Gays Reading

In this special Valentine's Day episode, host Jason Blitman talks to February's Read with Jenna author, Jessica Soffer (This is a Love Story). From New York City's Central Park to the evocative smell of street food, Jason and Jessica explore the romantic and the realist perspectives on love. They share some personal loves, book and story recommendations, and even a few favorite food-related love stories. This episode is for both the hopeless romantics and steadfast realists. Jessica Soffer is the author of This Is a Love Story and Tomorrow There Will Be Apricots. She grew up in New York City, attended Connecticut College, and earned her MFA at Hunter College. Her work has appeared in Granta, The New York Times, Real Simple, Saveur, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue, and on NPR’s Selected Shorts. She teaches creative writing to small groups and in the corporate space and lives in Sag Harbor, New York, with her family.UPDATE: Miranda July The New Yorker story: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2006/09/18/something-that-needs-nothingSupport the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Jason Blitman talks to Jennifer Finney Boylan (Cleavage) about gender identity, homemade pizza, music, and much more. Jennifer even plays an impromptu song on the piano! Then Jason is joined by Julian Winters (I Think They Like You) about his debut adult novel and their mutual love for rom-coms. Jennifer Finney Boylan is the author of nineteen books, including Mad Honey, coauthored with Jodi Picoult. Her memoir, She’s Not There, was the first bestselling work by a transgender American. Since 2014, she has been the inaugural Anna Quindlen Writer in Residence at Barnard College of Columbia University; she is also on the faculty of the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference of Middlebury College and the Sirenland Writers Conference in Positano, Italy. She is the President of PEN America, and from 2011 to 2018 she was a member of the Board of Directors of GLAAD, including four years as national cochair. In 2022-23 she was a Fellow at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. She graduated from Wesleyan University and Johns Hopkins, and she holds doctorates honoris causa from Sarah Lawrence College, the New School, and Wesleyan University. For many years she was a contributing opinion writer for the opinion section of the New York Times. Her work has also appeared in the New Yorker, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, Literary Hub, Down East, and many other publications. She lives in Maine and New York with her wife, Deirdre. They have two children: a daughter, Zai, and a son, Sean.Julian Winters is the author of the award-winning Young Adult novels Running With Lions, Right Where I Left You, How to Be Remy Cameron, The Summer of Everything, and As You Walk On By, as well as the upcoming Prince of the Palisades and his Adult romance debut, I Think They Love You. A self-proclaimed comic book geek, Julian currently lives outside of Atlanta where he can be found swooning over rom-coms or watching the only two sports he can follow—volleyball and soccer.Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Jason Blitman talks to Ira Madison III (Pure Innocent Fun) about everything from reading Entertainment Weekly in the cafe at Barnes & Noble to elements of nostalgia like their mutual love of the pink Power Ranger, the importance of Limewire, and the best Sondheim musicals. Jason is then joined by Guest Gay Reader Todd Almond (Slow Train Coming) about what he's reading (a lot!) and Todd shares more about his book, which chronicles his experience opening a Broadway show just days before Covid. Ira Madison III is the host of Crooked Media’s pop culture podcast Keep It. His television writing credits include Uncoupled, Q-Force, Nikki Fre$h, and So Help Me Todd. He has written for GQ, New York Magazine, Interview, MTV News, and Cosmopolitan, among other publications. Nylon named him one of the “most reliably hilarious and incisive cultural critics writing now.” He has appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Watch What Happens Live, The Wendy Williams Show, and the second season of the Netflix drama You. Ira Madison III lives in New York City.Todd Almond is an acclaimed performer, songwriter, and playwright. His recent performance on Broadway in Girl from the North Country was called “stunning” by The Washington Post and “roof-raising, uplifting, and invigorating” by Hollywood Reporter. His musical The Odyssey, for which he wrote the book, music and lyrics, was hailed as “brash, funny and heart-stirring” by The New York Times. His theater piece Kansas City Choir Boy was called “awesome, slyly punk rock” by Rolling Stone. His original musical I’m Almost There played at the Edinburgh Fringe festival and New York’s Minetta Lane Theater in 2024.Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Jason Blitman talks to author Daniel Black (Isaac's Song) about father-son relationships, masculinity, vulnerability, and Black's Rate My Professor reviews. Jason then welcomes this week's Guest Gay Reader, former NFL player R.K. Russell (The Yards Between Us) and they talk about books and representation in sports and literature. Daniel Black is an author and professor of African American studies at Clark Atlanta University. His books include The Coming, Perfect Peace and They Tell Me of a Home. He is the winner of the Distinguished Writer Award from the Middle-Atlantic Writer's Association and has been nominated for the Townsend Prize for Fiction, the Ernest J. Gaines Award,and the Georgia Author of the Year Award. He was raised in Blackwell, Arkansas, and lives in Atlanta, Georgia.R.K. Russell is a former professional football player in the NFL, and is a published author, social justice advocate, poet, essayist, and artist. In August of 2019, Russell made history by becoming the first out active NFL player to identify as bisexual. Now in his powerful memoir The Yards Between Us, he shares his story and explores his love of football, the devastating tightrope of keeping his sexuality a secret, the tension between his private and public life, and the importance of crashing through barriers. A decorated defensive end who has played for the Dallas Cowboys and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he has sacked Hall of Famers and gone up against the fiercest competitors at the height of their game.Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Jason Blitman talks to Lotte Jeffs about their new book This Love exploring themes of queer identities, chosen families, and the nuances of relationships. This episode was recorded live at Warwick's in San Diego. Buy a signed copy of This Love at Warwick's HERE!Lotte Jeffs (she/they) is an award-winning writer and the author of the acclaimed non-fiction books How To Be a Gentlewoman and The Queer Parent, and a children’s picture book My Magic Family. She writes for the Times, the Sunday Times, the Guardian, and numerous other publications, and was previously the acting Editor-in-Chief of ELLE. Lotte also co-hosts the podcast Some Families, which celebrates queer parenting, and lives in London.Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Jason Blitman talks to acclaimed author Nnedi Okorafor (Death of the Author) about her inspiration for the book, the personal tragedy that shaped its narrative, and her thoughts on the intersection of human artistry and AI. Then Jason talks to Guest Gay Reader, UK drag queen Holly Stars, who shares her recommendations for light-hearted reading and gives us a sneak peek into her own new release, Murder in the Dressing Room. Nnedi Okorafor is an international award-winning New York Times Bestselling novelist of science fiction and fantasy for children, young adults and adults. Born in the United States to Nigerian immigrant parents, Nnedi is known for drawing from African cultures to create captivating stories with unforgettable characters and evocative settings. Nnedi has received the World Fantasy, Nebula, Eisner and Lodestar Awards and multiple Hugo Awards, amongst others, for her books. Champions of her work include Neil Gaiman, Ngugi wa Thiong’o, George RR Martin, and Rick Riordan. Literary ancestors Diana Wynne Jones, Ursula K. Le Guin and Nawal El Saadawi also loved her work. Nnedi holds a PhD in Literature, two Master’s Degrees (Journalism and Literature) and lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her daughter Anyaugo. Learn more at nnedi.com. You can also follow her on Twitter (@nnedi) and Instagram (@nnediokorafor).Holly Stars is a drag stand-up comedian and writer. She is the writer of the smash-hit drag murder mystery, Death Drop, a play that has had three runs on the West End and a UK and Ireland tour. Holly has two seasons of her own television series, Holly Stars: Inspirational, on Froot TV and OutTV, and regularly performs in London and around the UK. Her solo shows include: Justice For Holly, Nightmare Neighbour and Birthday.Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special bonus episode of Gays Reading, host Jason Blitman talks with Logan Lockner about an article from New York Magazine, in which Lockner talks about the books he chose to save during his evacuation from the LA fires, and the invaluable role books play in our lives as sources of comfort and connection.Additional resources to support:Support Library Foundation of Los AngelesSupport local LA Bookstore, StoriesBooks are Magic Loves LA t-shirtLRB article by Colm ToíbínSupport the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Jason Blitman talks to author Kate Fagan (The Three Lives of Cate Kay) about the intricacies of her novel, touching on themes of identity, ambition, the complexity of human relationships, and the many lives we live. Jason is then joined by guest gay reader Kathryn Budig who shares her current reads and insights from her own literary journey, including details about her imprint, Inky Phoenix, and its inaugural publication, Strange Beasts.The Three Lives of Cate Kay is the January 2025 Reese's Book Club pick, Target Book Club pick, and a Book of the Month selection. Kate Fagan is an Emmy Award–winning journalist and the #1 New York Times bestselling author of What Made Maddy Run, which was a semi-finalist for the PEN/ESPN Award for literary sports writing. She is also the author of three additional nonfiction titles, a former professional