America’s finest storytellers, and the story of his life is a story as fascinating, as delightful and as compulsive as any of the tales he has made up for us.”
In 1997 Maupin received the Bill Whitehead Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Publishing Triangle of New York. In 2002 he was honored with the Trevor Project’s Life Award “for his efforts in saving young lives.” Maupin was the first recipient of Litquake’s Barbary Coast Award for his literary contribution to San Francisco. In 2012 he was awarded Lambda’s Pioneer Award which is bestowed on individuals who have broken new ground in the field of LGBT literature and publishing. In 2014 he received an honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. He also received the Visionary Award from the 2014 Outfest Legacy Awards for his collected novels and their “…diverse, interconnected community of San Francisco bohemians — which shaped our collective fantasy of what LGBT life is and could be.” Maupin is the subject of two documentaries: Armistead Maupin is a Man I Dreamt Up (1992) and Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin (2017).
The special event with Maupin on Friday evening kicks off the Second Annual Pride on the Page Book Festival, with most events taking place Saturday, October 14 (10am – 5:30pm). The FREE full day festival will take place at the Palm Springs Cultural Center’s historic Camelot Theatre (2300 Baristo Road, Palm Springs) and features ten panels of 40+ LGBTQ+ and affirming authors and their books in lively discussions. The goal of the Pride on the Page Festival is to communicate different viewpoints and represent various genres that will attract readers/people who have never experienced queer culture, and others who have made it the focus of their lives. The Festival’s panel moderators will lead the authors through discussions of their work, hearing from their point-of-view, helping attendees to discover new authors or get reacquainted with long-time favorites.
Advanced registration on Eventbrite is requested to help manage the event. Those that register and then check-in on the day of the event will receive a free gift. Register at: https://rb.gy/h82yj To learn more about the Pride on the Page Book Festival, the appearing authors, schedule of events and more, go to www.prideonthepage.org.
There will be something for everyone at the Second Annual Pride on the Page Book Festival presented by the Palm Springs Public Library Foundation and the Palm Springs Public Library. In addition, other sponsors include the City of Palm Springs, Palm Springs Cultural Center, The Best Bookstore in Palm Springs (the official book seller at the events), United Airlines, David Perry & Associates, Inc, El Mirasol Villas Resort, Visit Palm Springs, KGAY Radio, CV Independent, and The Standard.
Enriching Lives, Connecting Community, Inspiring Growth, and Sparking Creativity. For over a century, Palm Springs has recognized the importance of a thriving local library. From a small adobe housing its first books in 1919 to today’s stacks holding over 100,000 resource items, the library has served residents from a dozen different branches. The mission of the Palm Springs Public Library Foundation is to continue that legacy. We aim to support the Palm Springs Public Library and to increase and broaden its use as a cultural and educational institution through financial support securing its place as an essential community resource. Ensuring local access to high-quality library services for generations requires more than just tax-based funding. Although public funds make libraries possible, it is private gifts that make them flourish. To learn more about the Foundation or how to become a member go to https://www.pslibraryfoundation.org/
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Below is the list of this year’s Pride on the Page Book Festival participating authors and moderators, in alphabetical order by last name, and their most recent title:
Noel Alumit – Music Heard in Hi-Fi: Multidisciplinary artist and winner of the Stonewall Book Award from the American Library Association and the Jim Duggins Outstanding Mid-Career Novelists’ Prize.
Charlie Jane Anders – Promises Stronger Than Darkness: Multiple award winning (Lambda, Hugo, Nebula) prolific transgender author of many genres.
Ryka Aoki – Light From Uncommon Stars: Recipient of Lambda Literary’ s 2023 Jim Duggins Outstanding Mid-Career Novelists’ Prize
Chris Belcher – Pretty Baby: Writer, professor, and former sex worker. Teaches Gender and Sexuality Studies in the Writing Program at the University of Southern California.
Branden Boyer-White & Shannon Watters – Hollow: Supernatural queer romance by the co-creators of the groundbreaking original series “Lumberjanes.”
