SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2025 at the PALM SPRINGS CULTURAL CENTER
Pride on the Page is a FREE full day festival featuring LGBTQIA+ and affirming authors and allies in conversation about their books and dynamic topics, book signings, a local authors table, LGBTQIA+ presses, updates about the Palm Springs Public Library Renovation, and much more!
Evening Fundraiser
Join actor/author CHRIS COLFER as he discusses his new young adult book Roswell Saves the Galaxy! in conversation with Meredith Fine.
Chris Colfer
Meredith Fine
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Chris Colfer is a Golden Globe-winning, Emmy and SAG Award-nominated actor, screenwriter, producer, and author of twenty books including the #1 New York Times bestselling series The Land of Stories. He received a Golden Globe, two consecutive Emmy nominations, three People's Choice Awards, a SAG nomination, and two Teen Choice Awards for his work as Kurt Hummel on the worldwide television phenomenon GLEE. He wrote, produced, and starred in his first film, Struck by Lightning, which debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival. He has been named to the TIME 100, Time magazine's distinguished annual list of the one hundred most influential people in the world and was honored by the National Coalition Against Censorship with their Free Speech Defender award.
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Meredith Fine began her career in the entertainment industry 38 years ago at Coast to Coast Talent Group and started the talent agencies youth department in 1990 where she has developed and continues to guide the careers of young entertainment professionals. Her clients have included Chris Colfer and some of the best young actors in film and television resulting in three Academy-Award nominated performances among many other accolades. Meredith currently serves on the Palm Springs Parks & Recreation Commission and splits her time between Calabasas and Palm Springs. She stays actively involved in civic and artistic programs in her communities and is dedicated to her loving family.
Schedule at a Glance
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10:00 - 11:00 am |
Novel Conversations: Ryan O’Connell & Jonathan Parks-Ramage discuss their books in conversation with Byron Lane & Steven Rowley |
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11:115 - Noon |
So Many Stars: Oral Histories Across the Gender Spectrum: Caro De Robertis in conversation with Lex Ortega |
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Noon - 1:00 pm |
The Poetry Lounge - Poetry Readings From Outstanding LGBTQ+ Poets (Gary Hunter, Donika Kelly, Doris Reed, Steven Reigns, Sweet Baby J'ai, Lorenzo Taylor) |
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1:00 - 1:45 pm |
Out Living/Outliving: New queer fiction from Marisa (Mac) Crane and Eric C. Wat in conversation with Steven Reigns |
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2:00 - 2:45 pm |
The Great Black Hope: Rob Franklin discusses his debut novel in conversation with Will Dean |
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3:00 - 3:45 pm |
Pleasure and Pain in Personal Stories and Poems: Melissa Febos & Donika Kelly in conversation with Meredith Maran |
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4:00 - 4:45 pm |
Book It: The Ins and Outs of Getting Published and Promoted with Tara Madison Avery (Stacked Deck Press), Ian Henzel (Rattling Good Yarns Press) and Christine Svendsen (Sapphire Books Publishing) in conversation with Eduardo Santiago (Palm Springs Writers Guild) |
PLUS…Join us in the lobby of the Palm Springs Cultural Center and outside in the Pride on the Page Tent for book signings, local authors, publishers, non-profit organizations, updates about the Palm Springs Public Library Renovation, and much, much more.
Author Panels
Novel Conversations: Ryan O’Connell & Jonathan Parks-Ramage discuss their books in conversation with Byron Lane & Steven Rowley
10:00 - 11:00 am
Ryan O’Connell
Jonathan Parks-Ramage
Steven Rowley
Byron Lane
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Ryan O'Connell is the Emmy-nominated creator, writer, and star of Netflix’s Special, which is based on his memoir, I’m Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves. He is also the author of the novel Just By Looking at Him and has written for other TV shows like Will & Grace, Awkward, and Peacock’s Queer as Folk revival, which he also stars in. He lives, laughs, and loves in Los Angeles with his partner, Jonathan Parks-Ramage.
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Jonathan Parks-Ramage is the author of the new book It’s Not The End of the World, which has been hailed by the Los Angeles Times as "a wild ride of a novel," and selected by The New York Times Style Magazine as a pick for Best Queer Summer Fiction. His debut novel Yes, Daddy was named one of the best queer books of 2021 by Entertainment Weekly, NBC News, The Advocate, Lambda Literary, Bustle, Goodreads and more. He is co-creator of the Off-Broadway musical The Big Gay Jamboree, which was nominated for five Lucille Lortel Awards, four Drama Desk Awards, and three Outer Critics Circle Awards.
