Pride on the Page 2026 Preview: LGBTQ+ Authors, Stories & Celebration 

FREE REGISTRATION IS OPEN NOW!

Register at PrideOnThePage.org

The daytime and evening programs require separate free registrations.

10:00–10:45 AM: Mining the Mother/Daughter Memoir

Erika Simpson, author of This Is Your Mother, joins Danielle Myers-Porter, co-owner of Get Lit Books & Things, for a conversation about memory, family relationships and the complexities of telling a mother-and-daughter story.

11:00–11:45 AM: The Memoir in Collaboration

Daniel M. Jaffe, author of Russian Silhouette: A Memoir of Activism and Identity, and Ian Henzel, founder and managing publisher of Rattling Good Yarns Press, discuss their distinctive author, publisher and editor partnership.

Jaffe’s memoir explores how his advocacy for Soviet dissidents and oppressed Soviet Jews helped inspire him to come out as a gay man and fight for his own civil rights in the United States.

1:00–1:45 PM: The Personal Behind the Novel—Life, Memory & Imagination

Rasheed Newson, author of There’s Only One Sin in Hollywood, joins Meredith Maran, author of The New Old Me, for a conversation exploring the intersection of lived experience, memory and imagination in fiction.

Newson is also the author of the national bestseller My Government Means to Kill Me, a Lambda Literary Award finalist named one of The New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2022. Maran is an award-winning author, book critic and contributor to The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, The New York Times and other publications.

2:00–2:45 PM: Breaking Free—A Queer Black Man’s Journey

Phill Branch, author of The Double Dutch Fuss, joins Geoffrey Newman, author of Better to Cry Now: Shaping the Flow of a Gay Black Man, for a conversation about identity, freedom, resilience and the experiences of queer Black men.

Branch is a writer, live-performance storyteller, regional Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and former GrandSLAM Champion of The Moth in Washington, D.C. Newman is an award-winning author, teacher and scholar who spent 43 years in higher education as a professor, department chair and dean.

3:00–3:45 PM: LGBTQ+ Social Change Through the Stories of Athletes and Entertainers in Popular Culture

Lisa M. Stulberg, author of How to Win a Culture War: LGBTQ+ Social Change Through Pop Culture, joins writer, actress, producer and activist Jen Richards.

Stulberg is an associate professor of sociology of education at New York University whose research includes LGBTQ+ social change, race, education and politics. Richards is known for the Emmy-nominated and Peabody, Gotham and GLAAD Award-winning series Her Story. She wrote for the Star Wars series The Acolyte and has appeared in Mayfair Witches, Framing Agnes, Clarice, Mrs. Fletcher, Disclosure, Tales of the City, Better Things and Nashville.

4:00–4:45 PM: A “Showbiz!” Life

Special guest Murray Hill, author of Showbiz! My Life as a Middle-Aged Man, closes the daytime program in conversation with actor and comedian Tim Bagley.

Hill is a comedian, host, actor, writer and producer known for combining classic show-business charm with quick improvisation and inclusive, joy-driven performance. He played Fred Rococo on HBO’s Peabody-winning Somebody Somewhere and has appeared in Life & Beth, Drag Me to Dinner, Elsbeth, Welcome to Flatch, King of Drag and the film Jackpot!.

Bagley has appeared in more than 170 television programs, including Somebody Somewhere, Hacks, The Comeback, Grace and Frankie, Will & Grace, AJ and the Queen, And Just Like That and Monk. His film credits include This Is 40, Knocked Up, Accepted, The Day After Tomorrow, Happy, Texas and The Mask.

6:30–7:45 PM: What Mattered Most

Grammy-nominated country music artist Ty Herndon discusses his memoir, What Mattered Most, with literary organizer and Pride on the Page co-creator Corey Roskin.

Herndon’s memoir chronicles his rise to country music stardom, struggles with addiction and mental health, and the years he spent hiding his sexuality. In 2014, he made country music history by becoming the first major male country artist to publicly come out as gay.

Between 1995 and 2002, Herndon charted 17 singles, including the number-one hits “What Mattered Most,” “Living in a Moment” and “It Must Be Love.” His more recent work explores addiction, recovery, mental fitness, lost love, self-discovery and personal freedom.

7:45–8:45 PM: Free Fifth-Anniversary Reception

Continue the celebration under the Big Tent with refreshments, music by local favorites Leanna & Miguel, a book signing with Ty Herndon and an opportunity to mix and mingle with the festival’s authors. The anniversary reception is presented by the Palm Springs Public Library Foundation.

Admission to Pride on the Page is FREE, but advance registration is required.

The daytime and evening programs require separate free registrations. There are no paid admission tickets.

Visit PrideOnThePage.org for registration, festival updates and additional information.

Register directly through Eventbrite.

My work is created through a human-led process in which I develop all story ideas, conduct all reporting, shape the narrative voice, and retain full editorial control. I also use advanced AI tools as part of my workflow—for research support, organizational assistance, drafting, and editing. These tools help streamline production, but the creative direction, original insights, lived experience, and final decisions remain entirely my own. All content ultimately reflects my voice, perspective, and professional standards as a journalist, storyteller, and media creator.