David Church – Thomas Edison and the Lazarus Vessel: Author of the award-winning adventure novels, Thomas Edison and the Purgatory Equation and Thomas Edison and the Lazarus Vessel, the first two installments in his ‘Edison Trilogy.’
Christian Cooper – Better Living Through Birding: Notes From a Black Man in the Natural World: American writer, editor, and infamous Central Park birdwatcher.
Robbie Couch – If I See You Again Tomorrow: Contemporary and speculative fiction young-adult fiction author of three best-selling novels.
Frank DeCaro – Drag: Combing Through the Big Wigs of Show Business: Author and performer best known for his 12 years as host of The Frank DeCaro Show on Sirius XM, and his six-year stint as the movie critic on The Daily Show.
Sina Grace – Superman: The Harvests of Youth: Comic book writer, artist, memoirist, and social media personality.
Elena V. Gross – OutWrite: The Speeches that Shaped LGBTQ Literary Culture: Co-Director of Berkeley Art Center and an independent writer and culture critic living in San Francisco, CA.
Jim Holmes: Fashion and design director for prestigious companies including principal designer for Mattel’s Barbie. Member of the Palm Springs Library Foundation Board.
A.M. Homes – The Unfolding: Author of 13 books of fiction, short-story, and non-fiction. Winner of the prestigious Orange/ Women’s Prize for Fiction.
Daniel M. Jaffe – The Grand Sex Tour Murders: Internationally published, award-winning author whose most recent novel was selected by the review publication, Out in Print, as one of their 10 Favorite Books of 2022.
Sarah Lacy: Award winning investigative journalist, author, and serial entrepreneur. Co-Founder of Best Bookstore in Palm Springs and Founder of ChairmanMe.
Byron Lane – Big Gay Wedding: Author, playwright, screenwriter, Emmy-winning journalist, and former assistant to actress and writer Carrie Fisher.
Ruth Madievsky – All-Night Pharmacy: Author and poet, her work appears in The Atlantic, Harper’s Bazaar, The Los Angeles Times, GQ, Guernica, and elsewhere.
Meredith Maran – The New Old Me: My Late-Life Reinvention: Author of a dozen nonfiction books and an acclaimed novel. Writer in Residence at UCLA and in residency at artists’ colonies including the Mabel Dodge Luhan House, MacDowell and Yaddo.
Armistead Maupin – Mona of the Manor (publish date March 2024): Internationally acclaimed author of the Tales of the City series and Netflix series based on the novels titled Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City. Maupin’s 1992 novel, Maybe the Moon was named one of the ten best books of the year by Entertainment Weekly. The Night Listener (2000) became a feature film starring Robin Williams and Toni Collette. In 2017 he wrote a memoir titled Logical Family.
Elías Miguel Muñoz – Encore! Encore!: Author of 10 novels in English and Spanish with a Ph.D. in American Literature.
Abdi Nazemian – Only This Beautiful Moment: Film and television screenwriter/producer and author of five novels. Recipient of a Lambda Literary Award and a Stonewall Honor.
Rasheed Newson – My Government Means to Kill Me: Television drama writer, producer, and novelist. 2022 Lambda Literary finalist for Gay Fiction and named one of the “The 100 Notable Books of 2022” by The New York Times.
Lydia Otero – L.A. Interchanges: A Brown and Queer Archival Memoir: Writer, historian, and activist with a Ph.D. in history. Received many awards and honors including Southwest Book Awards and Dolores Huerta Legacy Award. One of the original founding members of Lesbianas Unidas.
David Eugene Perry – Upon This Rock: Host and creator of 10 Percent TV, the longest running LGBTQ TV show in California history. Winner of the 2021 Ben Franklin Silver Medal from the Independent Book Publishers Association and “Best Gay Book of 2021” from the San Francisco Book Festival for Upon This Rock, currently in screenplay development.
Kamala Puligandla – Zigzags: Writer of fiction, essays, and other ditties about radical, queer, mixed, black/brown people.
Steven Reigns – A Quilt for David: Los Angeles poet and educator and was appointed the first Poet Laureate of West Hollywood. His latest work is the product of ten years of research regarding dentist David Acer’s life.