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Byron Lane is the author of the novels Big Gay Wedding and A Star Is Bored. The New York Times Book Review has called his writing "wildly funny and irreverent." He is a former assistant to actress and writer Carrie Fisher, a two-time Emmy Award winner for his work as a television news journalist, and the playwright behind the acclaimed show Tilda Swinton Answers an Ad On Craigslist. He's from New Orleans and lives in Palm Springs with his husband, The New York Times bestselling author Steven Rowley and their rescue dogs, Raindrop and Shirley.
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Steven Rowley is the New York Times bestselling author of Lily and the Octopus, a Washington Post Notable Book of 2016, The Editor, named by NPR as one of the Best Books of 2019, The Guncle, winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humor, The Celebrants, a TODAY Show Read With Jenna Book Club pick and the instant USA Today Bestseller The Guncle Abroad. His fiction has been published in twenty languages. Originally from Portland, Maine, he is a graduate of Emerson College and currently resides in Palm Springs with his husband, the writer Byron Lane, and two rescue dogs.
So Many Stars: Oral Histories Across the Gender Spectrum: Caro De Robertis in conversation with Lex Ortega
11:15 am - Noon
Caro De Robertis
Lex Ortega
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A writer of Uruguayan origins, Caro De Robertis is the author of six novels, including The Palace of Eros, Cantoras, and more. Their books have been translated into seventeen languages and have received numerous honors, including two Stonewall Book Awards and the John Dos Passos Prize for Literature, which they were the first openly nonbinary writer to receive. De Robertis is also an award-winning literary translator and a professor at San Francisco State University. They live in Oakland, California with their two children.
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Lex Ortega calls the desert their forever home. After being raised in the Coachella Valley, Lex attended Stanford University as a first-generation college student and discovered their north star of working with and for LGBTQ+ community groups and spaces. Lex has served on community-based projects including the California Voting Rights Act Working Group for the City of Palm Springs, Palm Springs Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast Committee, the Palm Springs Dyke March, feminist collective Wyld Womxn, and even as a promoter and organizer of queer women’s events in Palm Springs. Lex is a past president of Leadership Coachella Valley, the 2023 Desert Fast Pitch winner, and selected as one of Palm Springs Life’s 40 Under 40. Lex currently serves as Vice Chair on La Mesa for Alianza Coachella Valley and serves on the Board of the LGBTQ+ History & Archives of the Desert. They are dedicated to queer and trans-centered spaces that are intersectional and rooted in power.
The Poetry Lounge: Poetry Readings from Outstanding LGBTQ+ Poets
Noon - 1:00pm
Donika Kelly
Gary Hunter
Doris Reed
Sweet Baby J’ai
Steven Reigns
Lorenzo Taylor
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Gary Hunter has been writing poetry for 25 years. Having written nothing prior to the year 2000, he was inspired by a love poem he heard read at a spiritual retreat. Since then, he’s developed his own style of the poetry – connecting people to each other and the world – in often quirky and humorous ways, usually with a gentle pen of love and friendship. He writes for those who aren’t acquainted with poetry, to introduce them to its short and tight style of communication and hopefully receive at least some small delivery of pleasure.
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Donika Kelly is the author of The Natural Order of Things, The Renunciations, winner of the Anisfield-Wolf book award in poetry, and Bestiary, the winner of a the 2015 Cave Canem Poetry Prize, a Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, and a Kate Tufts Discovery Award. A recipient of a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, she is a Cave Canem graduate fellow and Pushcart Prize winner. She is an associate professor at the University of Iowa. https://www.donikakelly.com/
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Writing for over 40 years, Doris Reed is a seasoned poet, writer, artist, recording artist and motivational speaker. Her work has appeared in numerous anthologies, magazines and newspapers. She has performed across the country for weddings, retirement and birthday parties and other venues, and has been a guest speaker on cable television and radio shows. Doris has published two books of poetry, a children’s book and a CD. Additionally a body of her work was performed in a theatrical production called Patches, and is regularly performed by others. Doris believes that a day without poetry is like a day without sunshine
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Steven Reigns is a Los Angeles poet and educator and was appointed the first Poet Laureate of West Hollywood. Alongside over a dozen chapbooks, he has published the collections Inheritance and Your Dead Body is My Welcome Mat. Reigns holds a BA in Creative Writing from the University of South Florida, a Master of Clinical Psychology from Antioch University, and is a sixteen-time recipient of The Los Angeles County’s Department of Cultural Affairs’ Artist in Residency Grant. He edited My Life is Poetry, showcasing his students’ work from the first-ever autobiographical poetry workshop for LGBT seniors. Reigns has lectured and taught writing workshops around the country to LGBT youth and people living with HIV. Currently he is touring The Gay Rub, an exhibition of rubbings from LGBT landmarks, and is the board president of the Anaïs Nin Foundation. His collection A Quilt for David was published by City Lights and is the product of over ten years of research regarding dentist David Acer’s life. His newest collection Outliving Michael is a memorial memoir in poetry, chronicling Reigns’s profound friendship with Michael Church, who died of AIDS in 2000. StevenReigns.com
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Sweet Baby J’ai is an award-winning vocalist, writer, and producer whose artistry bridges music, poetry, and storytelling. Honored as a Living Jazz Legend, inducted into the California Jazz & Blues Hall of Fame, recipient of the Brothers of the Desert Legacy Award, and recognized with the HRC Advocate for Equality Award, she continues to inspire through art and advocacy. J’ai is also the author of Sing Your Life – A Step-by-Step Guide to Turning Your Voice Into Income, a powerful guide for turning passion into career—available for purchase at tonight’s reading.
