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AUTHOR | PRODUCER | ACTIVIST

Jon Imparato's impactful and award-winning career spans decades in LGBTQ+ advocacy and cultural storytelling. For twenty-five years, Jon has served as the Artistic Director of the Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center, the largest cultural arts program for the LGBTQ+ community in the world. Producing more than 350 events and collaborating with artists including Liza Minnelli, Laverne Cox, Jane Fonda, Billy Porter, and Shirley MacLaine. Jon played a critical role in the progression of the queer community through the arts. His productions garnered over 199 awards, including multiple Ovation Awards and the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle’s Award for Sustained Excellence in Theatre. In 2020, he was honored with the LA Stage Alliance Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the arts.

Beyond the Stage

Imparato’s work extends beyond the stage. For a decade, he worked directly with homeless LGBTQ+ youth at the Los Angeles LGBT Center, combining artistry and advocacy in service of community impact. He is responsible for launching one of the largest LGBTQ+ drop in centers for homeless youth in the world, which remains open today.

Imparato is carrying his lifelong mission of amplifying underrepresented voices into literature. His memoir, The Good Inside the Grief, explores loss, faith, and resilience, with excerpts already being highlighted in journals including The Wrath-Bearing Tree and Lowestoft Chronicle. His essay The Shaving Cart, a searing yet humorous account of caregiving during the AIDS crisis, earned the prestigious Sherman Hewitt Award for Nonfiction. Through this work, Imparato continues his commitment to telling stories that confront loss, champion identity, and inspire resilience.