In terms of writers who’ve made the biggest impression on me and who have inspired me to do something on the basis of reading their books, Armistead Maupin has to be at the top of my list.

I discovered him through a friend at University who gave me Tales of the City. I was instantly gripped. The Dickensian style of writing that organises the chapters into tantalising bite-size chunks means it’s an absolute page turner. Immediately engrossed into the world of San Francisco I decided to find a way to spend the summer of my second year at University there. The main purpose of the trip was a pilgrimage to Barbary Lane where the characters live (Macondray Lane in real life), to hang out in the Castro and Haight Ashbury and to disover the city landmarks of Grace Cathedral, the Palace of the Legion of Honour and the Marina Safeway, which all make memorable appearances in the series.

So I decided to do my dissertation on lesbian gentification in San Francisco. Loads had been written on gentification and gay male gentrification, the Castro being a prime example of an area transformed by the power, and purchasing power, of the gay community. In contrast very little had been said about lesbian gentrification, and the Mission District next to the Castro was a very different area.

The summer was a turning point in my life. It was my first experience of foreign travel on my own and I vividly remember the feeling waiting jet-lagged for my rucksack to arrive in baggage reclaim and it hitting home that I knew no-one in the city. The excitement of my first night in the youth hostel and waking up to start exploring the places I felt I already knew thanks to Tales of the City. Finding my room for the summer in an apartment in the Richmond District with a really nice postgraduate student called Phil, a Mexican doorman and a heroin addict composer, all 15-20 years older than me. Meeting the best friend of my best friend, and meeting some friends of friends of my Dad’s who took me hiking and wine tasting north of the city. All in all it felt like a very Armistead Maupin experience.

I’ve been back a few times since, most recently this March where I met up with Janette who took me wine tasting back in 1995 and who took me and my boyfriend wine tasting again this March with her and her partner – we had a fabulous time. I’m still good friends with Ben who introduced me to Armistead Maupin in the first place and with James who was the friend of a friend I met that summer. There’s something about Tales of the City that has permanently settled into my personality. The series seems to have had the same effect on everyone else I know who’s read them.