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Lorenzo Taylor is a novelist, poet, playwright, and freelance journalist from Palm Springs, California. He began his writing career after retiring in 2018 from careers in international affairs, social marketing, and public health. Since then, he has authored a trilogy of gay romance novels, a volume of poetry and short stories about the turbulent year of 2020, two full-length stage plays about Black gay life, and two ten-minute plays. He also often performs live storytelling for “Strong Words” and produced a live show in 2025 about pioneering drag queen William Dorsey Swann.
1:00 - 1:45pm
Out Living/Outliving: New queer fiction from Marissa (Mac) Crane and Eric C. Wat in conversation with Steven Reigns
Marisa (Mac) Crane
Eric C. Wat
Steven Reigns
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Marisa (Mac) Crane is a sweatpants enthusiast, former college basketball player, and the author of the award-winning novel, I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself, and most recently, A Sharp Endless Need. They have received fellowships from the Sewanee Writers' Conference, American Short Fiction, and Vermont Studio Center, and their short work has appeared in Literary Hub, The Sun, TriQuarterly, Prairie Schooner, Joyland, and elsewhere. Originally from Allentown, Pennsylvania, they currently live in San Diego with their family.
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Eric C. Wat is the author of four books, including: Daddy Issues: Stories (University of Nebraska Press, 2025), winner of the Barbara DiBernard Prize in Fiction; Love Your Asian Body: AIDS Activism in Los Angeles (University of Washington Press, 2022), winner of Outstanding Book in History from the Association of Asian American Studies; the Los Angeles Times-bestselling debut novel SWIM (The Permanent Press, 2019), and The Making of a Gay Asian Community: An Oral History of Pre-AIDS Los Angeles (Rowman & Littlefield, 2002). His second novel manuscript, Drive, was a finalist in the Black Lawrence Immigrant Writing Series in 2022. You can learn more about his work at www.ericwatbooks.com
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Steven Reigns is a Los Angeles poet and educator and was appointed the first Poet Laureate of West Hollywood. Alongside over a dozen chapbooks, he has published the collections Inheritance and Your Dead Body is My Welcome Mat. Reigns holds a BA in Creative Writing from the University of South Florida, a Master of Clinical Psychology from Antioch University, and is a sixteen-time recipient of The Los Angeles County’s Department of Cultural Affairs’ Artist in Residency Grant. He edited My Life is Poetry, showcasing his students’ work from the first-ever autobiographical poetry workshop for LGBT seniors. Reigns has lectured and taught writing workshops around the country to LGBT youth and people living with HIV. Currently he is touring The Gay Rub, an exhibition of rubbings from LGBT landmarks, and is the board president of the Anaïs Nin Foundation. His collection A Quilt for David was published by City Lights and is the product of over ten years of research regarding dentist David Acer’s life. His newest collection Outliving Michael is a memorial memoir in poetry, chronicling Reigns’s profound friendship with Michael Church, who died of AIDS in 2000. StevenReigns.com
2:00 - 2:45 pm
The Great Black Hope: Rob Franklin discusses his debut novel in conversation with Will Dean
Rob Franklin
Will Dean
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Born and raised in Atlanta, Rob Franklin is a writer of fiction and poetry, and a cofounder of Art for Black Lives. A Kimbilio Fiction Fellow and finalist for the New England Review Emerging Writer Award, he has published work in New England Review, Prairie Schooner, and The Rumpus among others. Franklin lives in Brooklyn, New York, and teaches writing at the School of Visual Arts. Great Black Hope is his first novel.
