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);
Hal Johnson talks about Body Break and racism;
Ongoing discrimination toward trans men and women;
Learning to use gender neutral pronouns;
Misgendering and microaggressions;
Author Jeanette Winterson;
Adult Onset by Ann-Marie MacDonald;
Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell;
WPL’s Info Guides
WPL’s YouTube channel;
2SLGBTQ+ books in our collections.
Can you tell me a book I would also like?
Erica: 44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith;
Dennis: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers Our episode on that book;
Trevor: Rent by Jonathan Larson;
Kirsten: even this page is white by Vivek Shraya.
Nerd words for word nerds
Trevor: Kintsugi;
Dennis: Satisficing;
Erica: Unprecedented;
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.
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