ARMISTEAD MAUPIN

Starting out as a serialized story in San Francsico-area newspapers in the mid-‘70s, Armistead Maupin’s now-legendary Tales of the City novels blazed bold new ground in contemporary literature, portraying the lives of gay and straight characters in the City by the Bay as one vibrant, interconnected community. In doing so, they made their author—a Vietnam veteran with a conservative background—an icon for gay writers and readers, who hail him as one of the first novelists to address the AIDS crisis among many other plaudits. In addition to seven novels featuring his Tales of the City characters, Maupin’s bestselling books include Maybe the Moon and The Night Listener. He lives in San Francisco with his husband, Christopher Turner.