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Will Dean is a writer, editor and communications executive who lives in Palm Springs. He is a journalist with 26 years of experience. A highlight of his career was creating and launching with The Desert Sun in 2012 a monthly LGBTQ+ news and feature magazine, Desert Outlook, for the USA TODAY Network. Dean also co-founded the Desert Outbook Book Club which still meets monthly. He continues to write for various publications, co-facilitates a monthly men’s discussion group, and supports Brothers of the Desert as a board director (https://www.brothersofthedesert.org/) and other nonprofit efforts.
3:00 - 3:45 pm
Pleasure and Pain in Personal Stories and Poems: Melissa Febos & Donika Kelly in conversation with Meredith Maran
Melissa Febos
Donika Kelly
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Melissa Febos is the national bestselling author of five books, including Girlhood - winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award in Criticism, Body Work, and, most recently, The Dry Season. She has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, and her work has appeared in The Paris Review, The New Yorker, The Best American Essays, Vogue, and The New York Times Magazine. She is a Professor at the University of Iowa.
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Donika Kelly is the author of The Natural Order of Things, The Renunciations, winner of the Anisfield-Wolf book award in poetry, and Bestiary, the winner of a the 2015 Cave Canem Poetry Prize, a Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, and a Kate Tufts Discovery Award. A recipient of a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, she is a Cave Canem graduate fellow and Pushcart Prize winner. She is an associate professor at the University of Iowa. https://www.donikakelly.com/
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Meredith Maran is the queer, septuagenarian, award-winning author of 14 books about how things are versus how they should be. A book critic and contributor to The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times,and many other publications, Meredith lives in a Los Angeles bungalow that’s even older than she is.
Meredith Maran
4:00 - 4:45 pm
Book It: The Ins and Outs of Getting Published and Promoted with Tara Madison Avery (Stacked Deck Press), Ian Henzel (Rattling Good Yarns Press) and Christine Svendsen (Sapphire Books Publishing) in conversation with Eduardo Santiago (Palm Springs Writers Guild)
Tara Madison Avery
Ian Henzel
Eduardo Santiago
Christine Svendsen
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Tara Madison Avery is a cartoonist, editor, illustrator, and the publisher of Stacked Deck Press, an imprint devoted to comics and prose of LGBTQAIU+ interest. Among her award-winning publications are We're Still Here: An All-Trans Comics Anthology, recipient of the 2019 Ignatz Award for Outstanding Anthology, and We Belong: An All-Black/All-Queer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Comics Anthology, recipient of the 2024 Kinnard Better Future Award. Avery is also a board member of the nonprofit organization Prism Comics which is dedicated to advocating for queer comics, queer comics creators, and queer fandom throughout the United States.
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Eduardo Santiago is the author of Tomorrow They Will Kiss, a finalist for the Edmund White Debut Fiction Award and winner of the Latino Book Award for Best Historical Novel. His second novel, Midnight Rumba, won the New England Book Award for Best Fiction. His short stories have appeared in ZYZZYVA, Slow Trains, The Caribbean Writer, and most recently in the acclaimed anthology Palm Springs Noir. His nonfiction has been published in the Los Angeles Times, The Advocate, Out Traveler Magazine, The Platte Valley Review, Amy Ephron’s One for the Table, and others.
Proof Sheet, the film based on his screenplay (co-written with Richard Kilroy), premiered at the Dances With Films Festival at Hollywood’s historic Chinese Theater. It went on to receive five wins and fourteen nominations across various festivals. Unfortunately, despite the acclaim, Proof Sheet remains unreleased—meaning Mr. Santiago is still teaching creative writing at UCLA Extension instead of collecting Oscars. He is a two-time PEN Fellow, the founder and curator of the Idyllwild Author Series, and serves on the executive board of the Palm Springs Writers Guild.
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Christine Svendsen, also writing as Isabella– Owner/Founder and Publisher of Sapphire Books Publishing, LLC.
How it all started — When Christine Svendsen’s first book was turned away by publishers, she launched her own publishing company. Now, fifteen years later, she has a house full of award-winning lesbian authors and her own award-winning books, 20 published books under the pen name Isabella via Sapphire Books. “Believe in yourself. Rejection isn’t the end of a story, it can be a beginning of a dream,” Svendsen said. “Looking back, I didn’t think in terms of what if this doesn’t work? I only thought of the possibilities.” Since then, Christine has won numerous awards for her books and has signed some pretty awesome and talented award-winning authors, which has moved Sapphire up on the list to be noticed.
