Johnny Townsend

A climate crisis immigrant who relocated from New Orleans to Seattle in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Johnny Townsend wrote the first account of the UpStairs Lounge fire, an attack on a French Quarter gay bar which killed 32 people in 1973. He was an associate producer for the documentary Upstairs Inferno, for the sci-fi film Time Helmet, and for the deaf gay short Flirting, with Possibilities. His books include Please Evacuate, Racism by Proxy, and Brace for Impact. His novel, Orgy at the STD Clinic, set entirely on public transit, tells the story of an isolated man seeking connection in the midst of political extremism, climate upheaval, and anti-maskers during the pandemic. His books have been named to Kirkus Reviews' Best of 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015. (author photo by Larry Graham)