Get Ready for Pride on the Page: A Book Festival You Can’t Miss!

Save the Date: October 20, 2024

The Pride on the Page Book Festival is a free all-day book festival from 10 am to 5:30 pm at the Palm Springs Cultural Center. Featuring six-panel discussions with over 25 LGBTQ+ authors and allies, the event dives into powerful topics, bringing you closer to the stories that inspire and challenge. From thought-provoking dialogues to fresh perspectives, this festival is an absolute must for book lovers, advocates, and curious minds alike.

Author Panels Schedule-At-A-Glance

10:15 am – Humor, Pain, and Everything In Between.

Byron Lane is the author of the novels Big Gay Wedding and A Star Is Bored. He’s also a former assistant to actress and writer Carrie Fisher.

Anna Dorn is the author of Perfume & Pain, Exalted, and Vagablonde.

Jason Blitman produces and hosts the book podcast Gays Reading, where guests have included queer icons Charles Busch, Garrard Conley, Armistead Maupin, RuPaul’s Ginger Minj, Jeopardy!’s Amy Schneider, and The Old Gays, among many others.

11:30 am – Screen Time: Tantalizing tales about film and television.

Charles Jensen wrote Splice of Life: A Memoir in 13 Film Genres. His most recent collection of poetry is Instructions Between Takeoff and Landing.

Dave Karger is a host on Turner Classic Movies (TCM).

Martine McDonald is a film curator, arts educator and writer dedicated to social impact storytelling and anti-bias education.

Shayna Maci Warner is a GLAAD Rising Star-awarded Brooklyn- based writer and film programmer who is obsessed with television.

David Church is the award-winning author of Thomas Edison and the Purgatory Equation and Thomas Edison and the Lazarus Vessel, the first two installments in his genre mash-up series, ‘The Edison Trilogy.’

12:45 pm – We Are Family: The many faces and places of queer communities and families.

Lucas Hilderbrand is Professor and Chair of Film and Media Studies at the University of California, Irvine.

Lane Igoudin is the author of A Family, Maybe, a gay couple’s journey through foster adoptions to fatherhood.

Diane Anderson-Minshall is an award-winning writer and editor who has led some of the leading LGBTQ+ media outlets in the U.S., including serving as the CEO and editorial director of Pride Media Inc.

Penelope Starr is the author of the nonfiction book The Radical Act of Community Storytelling: Empowering Voices in Uncensored Events and the founder of Odyssey Storytelling in Tucson, AZ.

Mei Ling has spent the past seven years on the board of the L-Fund, a non-profit that supports cis, trans, and queer-identifying lesbians in financial crisis, education, the arts, and health and wellness.

2:00 pm – Soul Searching: Memoir as catharsis, exploration, and spiritual practice.

Curtis Chin is the author of the award-winning memoir Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant.

Cheryl Klein is the author of Crybaby, a memoir about wanting a baby and getting cancer instead.

Sarah Viren is a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine and author of the essay collection Mine.

Jason Yamas is a queer writer, producer, and actor. His debut memoir, Tweakerworld, won the 2024 Lambda Literary Award for Best Gay Memoir.

Stephanie Theobald is a British author, journalist, and broadcaster who writes for the Guardian, the Sunday Times, and Condé Nast Traveller, broadcasts for the BBC and used to work as a senior editor at Harper’s Bazaar UK in London.

3:15 pm – More Than Queer: Conversations about identity and culture across genres.

Alex Espinoza is the author of the novels Still Water Saints, The Five Acts of Diego León, and The Sons of El Rey, as well as a nonfiction book, Cruising: An Intimate History of a Radical Pastime.

George M. Johnson (they/them) is a bestselling Black nonbinary author who has written for Essence, The Advocate, BuzzFeed News, Teen Vogue, and over forty other national publications.

Carla Rachel Sameth is a 2023 Poet Laureate Fellow with the Academy of American Poets. Her books include the memoir One Day on the Gold Line, the chapbook What Is Left, and the poetry collection Secondary Inspections.

4:30 pm – I Have Concerns: New fiction tackling issues from the personal to the global.

Izzy Wasserstein is a queer, trans woman who teaches writing and literature.

Will Dean is the creator of The Desert Sun monthly LGBTQ+ news and feature magazine, Desert Outlook.

Daniel M. Jaffe is an internationally published, award-winning writer. His new short story collection is Domestic Affairs: Tales of American Males.

Kwei Quartey is a crime fiction writer who wrote The Missing American, Sleep Well My Lady, and The Whitewashed Tombs.

Works by Venita Blackburn have appeared in the New Yorker, NY Times, Harper’s, McSweeney’s, Story Magazine, the Virginia Quarterly Review, the Paris Review, and others.

More than Just Author Panels

Book Signings: Get your favorite books signed by the authors.

Local Authors Table: Explore work from local talent.

Typewriter Poetry on Demand: Join author & 2020-23 West Hollywood Poet Laureate Brian Sonia-Wallace to get your poem based on the topic of your choice or write a message on a typewriter for someone else.

Exclusive Updates: Learn about the Palm Springs Library Renovation project.

Registration

Register for this free event on Eventbrite, and you’ll receive a special gift at check-in at the Palm Springs Cultural Plaza.

A Night of Comedy: Beth and the Boys

At 7:00 pm, prepare for a hilarious, heartfelt night with Beth Lapides, Guy Branum, and Alec Mapa. This trio of comedy legends will take the stage in a special ticketed event, Beth and the Boys, wrapping up the day’s festivities with laughs that are sure to be unforgettable.

Beth Lapides: The mastermind behind “UnCabaret,” Beth brings her unique brand of alt-comedy, mixing life’s challenges with humor.

Guy Branum: You’ve seen him on “Hacks” and “Chelsea Lately,” and now you get to experience his sharp wit live.

Alec Mapa: Known for his roles in “Ugly Betty” and “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” Alec’s comedic timing and heartwarming stories make him a must-see.

Tickets are $30 for general admission and can be purchased online here. This is the perfect chance to enjoy an incredible night of storytelling and laughter, all while supporting the Palm Springs Public Library Foundation.

Whether you’re there for the books, the laughs, or the community, Pride on the Page promises an unforgettable day of celebration, inspiration, and fun! Mark your calendars and get your tickets now—this is one Palm Springs event you won’t want to miss!

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