All Day Activites
UNDER THE BIG TENT
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The Center is the only Coachella Valley organization dedicated to meeting the diverse needs of all LGBTQ+ individuals. From The Center’s Palm Springs McDonald Wright Building to The Center Coachella, the Scott Hines Behavioral Health Clinic and the Community Food Bank, their mission and strategic initiatives come to life by making meaningful connections to resources and to community, that contribute to LGBTQ+ people’s health and happiness. Visit them to find out more about how you can get connected to community!
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Mizell Center is a non-denominational, community-based organization that has served the Coachella Valley senior community for over 50 years. Mizell's programs are tailored for individuals across a broad socioeconomic spectrum, and welcomes over 60,000 visitors annually to our historic Palm Springs location. Our donors, members and volunteers bring life to over 60 weekly activities that support independence, lifelong learning, and a healthy, engaged lifestyle. Mizellis also the only Meals on Wheels provider in the Coachella Valley. We prepare, serve, and deliver approximately 700 nutritious meals each weekday to homebound seniors and social dining meal sites at five senior centers, from Whitewater to the Salton Sea.
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The Palm Springs Writers Guild (PSWG) encourages, develops and supports aspiring and established Coachella Valley writers. PSWG members will be available to discuss membership, critique groups, in-person workshops, on-line labs and other ways to participate in various Guild activities and programs. Book signings will also take place by members of the PSWG throughout the day.
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Rattling Good Yarns Press is a local LGBTQ+ owned and operated independent publishing house specializing in LGBTQ fiction and non-fiction. Over 40 book titles will be available for purchase including those from authors Sukie de la Croix, Daniel M. Jaffe and Penelope Starr who will all appear in person.
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Stacked Deck Press was founded in 2015 to cultivate diversity and excellence in LGBTQAIU comics publishing. Creators, cartoonists and illustrators will be in attendance to sign copies of their works including Tara Madison Avery and others TBA.
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UCR Palm Desert Low Residency MFA is one of the premier writing programs in the world with alumni including national and international best-selling authors, Emmy Award winners, PEN USA finalist playwrights, acclaimed journalists and memoirists, award-winning poets, top television and film producers, and even a member of Congress. Students study fiction, nonfiction, playwriting, poetry, and screenwriting. Staff and volunteers will be available to provide information about the program and answer questions.
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Sapphire Books Publishing, the gem in lesbian publishing was founded by Christine Svendsen in 2010. They produce and publish fiction, non-fiction and biographical lesbian literary works of art.
Sapphire Books is dedicated to quality outcomes that respectfully reflect the lives of the lesbian community. They publish and promote lesbian literature that embraces and reflects those diverse experiences. They value diversity of stories, experiences, and celebrate those diversities through lesbian literature.
They also believe in connecting our fans and Sapphire family to the greater community by building strong parterships within the world of lesbian business, travel, and entertainment.
Sapphire’s print books are conventionally produced and currently available worldwide through their website, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Ingram. Their titles are also available in both print and digital form and sold through their website, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other third party retailers. They offer all of titles with a shorter production cycle to meet the demands of the print and eBook market.
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Check In and Information about all things associated with the Palm Springs Public Library, Palm Springs Public Library Foundation and Friends of the Palm Springs Library.
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Best Bookstore in Palm Springs is a family owned bookstore serving Palm Springs, Coachella Valley and beyond! Book titles for participating authors appearing on panels will be sold throughout the day with author signings taking place after each panel. Additional authors will appear at Best Bookstore’s table including Rob Osler and others TBA.
IN THE LOBBY
LOCAL AUTHORS UNDER THE BIG TENT
Blake Allwood
Peter Bedard
Kyle Coffman
David Ciminello
Kergan Edwards-Stout
Bob Gross
Richard Sargent
David Stern
Dak Kopec
Kim Kieler
Gary Smith
Dr. Douglas Sadownick
Dwayne Ratleff
Malakai Strong
Dr. Steve May
Rodney Rhoda Taylor
Tom Stewart
Susan Detlefsen
Susan Rukeyser
Dirk Schultz
Tom Burns
Gareth Carter
Matthew Kennedy
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Authors appearing on panels will be signing books after their panels and these additional Coachella Valley authors will be selling and signing their books throughout the day.
