Armistead Maupin to Speak at MHC on October 7

Best-selling author Armistead Maupin will read from his new work on Saturday, October 7, at 8 pm, in Chapin Auditorium. Maupin, best known for his Tales of the City series, is on a cross-country tour to promote his new mystery novel, The Night Listener. In addition to reading from the novel, he will answer audience questions and participate in a book signing, as a benefit for the public radio station WFCR.

The Night Listener is Maupin’s first novel in eight years. The central character is popular writer and radio host Gabriel Noone, whose hit NPR series, Noone at Night, brings him into the homes of millions, including an ailing thirteen-year-old named Peter Lomax. Moone develops a friendship with Peter, a connection that evolves into a profound mystery. Maupin’s protagonist must confront all his relationships—with his father, his soon-to-be ex-partner, and his colleagues.
A Southerner by birth, and once a newswriter for Senator Jesse Helms, Maupin began his groundbreaking Tales of the City series as a newspaper serial. Britain’s Channel 4 developed the first Tales of the City miniseries, which aired on PBS in 1994, winning a Peabody Award. Showtime produced the sequel in 1998, and the third TV miniseries is currently in production.

Producers Circle tickets (which include a preperformance reception with Maupin) and general admission tickets are available at the University of Massachusetts Fine Arts Center Box Office. Telephone: 413-545-2511 or 1-800-999-UMASS. Tickets are also available online at wfcr.org.