An Evening with Armistead Maupin

THIS EVENT IS FULLY BOOKED

Manchester Literature Festival are thrilled to present a special event with beloved and critically acclaimed American author Armistead Maupin. One of our most distinctive storytellers, Armistead is the author of The Night Listener, Maybe The Moon, Michael Tolliver Lives, Mary Ann in Autumn and the bestselling Tales of the City series. A charming and engaging raconteur, Armistead will be talking about his long-awaited memoir, Logical Family, chronicling his odyssey from the old South to freewheeling San Francisco, and his evolution from curious youth to ground breaking writer and gay rights pioneer.

Born in the mid-twentieth century and raised in the heart of conservative North Carolina, Armistead lost his virginity to another man “on the very spot where the first shots of the Civil War were fired.” Realizing that the South was too small for him, this son of a traditional lawyer packed his earthly belongings into his Opel GT and took to the road in search of adventure. It was a journey that would lead him from a homoerotic Navy initiation ceremony in the jungles of Vietnam to that strangest of strange lands: San Francisco in the early 1970s.

Reflecting on the profound impact those closest to him have had on his life, Armistead shares his candid search for his “logical family,” the people he could call his own. “Sooner or later, we have to venture beyond our biological family to find our logical one, the one that actually makes sense for us,” he writes. “We have to, if we are to live without squandering our lives.”

From his loving relationship with his palm-reading Grannie who insisted Armistead was the reincarnation of her artistic bachelor cousin, Curtis, to an awkward conversation about girls with President Richard Nixon in the Oval Office, Armistead tells of the extraordinary individuals and situations that shaped him into one of the most influential writers of the last century. He also recalls his losses and life-changing experiences with humour and unflinching honesty. What emerges is an illuminating portrait of the man who depicted the liberation and evolution of America’s queer community over the last four decades – and inspired millions to claim their own lives. Introduced by poet Andrew McMillan.

“A book for any of us, gay or straight, who have had to find our 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.” Neil Gaiman

Doors open at 7pm, event starts at 7.30pm prompt and will be followed by a book signing.

To book accessible seats for this event please contact the venue box office directly on 0161 907 5555 or email box.office@rncm.ac.uk