10-11am - Blake Allwood, Susan Detlefsen, Dak Kopec, Dr. Steve May, Susan Rukeyser, Tom Stewart
11am-Noon - Peter Bedard, Matthew Kennedy, Dwayne Ratleff, Dirk Schultz, David Stern
1-2pm - Tom Burns, Bob Gross, Richard S. Sargent, Gary Smith, Malakai Strong, Rodney Rhoda Taylor
2-3pm - Gareth Carter, Kergan Edwards-Stout, Kim Kieler, Douglas Sadownick
3-4pm - David Ciminello, Kyle Coffman
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Blake Allwood write all things gay romance. After years of living in a desert with few fiction books dedicated to telling our stories, he took up the mantle, and published his first gay fiction novel, Aiden Inspired in 2019. Since then Blake has written over 40 novels including gay fantasy/romantasy books under the pen name Adam J. Ridley. BlakeAllwood.com , AdamJRidley.com, GreysonMcCoy.com
After a near-death experience, Peter Bedard faced his greatest challenge: Living life in physical wreckage, emotional suffering, and spiritual exhaustion. Peter healed and discovered the gifts in the pain. He helps people live their full potential while integrating their lessons of pain whether the pain is physical, mental, or spiritual. Peter is an international speaker, published author (Simon & Schuster), and mental health therapist specializing in healing addiction, anxiety, and pain. www.ConvergenceHealing.com/Books
Tom Burns is a multi-disciplinary artist and writer whose career bridges visual art and literature. A former publisher of ARTWORKS Magazine, he is known for his large-scale abstract oil paintings that explore memory, emotion, and time. His debut novel, Under Cover Up, is a bold, emotionally charged story of love, secrecy, and identity set against Boston’s world of finance and family legacies. Burns is currently at work on his second novel, Lost in L.A., inspired by the art and film worlds that shape his creative life in Palm Springs.
Gareth Carter was a mild-mannered librarian until a backlash against LGBTQ+ children’s books launched his writing career. Branded a “pornographer” for stocking inclusive stories, he turned the insult into inspiration. With sharp humor and unapologetic defiance, he now writes a gay-erotica spy series, think James Bond meets Queer as Folk, mixing deep-state intrigue and sexy adventure, with a dash of globe-trotting queer joy. Carter’s forthcoming debut novel for the series celebrates readers who resist bans and proves censorship can’t silence a kiss, or a plot. http://www.garethcarterauthor.com
David Ciminello is a proud Lambda Literary Fellow and the recipient of a Table 4 Writers Foundation Grant. His fiction has appeared in the Lambda Award winning anthology Portland Queer: Tales of the Rose City, Nailed Magazine, Best Gay Romance, The Untold Gaze, and elsewhere. His original screenplay Bruno, directed by Shirley MacLaine, was an Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting finalist. His debut novel The Queen of Steeplechase Park is a Foreword Reviews Silver Award winner and a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2024. https://www.davidciminello.com/
Kyle Coffman is an award-winning filmmaker, writer, and horror podcast host with a passion for emotionally charged storytelling. Through his company, Sebastian Films Unlimited, he has written & directed several short films, including Groomsday, which earned multiple awards at LGBTQ+ festivals. He also directed and co-produced the hit LGBTQ+ web series Guys Like You. Kyle’s writing extends to literary fiction as well. His debut novella Hell’s Road (2016) is a teen survive the night thriller, and his upcoming novel Falling for Theo explores the complexities of love, timing, and soulmates in a stirring gay romance. Whether on screen or on the page, Kyle brings a distinct voice that connects deeply with audiences and readers across genres and platforms. www.KyleCoffman.com
Susan Detlefsen PhD, is a former French professor (St. Olaf College, Portland State University) and French interpreter and translator. Since retiring, she writes short fiction and poetry. Her primary themes are open role Argentine tango, climate change, gender fluidity. Also known under her pen name, Gay Douglas, she has published several queer-themed books, including “Blue Poire Tango Bar and Sapphic Theme Hotel,” and “From the Vulva Lounge,” a collection of lesbian erotica and tango tales.
