Episode 030: Tales of the City

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Thanks for joining us! In this episode we’re talking about Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin.
San Francisco, 1976. A naive young secretary, fresh out of Cleveland, tumbles headlong into a brave new world of laundromat Lotharios, pot-growing landladies, cut throat debutantes, and Jockey Shorts dance contests. The saga that ensues is manic, romantic, tawdry, touching, and outrageous. The first novel in the beloved Tales of the City series is both a sparkling comedy of manners and an indelible portrait of an era that changed forever the way we live.
In this episode we discuss
Armistead Maupin’s days as a Republican and his family’s Confederate history;
Maupin’s memoir, Logical Family;
The two Tales of the City TV series (1993 and 2019);
The Letter to Mama which Michael writes (Trevor found this amazing video of Sir Ian McKellan reading it);
Ongoing discrimination toward trans men and women;
Learning to use gender neutral pronouns;
Misgendering and microaggressions;
Adult Onset by Ann-Marie MacDonald;
Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell;
WPL’s Info Guides
WPL’s YouTube channel;
Can you tell me a book I would also like?
Erica: 44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith;
Trevor: Rent by Jonathan Larson;
Nerd words for word nerds
Trevor: Kintsugi;
Dennis: Satisficing;
Kirsten: Breathe and Jon Kabat-Zinn (trust and letting go).
Thanks to Amy for her letter and everyone who got in touch or contributed to the discussion! 
Next month we’re talking about Charcoal Joe by Walter Mosley. It’s available in print and online through Overdrive. We’re looking forward to hearing what you think.
You can be part of our show too! Visit us at wpl-podcast.winnipeg.ca. Email us at wpl-podcast@winnipeg.ca with suggestions, comments, and questions. Or join our Facebook group, and follow Winnipeg Public Library on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Time to Read is a production of the Winnipeg Public Library. Our panel today included Kirsten Wurmann, Dennis Penner, Trevor Lockhart, and Erica Ball.

Creators and Guests

Dennis Penner
Host
Dennis Penner
Dennis works in the ideaMILL and while he prefers mysteries and non-fiction, he’s open to reading almost anything. He’s also the editor/producer, so he can edit the show to make himself sound smarter than he really is.
Trevor Lockhart
Host
Trevor Lockhart
Trevor is the Branch Head of the Louis Riel library. He tends to be a slow reader but a fast talker, so it all evens out.
Episode 030: Tales of the City
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