April 10, 2026
It gives us great pleasure to present Season 11, Episode 13: Vincent Traughber Meis!
Vincent Traughber Meis joins us to share the English and Spanish versions of his novel Iguana. We discuss characters falling in love with other cultures, finding romance, and how to write diversity with empathy by exploring curiosity!
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Bio:
Vincent Traughber Meis was born and raised in a large family in Decatur, Illinois. From an early age, he wrote plays—often cajoling his sisters into acting in them—as well as poems and short stories. In high school, he continued to write and won a local contest sponsored by the newspaper.
After graduating from Tulane University, he wrote numerous short stories and a couple of novels, which initially gathered dust on the shelf. It wasn’t until the 1980s that he began to see his byline in print, publishing travel articles, poems, and book reviews in outlets such as The Advocate, LA Weekly, InStyle, and Our World.
His passion for travel led him to live abroad in Spain and Saudi Arabia, where he taught English as a Second Language. These international experiences deeply informed his writing, with many of his articles, stories, and later novels exploring the gay experience across different cultures.
In 1991, Meis began teaching English at City College of San Francisco. There, he also served as the Publications Coordinator for Union Action, where he wrote member profiles, feature articles, and edited numerous pieces. The publication earned several awards from the California Federation of Teachers.
He took early retirement in 2011 to focus on his writing and has since published ten novels. Several of his books have received critical acclaim: Tío Jorge, Down in Cuba, and Deluge each won Rainbow Awards, while The Mayor of Oak Street and First Born Sons earned Reader Views Reviewer’s Choice Awards.
His short stories have appeared in various anthologies and online publications, often reaching finalist status in short story competitions. His work frequently centers characters across the LGBTQ+ spectrum and reflects a rich tapestry of racial and ethnic diversity. Vincent lives with his husband in San Leandro, California, and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