Kergan Edwards-Stout is an award-winning director and author. His “fictional” memoir, Never Turn Your Back on the Tide (Or How I Married a Lying, Psychopathic Wannabe Murderer and Kinda Lived to Tell, was called a top indie book of the year by Shelf Unbound magazine and was awarded an IndieReader Discovery Award, among other honors. His collection of short stories, Gifts Not Yet Given, was named on multiple "Best Book" lists, and his debut novel, Songs for the New Depression, won the Indie Book Award and was named one of the Top Books for 2012 by Out in Print. His greatest honor, however, was being named a Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Father of Year, as his husband and children nominated him. https://www.kerganedwards-stout.com/
Bob Gross is a retired Coachella Valley tour guide who has spent a dozen years leading tours of the San Andreas fault, Indian Canyons, Joshua Tree and the Palm Springs neighborhoods that the stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood calledhome. Based upon his extensive research he created his book, Palm Springs Star Tours, as a self-guided tour sharing all the sizzle, scandal and juicy anecdotes of the stars’ lives in our city that’s perfect for architecture buffs, film fans, visitors, locals or anyone who loves a good Hollywood tale.
Matthew Kennedy is a film historian, author, anthropologist, teacher, and film curator and host. He is the author of books on classic Hollywood: Marie Dressler, a Biography, Edmund Goulding's Dark Victory: Hollywood's Genius Bad Boy, Joan Blondell: A Life between Takes, Roadshow! The Fall of Film Musicals in the 1960s, and On Elizabeth Taylor: An Opinionated Guide. He has taught film history, including queer film history, and was host and curator of the CinemaLit film series at the Mechanics' Institute Library in San Francisco. He loves to introduce film screenings, and has done so at the Museum of Modern Art, UCLA Film & Television Archive, and Pacific Film Archive, and has written for the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, Turner Classic Movies, the National Film Registry, and the respected Bright Lights Film Journal. http://MatthewKennedybooks.com/
Born in 1954, Kim Kieler grew up on a cattle ranch in the interior of British Columbia, living in a log house where the first ten years were spent without electricity or television, and winter temperatures often plunged to forty below. She attended a two-room elementary school with outhouses before later heading to the University of British Columbia—trading cold for rain—and earning a degree in biology.
After backpacking around the world for a year, Kim pursued computer science at the British Columbia Institute of Technology, swapping moose tracking for coding. A lifelong lover of travel and adventure, she now lives in Palm Springs with her wife and their chihuahua. When she’s not traveling or writing, Kim devotes her time to the women’s community—publishing a weekly newsletter and leading hikes through the stunning landscapes of the Coachella Valley.
Dak Kopec is a literary force of nature — part architect of the mind, part maestro of human drama. A prize-winning author and internationally renowned architectural psychologist, Dak doesn’t just tell stories — he engineers them. With a pen sharpened by insight and a pulse tuned to justice, he crafts bold, emotionally charged narratives that tear down façades and expose the truth within.
Whether it’s courtroom storms, media frenzies, or quietly powerful moments of redemption, his fiction pulses with lived experience and fierce empathy, especially for voices that have been silenced or sidelined, through characters like the Vandermarks, Roberts, Blackburns, and Medicis. Dak Kopec weaves worlds where trauma meets transformation, secrets unravel, and love dares to be complicated.
His mission? To stir hearts, challenge norms, and architect a more humane world — one story at a time.
Dr. Steve May, Ph.D. is a dedicated mental health professional specializing in supporting adults 25 and above, primarily in the GLBTQ+ Community in Palm Springs, California. His expertise coers anxietym drpression, addiction, aging, grief and loss, relationship challenges, LGBTQ+-related concerns, and sexual abuse. With a unique perspective gained from celebrating his 50th anniversary with his husband in 2024, Dr. May is passionate about helping gay men discover their authentic selves and live healthier, happier lives. His eclectic person-centered therapy approach emphasizes collaboration with clients to define their goals and strategies. As a spiritual psychologist who has been a practicing Buddhist for 15 years, he integrates psychology and spirituality to foster personal growth and well-being, helping clients unlock their potential within their body, heart and mind.
