Celebrating half a century of the beloved series, Maupin will share stories of queer life, its revolutionary impact, and the iconic character Anna Madrigal at a special event in the Summer 2026 season of The Conversation.
Dust off your caftan and clutch your pearls: for one glorious night, Armistead Maupin is sashaying into town to celebrate 50 fabulous years on Barbary Lane , and yes, Mother Anna Madrigal is still the hostess with the mostest.
The legendary author will spill the tea on queer life in 1970s America, the birth of LGBTQ+ San Francisco, and how his iconic series Tales of the City became the blueprint for chosen family long before Grindr bios started claiming “good vibes only.” From disco-era heartbreak to political awakening, Maupin’s stories gave queer people something revolutionary: themselves.
And then there’s Anna Madrigal , the trans landlady, spiritual guru, cigarette-holder extraordinaire and unofficial den mother to generations of gays, lesbians, dreamers and drifters. Immortalised onscreen by Olympia Dukakis and later by trans actress Jen Richards, Anna became a queer icon before “icon” was being thrown around every time someone wore a harness to brunch.
Maupin will also revisit the deliciously dramatic legacy of his wider work, from More Tales of the City and Further Tales of the City to Maybe the Moon and The Night Listener, the film adaptation starring Robin Williams and Toni Collette.
This event forms part of the Summer 2026 season of The Conversation , a cultural salon for people who like their intellectual debate served with a side of existential dread and excellent lighting. Across the season, audiences can expect literary legends, fierce historians, radical thinkers and enough discourse to fuel an entire Fire Island share house.
There’ll be feminist reclamations with Harriet Walter and Janina Ramirez, environmental reckonings with Jackie Morris, Robert Macfarlane and Andrea Wulf, and sharp dissections of democracy, power and corruption from Jonathan Sumption, Selina Nwulu and Oliver Bullough. Meanwhile, Sarah Churchwell takes on America at 250, and Ali Smith reminds us all that no one writes beautiful chaos quite like the Scots.
Running from 5 May to 28 July 2026, The Conversation takes place Tuesday nights at St Martin-in-the-Fields , because nothing says ‘queer intellectual summer’ like discussing capitalism, Shakespeare and gay liberation beneath a church ceiling. Tickets start at £10, audience members are invited to continue the chat after each event, and livestreams mean you can join from anywhere in the world , whether that’s Soho, San Francisco or your ex’s Netflix account.
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