Joseph Edward "Jed" Mattes (1952–2003) was an American literary agent and advocate for LGBT rights.
Jed Mattes | |
|---|---|
| Born | Joseph Edward Mattes August 3, 1952 |
| Died | July 24, 2003 (aged 50) |
| Awards | Publishing Triangle Leadership Award (2003) |
Early life
editMattes was born August 3, 1952, in Dubuque, Iowa,[1] and grew up in Des Moines, Iowa. He had two sisters, Emily and Kate.[2]
Mattes attended the University of Iowa.[1][2]
Career
editMattes began his career working as a literary agent with International Creative Management, during which time he worked with notable authors including Dr. Seuss and Armistead Maupin.[2]
During his career, Mattes advocated for gay and lesbian literature, and he helped promote LGBT authors.In 1989, Mattes established the literary agency Jed Mattes, Inc. (JMI), through which he handled publishing rights for books, television, and film. With JMI, he represented notable LGBT activists, including Vito Russo, Greg Louganis, Urvashi Vaid, Michelangelo Signorile, Betty Berzon, Gabriel Rotello, and Eric Marcus.[2]
Beyond his work promoting LGBT literature, Mattes served as a civic leader for LGBT rights. He volunteered with the New York City–based non-profit AIDS service organization GMHC,[2] founded the Paul Rapoport Foundation,[1] and served as the president of the Hetrick-Martin Institute, an American non-profit organization devoted to serving the needs of LGBTQ youth between the ages of 13 and 24, and their families.[2]
In 1997, Mattes received a Lambda Liberty Award.[2]
In 2003, he received the Publishing Triangle Leadership Award[2][3]
Personal life
editMattes moved to New York City in 1970.[1] His sister Kate is the owner of the literary imprint Kate's Mystery Books.[4]
Mattes died on July 24, 2003, at the age of 50,[5] after living with pancreatic cancer for over five years.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Jed Mattes". Variety. 2003-08-12. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Pioneering literary agent Jed Mattes dies (9434)". The Advocate. 2003-07-30. Archived from the original on 2023-09-23. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
- ^ "The Michele Karlsberg Leadership Award". The Publishing Triangle. Archived from the original on 2024-05-20. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
- ^ Anable, Steve (2003-11-03). "Murder Is Her Business". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
- ^ "Jed Mattes, 50, Literary Agent and Advocate". The New York Times. 2003-08-01. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2020-04-11. Retrieved 2024-05-22.