Dwayne Ratleff - As a product of the segregated school system of Baltimore, and a former special ed student, Dwayne Ratleff never dreamed he would learn to read a book let alone write several. The theme of much of his writing is turning disadvantage into advantage. He is the author of the award-winning novels/memoirs Dancing to the Lyrics: Finding an Inner Rhythm and See, What Happened Was...https://dwayneratleff.com/
Susan Rukeyser lives in Joshua Tree, the setting of her novel, The Worst Kind of Girl (Red Light Lit Press, 2025). She created the Desert Split Open to amplify literary work that is feminist, queer, and otherwise radical. She recently self-published BAD WORDS, a collection of flash, hybrid prose. www.susanrukeyser.com
Dr. Douglas Sadownick founded the LGBT Specialization in Clinical Psychology at Antioch University (2006) and Colors LGBTQ Youth Counseling Services (2011). He is the author of Sex Between Men: An Intimate History of the Sex Lives of Gay Men, Postwar to Present, Healing Gay Sex and Love, the GQMAP Workbook, and How & Why to Find a Therapist. His novel, Sacred Lips of the Bronx, will be republished this fall as a 30-year commemorative by Rebel Sartori Press. An award-winning journalist, he received recognition for his pioneering AIDS coverage and is co-founder of Highways Performance Space in Santa Monica. For more than thirty years, he has contributed to queer healing as a therapist, professor, and writer. Alongside his private practice, he teaches at the Los Angeles campus of The Chicago School of Professional Psychology and is active on YouTube and Substack under the Psychology for the People framework. www.psychologyforthepeople.org
Richard S. Sargent has found a way to combine his love for both film and food with his best-selling movie cookbook series: The Horror Movie Night Cookbook, The Ultimate Chick Flick Cookbook and more coming soon! His award-winning career has taken him all over the country, producing and publishing films and plays, acting and cooking from NYC to CA. You can find some of his short plays published in the anthology Gay For Plays on Amazon. When he isn’t performing or cooking for his friends or watching movies, he is rocking out with the band he started with his husband, The Green Winter. You can listen to their music on iTunes/Spotify or purchase their CD/vinyl on Ebay. Follow Richard on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to see what’s coming next. linktr.ee/rsargent83
Dirk Schultz is a speaker, author, and wellness expert who blends world-class life coaching with fitness and mindful movement. His work goes beyond the physical—it’s about aligning the whole person: body, mind, and purpose. He’s the author of three transformative books: Out, Gay, Gray, and Fit After 50 — a groundbreaking guide to thriving in your fifties and beyond; The 90-Day Holistic Fitness Journal — a practical roadmap for daily alignment through mindset, movement and meals; and Fit and Fearless After 50! — his latest book, inspiring readers to redefine what’s possible in midlife and live boldly.
Through his signature M3 Method, built on the three pillars of Mindset, Movement, and Meals, Dirk helps people cut through the noise, clear mental clutter, and create lasting transformation from the inside out. With 20+ years of experience, elite certifications, and a no-cookie-cutter approach, Dirk’s mission is simple: To help people over 50 rise, realign, and live their boldest, most badass life.
Born in San Diego, Gary Smith spent the majority of his adult life in Los Angeles before retiring to Palm Springs. He is a film historian and author of ten books dealing with various aspects of film history, the most recent being "Cavemen vs. Dinosaurs which came out in September 2025. He has also written the novel "The Play's the Thing," a gay historical romance set in England during the reign of Charles II.
David Stern is the author of the acclaimed otherworldly memoir Elevator Boy. He spent over 25 years building platforms for the LGBTQ+ community. He co-founded IN Publications, which later acquired its competitor, Frontiers Media, publisher of Frontiers magazine, the Gay and Lesbian Yellow Pages. He also created an events division that organized the first Lesbian and Gay Wedding Expo. Mr. Stern founded the Frontiers Awareness and Education Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to training the next generation of LGBTQ+ media professionals and their allies. He is also the author of the children’s book The Tailor’s Gift - A holiday tale for everyone. Above all else, Mr. Stern considers himself to have the soul of a poet. https://www.elevatorboymemoir.com/
Malakai Strong, MSW is an author, speaker, and advocate whose work explores the intersections of identity, disability, and resilience. As the founder of StrongWheeld Consulting LLC, Malakai uses storytelling to spark social change and promote equity, accessibility, and inclusion. A proud wheelchair user and lifelong advocate for disability justice, Malakai writes and speaks from lived experience — blending personal narrative with a background in social work to challenge stereotypes and inspire connection. His debut book, Super Me, invites readers to see strength and self-acceptance through a new lens.
Tom Stewart grew up in Iowa and graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in Marketing. He moved to Florida where he lived for 33 years. His first novel, 12th Ave. South is a collection of characters he met when he encountered "Florida Man" culture. He spent many years in the real estate industry, and decided to retire in Palm Springs with his husband Ken, his dog and his cat.
Rodney Rhoda Taylor is a playwright and author whose creative journey spans from co-founding San Francisco’s Left Coast Theatre Co. to publishing their memoir, A Life in Letters, A story of resilience, sequence and hope. They currently reside in the South with their chihuahua Isabela, continuing to write and hope for a visit from Cupid. https://www.rodneyrhodataylor.com/