Cristy C. Road – The Chaos of Enlightenment: First generation Cuban-American artist, writer, and musician. Rooted in punk, queer, and feminist communities, Road has spent over 20 years illustrating her story and publishing it. She published Green’zine from 1997-2004, and since has released three graphic novels tackling mental health, sexuality, cultural identity, and punk; as well as countless illustrations for music, publishing, and social movements.
Brittny Roberts – Lesbians In Bed: Reading Poetry: Author of the seductive and introspective Lesbians In Bed series. She is also the creator and host of The Lesbian PodQUEST, currently in its third season.
Rob Rosen – Bobby Ray Breaks the Universe: Multi-award-winning and best-selling author/editor/anthologist of over twenty books. Short stories in over 200 anthologies.
Steven Rowley – The Celebrants: New York Times bestselling author of four novels, all in development for feature film and television adaptation. In 2023, was the winner of the 22nd Thurber Prize for American Humor and current book selected as a TODAY Show Read With Jenna Book Club pick.
Eduardo Santiago – Midnight Rumba: Author, screenwriter, and creative writing teacher. Currently serves as the Director of Program for the Palm Springs Writers Guild.
Justin Elizabeth Sayre – From Gay to Z: A Queer Compendium: Beloved author, writer, and activist in the LGBTQIA+ community and beyond. Host of the podcast Sparkle & Circulate where they interview performers, writers, and other creative minds of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Nic Scheppard & Jenson Titus – A Very Gay Book: An Inaccurate Resource for Gay Scholars:. Authors and LA based comedians who, using ancient gay wizardry, turn your walls gay with paint.
Omar Sharif, Jr. – A Tale of Two Omars: A Memoir of Family, Revolution, and Coming Out During the Arab Spring: Egyptian-Canadian actor and model who currently lives in the United States. The grandson of Omar Sharif, the actor, he is widely considered to be the first openly gay person in the Arab world.
Wendy L. Silva – Queer, Latinx poet. Winner of the Judy Kronenfeld Award in Poetry and the Academy of American Poet’s Prize. Teacher of composition, creative writing, and Latinx Literature of the U.S. at Riverside City College.
Lorenzo Taylor (aka Lorenz Qatava) – Mist Under the Waterfall: Poet, playwright, novelist, and journalist. Author of two gay romance/adventure novels, a volume of poetry and short stories, and two stage plays about Black gay men.
Michelle Tea – Knocking Myself Up: A Memoir of My (In)Fertility: Executive Director of DOPAMINE Books, an upstart queer publishing house for weirdos, and author of over a dozen books, including the cult classic Valencia and the PEN/America winner Against Memoir. 2021 Guggenheim Fellow and a founder of Drag Queen Story Hour.
Lisa Teasley – Fluid: Stories: Award-winning author whose writings have been translated into French, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, and Arabic. Also, a visual artist and writer/presenter of the BBC television documentary “High School Prom,” which was in long-term rotation in the UK.
Darya Teesewell: A woman of trans history, retired from the Motion Picture Industry (toiling behind the cameras) who is also a writer and regular contributor to Fourculture Online Magazine.
Jacob Tobia – Sissy: A Coming-Of-Gender Story: Actor, writer, producer, and author. Point Foundation and Harry S. Truman Scholar and a member of the Forbes 30 Under 30 and the Out 100. Helps others embrace the full complexity of their gender with their message of personal fabulosity and social change.
Josh Trujillo – Washington’s Gay General: The Legends and Loves of Baron Van Steuben: Writer of comic books and video games working with clients including Marvel, HBO, Google, Netflix, and DC Comics, among others.
Guinevere Turner – When the World Didn’t End: A Memoir: Acclaimed screenwriter and director. Wrote and starred in the film Go Fish and was a writer and actor on Showtime’s The L Word. An essay she wrote for The New Yorker is the inspiration for her memoir, When the World Didn’t End.
Justine Pucella Winans – Bianca Torre is Afraid of Everything: Queer and nonbinary writer who whose YA debut was an Indies Introduce title and critically acclaimed comedic murder mystery.