basketball player, and spent seven years as a journalist at ESPN. Kate currently lives in Charleston with her wife, Kathryn Budig, and their dog, Ragnar.Kathryn Budig is an internationally celebrated yoga teacher, author, and founder of the online community Haus of Phoenix and The Inky Phoenix book club, with nearly half a million followers on Instagram and Facebook. She’s known for curating magical realism, historical fiction, and dark fantasy with a focus on LGBTQ+ and BIPOC themes and authors. In 2023, she founded Inky Phoenix Press in partnership with Bindery Books, where she has a thriving membership community. Budig is the co-host of the Webby Award-nominated podcast Free Cookies, was the yoga editor to Women’s Health magazine for five years, and author of both The Women’s Health Big Book of Yoga, and the bestselling Aim True. She lives in Charleston, SC with her wife, Kate Fagan, and their dog, Ragnar. kathrynbudig.comResources to support those affected by the LA fires. Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Jason Blitman kicks off Gays Reading season four with special guests from the Book Riot Podcast, Jeff O'Neal and Rebecca Schinsky. They join forces to discuss their most anticipated books of 2025, covering a wide range of genres and highlighting some exciting upcoming releases. Later, Jason chats with Brad Summerville, aka @bradboughtabook on Bookstagram, about his top queer book picks for the year. Jeff O'Neal is the executive editor of Book Riot and Panels. He also co-hosts The Book Riot Podcast. Follow him on Twitter: @thejeffoneal.Rebecca Schinsky is the chief of staff at Riot New Media Group. She co-hosts All the Books! and the Book Riot Podcast. Follow her on Twitter: @rebeccaschinsky.Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the season finale of Gays Reading, host Jason Blitman sits down with Ann Patchett to discuss the annotated edition of her acclaimed novel Bel Canto. They explore the power of memory, the key to learning and appreciating opera, and much more. Ann shares stories about meeting Jim Parsons at Our Town on Broadway, attending the only baseball game of her life, and what she would say to her younger self who wrote Bel Canto. Tune in for Ann’s holiday book recommendations and Jason’s most memorable reads of the year.Ann Patchett is the author of novels, most recently the #1 New York Times bestselling Tom Lake, works of nonfiction, and children's books. She has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the PEN/Faulkner, the Women's Prize for Fiction in the UK, and the Book Sense Book of the Year. Her novel The Dutch House was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Her work has been translated into more than thirty languages, and Time magazine named her one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. President Biden awarded her the National Humanities Medal in recognition of her contributions to American culture. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where she is the owner of Parnassus Books.The list of books from the episode can be found HERE. Check out the Bel Canto Spotify PlaylistSupport the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this bonus episode of What's the TEA? host Jason Blitman talks to Hannah Silva about the exploration of queer single parenting and AI in her book, My Child, The Algorithm as well as Tom Pyun about his debut novel, Something Close to Nothing. What's the TEA? gets the inside scoop on new books–authors are tasked with describing their books with 3 words using the letters T, E, and A.Hannah Silva is a writer and performer working in sound poetry, radio and experimental non-fiction. An Artificially Intelligent Guide to Love (BBC Radio 4) starred Fiona Shaw and was the starting point for My Child, the Algorithm. Silva has authored seven other plays for BBC Radio 3 and 4, winning the Tinniswood Award and numerous placements in the BBC Audio Drama Awards. Her debut poetry collection Forms of Protest was Highly Commended in the Forward Prizes. Talk in a bit, a record of sound poetry and music was in the Wire’s Top 25 albums of 2018. She lives in London with her child.Tom Pyun earned his MFA at Antioch University Los Angeles and has been awarded fellowships by the Vermont Studio Center, VONA, and Tin House. His creative fiction and nonfiction have appeared in The Rumpus, Reed Magazine, Joyland, and Blue Mesa Review. His essay, “Mothers Always Know,” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net 2015.Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this new series What’s the TEA? host Jason Blitman gets the inside scoop on new books–authors are tasked with describing their books with 3 words using the letters T, E, and A. This episode features Daniel Aleman talking to Jason about his new book, I Might Be in Trouble.Daniel Aleman is the award-winning author of Indivisible and Brighter Than the Sun. Born and raised in Mexico City, he now lives in Toronto, where he is on a never-ending search for the best tacos in the city. I Might Be in Trouble is his adult debut.Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Jason Blitman talks to author Weike Wang (Rental House) about her dream vacation, the commonality of in-laws, and their mutual love of House Hunters. Jason is then joined by Guest Gay Reader, Joseph Lezza, who talks about what he's reading and shares insights about how he navigates grief during the holiday season. The Trouble with Friends Weike Wang is a graduate of Harvard University, where she earned her undergraduate degree in chemistry and her doctorate in public health. She received her MFA from Boston University. Her fiction has been published in literary magazines, including Alaska Quarterly Review, Glimmer Train, and Ploughshares, which also named Chemistry the winner of its John C. Zacharis Award. A “5 Under 35” honoree of the National Book Foundation, Weike currently lives in New York City. Joseph Lezza is a writer in New York, NY. Holding an MFA in creative writing from The University of Texas at El Paso, he is a 2021 finalist for the Prize Americana in Prose. His work has been featured in, among others, Occulum, Variant Literature, The Hopper, Stoneboat Literary Journal, West Trade Review, and Santa Fe Writers Project. His debut memoir in essays, I’m Never Fine: Scenes and Spasms on Loss, is out February 2023 from Vine Leaves Press. Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Jason Blitman is joined by Susan Rieger (Like Mother, Like Mother) to record together at the Penguin Random House offices. They explore the idea of "Elephant Memories," a podcast within the book, as they share personal stories of early memories and family. Like Mother, Like Mother is an Aardvark Book Club selection (use code GAYSREADING at checkout to get first book for only $4 + free shipping!) as well as Barnes and Nobles' November and December 2024 Book Club. Susan Rieger is a graduate of Columbia Law School. She has worked as a residential college dean at Yale and as an associate provost at Columbia. She has taught law to undergraduates at both schools and written frequently about the law for newspapers and magazines. She is the author of The Heirs and The Divorce Papers. She lives in New York City with her husband.Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Jason Blitman talks to Christopher Bollen (Havoc) about everything from purging personal belongings to the layered concept of havoc and chaos, the fascinating world of hotels, and Chris' love-hate relationship with musicals. Jason is then joined by Guest Gay Reader Simon Doonan (TV's Making It, The Camp 100) about what he's reading, as well as the difference between Camp and campy. Christopher Bollen is the author of the critically acclaimed novels The Lost Americans, A Beautiful Crime, The Destroyers, Orient, and Lightning People. He is a frequent contributor to a number of publications, including Vanity Fair, the New York Times, and Interview. He lives in New York City.Simon Doonan is the author of many books, including the recently published Transformer: A Story of Glitter, Glam Rock and Loving Lou Reed, How To Be Yourself, DRAG: The Complete Story and Keith Haring. A long-standing member of the fashion community, Simon was awarded the prestigious CFDA award for his work as Creative Director for Barneys New York. He is currently a judge on the Emmy-nominated NBC series ‘Making It’. Simon lives in New York City with his partner, the ceramicist and designer Jonathan Adler, and their rescue-mutt Foxylady.Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Jason Blitman talks to Brit Barron (Do You Still Talk to Grandma?) about themes of family, cancel culture, and finding empathy despite differences. Jason is then joined by author and advice columnist, Guest Gay Reader R. Eric Thomas who brings his signature wit and charm, offering insightful advice for handling tricky family dynamics during the holidays. Brit Barron is a renowned speaker, teacher, and storyteller and the author of Worth It: Overcome Your Fears and Embrace the Life You Were Made For. Barron’s ideas and accomplishments have garnered the attention of numerous prominent national publications, making her a highly sought-after speaker on the topics of sexuality, spirituality, race, and personal development. Brit Barron and her wife, Sami, live in Los Angeles with their dog Charles Barkley and numerous houseplants that they do their best to keep alive.R. Eric Thomas is the bestselling author of Here for It: Or, How to Save Your Soul in America, a Lambda Literary Award finalist; and the YA novel Kings of B’more, a Stonewall Honor book. Both books were also featured as Read with Jenna book club picks on Today. He is also a television writer (Apple TV+’s Dickinson, FX’s Better Things), a Lambda Literary Award–winning playwright, and the long-running host of the Moth in Philadelphia. For four years, Thomas was a senior staff writer at Elle online, where he wrote the popular “Eric Reads the News” column.Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special episode, host Jason Blitman dives into the world of Wicked. Joined by legendary author Gregory Maguire, Guest Gay Reader is comedian and host of That’s a Gay Ass Podcast, Eric Williams, and Gays Reading’s first Guest Gay Icon, Broadway powerhouse Eden Espinosa, they discuss the impact and legacy of this iconic story. From insider stories and unforgettable riffs to deep conversations about identity, friendship, and self-acceptance, this episode is a celebration of all things Wicked. Perfect for fans of the musical, lovers of literature, and anyone who has ever felt like an outsider finding their place in the world.Gregory Maguire has written quite a few books for adults, including Wicked, which inspired the Broadway play and the two-part movie. He’s also written several dozen books for children, the more recent titles being What-the-Dickens, Egg & Spoon, and Cress Watercress, a Boston Globe–Horn Book Honor Book.Eric Williams is an actor, comedian, and podcast host based in Los Angeles. His podcast “That’s A Gay Ass Podcast” was recently named “One of the Best Podcasts To Listen To” by Glamour Magazine. Guests include Dan Savage (‘Savage Love’), Bowen Yang (‘SNL’), Jesse Tyler Ferguson (‘Modern Family’), Jinkx Monsoon (‘Rupaul’s Drag Race’), Joel Kim Booster (‘Fire Island’), and more. Listen here. Eric also hosts the popular “That’s A Gay Ass Live Show,” a variety competition show that has been featured in the Netflix Is A Joke Fest, New York Comedy Festival, and multiple sold out engagements in New York and LA. You can read more about the podcast and live show in Variety (brag).Eden Espinosa is most recognized for her portrayal of Elphaba in Wicked on Broadway and in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Other credits: originating the title character in Brooklyn the Musical, Flora in Flora the Red Menace, and Maureen in the closing company of Rent on Broadway. She also originated Sadie Thompson in Rain at the Old Globe Theater and portrayed Eva Peron in Evita at TPAC and Studio Tenn. Recently, she originated Tamara De Lempicka in Lempicka, earning her a Tony Award nomination. @edenespinosaSupport the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this new series What’s the TEA? host Jason Blitman gets the inside scoop on new books–authors are tasked with describing their books with 3 words using the letters T, E, and A. This episode features Sarah Leavitt talking to Jason about her new book, Something, Not Nothing. Sarah Leavitt is the author of the graphic memoir Tangles: A Story About Alzheimer's, My Mother, and Me (Freehand Books, 2010), which is currently in production as a feature-length animation, and the award-winning historical fiction comic Agnes, Murderess (Freehand Books, 2019). She is an assistant professor in the School of Creative Writing at UBC in Vancouver, BC, where she has developed and taught undergraduate and graduate comics classes since 2012.Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Jason Blitman talks to author Oliver Radclyffe (Frighten the Horses) about his journey of self-discovery and the transformative power of being true to oneself, Henry Higgins, and his dating life. Jason is joined by Guest Gay Reader Roxane Gay, who discusses her role in bringing Oliver's memoir to life through her imprint, Roxane Gay Books, what she's currently reading, the pros of cable, and woes of peeling garlic. Oliver Radclyffe is part of the new wave of transgender writers unafraid to address the complex nuances of transition, examining the places where gender identity, sexual orientation, feminist allegiance, social class, and family history overlap. His work has appeared in The New York Times and Electric Literature, and he recently published Adult Human Male, a monograph with Unbound Edition Press on the trans experience under the cisgender gaze. He currently lives on the Connecticut coast, where he is raising his four children.Roxane Gay’s writing appears in Best American Mystery Stories 2014, Best American Short Stories 2012, Best Sex Writing 2012, A Public Space, McSweeney’s, Tin House, Oxford American, American Short Fiction, Virginia Quarterly Review, and many others. She is a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times. She is the author of the books Ayiti, An Untamed State, the New York Times bestselling Bad Feminist, the nationally bestselling Difficult Women and the New York Times bestselling Hunger. She is also the author of World of Wakanda for Marvel. She has several books forthcoming and is also at work on television and film projects. She also has a newsletter, The Audacity and once had a podcast, The Roxane Gay Agenda. Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Jason Blitman talks to author Lester Fabian Brathwaite (Rage: On Being Black, Queer, Brilliant, and Completely Over It) about musicals and masculinity, drag queens, their introductions to Rosalind Russell, and seeing humanity in villains. Jason is then joined by Guest Gay Reader Brian Derrick to talk about what he's reading as well as a timely discussion on the importance of political engagement and how to harness your rage constructively. Lester Fabian Brathwaite is a staff writer at Entertainment Weekly and, for some sadistic reason known only to him and his therapist, has been a professional writer for almost fifteen years. He has contributed to The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, and The Advocate, among other publications, and has also served as senior editor for Out magazine. Rage is his first book.Brian Derrick is a political strategist, activist, and the Founder and CEO of Oath, a tech platform that has raised millions for candidates nationwide. Known for his concise breakdowns of news and politics, Derrick has built a large online following. Under his leadership, Oath expanded from a small advising firm to a national force in politics, with clients in Hollywood and Big Tech. Previously, Derrick worked as a consultant and staffer for candidates from City Council to Presidential campaigns, including Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill. His finance and communications expertise has driven campaigns to victory across the U.S.Learn more about Brian and Oath HERE. Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Jason Blitman chats with accidental poet Lyndsay Rush (A Bit Much) about the unique flavors of snacks, traumatic school memories, and the importance of embracing one's "bit much" personality. This episode’s Guest Gay Reader is Cody Rigsby (Peloton and Dancing with the Stars), who shares with Jason what he’s currently reading—and what he might ask if he submitted a question to his popular advice segment, XOXO, Cody.Lyndsay Rush is a comedy writer, cofounder of the branding agency Obedient, and the poet behind the popular Instagram account @maryoliversdrunkcousin. Her debut book of poems, A Bit Much was an instant USA Today Bestseller and her writing has been featured in Reductress, McSweeney’s, New York magazine, and The New York Times. Lyndsay spent most of her adult life freezing in Chicago, but currently swelters in Nashville with her husband and young son.Adored fitness instructor Cody Rigsby is the cycling director at Peloton. Rigsby is known for his witty humor, engaging storytelling, and pop-culture hot takes as well as his insight into relationships and his advocacy for self-love. He was the second runner-up on the thirtieth season of Dancing with the Stars, and he cohosted the GLAAD Media Awards. Rigsby has been the face of numerous brands, including Adidas, Capital One, Chobani, Therabody, Chipotle, and Gatorade, and he has been profiled in the Los Angeles Times, People, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Vogue, GQ, Forbes, Vox, Us Weekly, and Time, and on Good Morning America. Rigsby lives in Brooklyn, New York.Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this new series What’s the TEA? host Jason Blitman gets the inside scoop on new books–authors are tasked with describing their books with 3 words using the letters T, E, and A. This episode features chef and restaurateur Jeremy Salamon talking to Jason about his cookbook, Second Generation.Jeremy Salamon is the James Beard–nominated chef and owner of the beloved Agi’s Counter in Brooklyn, a 2022 pick for Bon Appetit's Best New Restaurants list and a 2023 Michelin Bib Gourmand award recipient. He began his career working under celebrated chefs in restaurants such as Locanda Verde, Prune, Buvette, and Via Carota, before becoming the executive chef of Manhattan restaurants the Eddy and Wallflower. He’s been recognized by publications such as the New York Times, Food & Wine, Forbes, The New Yorker, Eater, Travel + Leisure, the Infatuation, and more. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his partner, Michael, and their cat, Sage. This is his first cookbook.Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Jason Blitman is joined by trans icon and Supergirl star Nicole Maines talking about her new book It Gets Better… Except When It Gets Worse, Disney movies, and the transformative power of storytelling. Guest Gay Reader Sammy Rae shares her unique reading interests and shares more about the exciting release of her band Sammy Rae and the Friends’ first full-length album.Nicole Maines is an award-winning actress, writer, and transgender rights activist. She was the anonymous plaintiff in the Maine Supreme Judicial Court case Doe v. Regional School Unit 26, in which she argued her school district could not deny her access to the female bathroom for being transgender and won, the first such ruling by a state court. That case and her family’s story was the focus of Amy Ellis Nutt’s bestseller Becoming Nicole. As an actress, Maines played Nia Nal/Dreamer on the CW’s hit series Supergirl and Lisa in Showtime’s Yellowjackets.For as much as Sammy Rae & The Friends may be a band, this collective of dreamers and artists considers themselves a family first. That all-for-one and one-for-all camaraderie ignites their unforgettable and can’t-miss live shows, which serve as a catharsis for both the musicians and their fervent audience. Fronted by singer/songwriter Sammy Rae and honed through years of touring, the group is capable of flourishing in any spotlight thanks to its signature blend of palpable chemistry, deft virtuosity, and vocal fireworks. Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Jason Blitman talks to Eliot Schrefer (The Brightness Between Us) about the challenges and joys of writing, the nuances of sci-fi, and how personal experiences shape storytelling. Later, guest gay reader Arielle Egozi (BEing Bad) joins to chat about self-acceptance, societal expectations, and her latest read. Eliot Schrefer is the New York Times bestselling author of many books for kids and teens, including The Darkness Outside Us and its sequel, The Brightness Between Us, as well as Charming Young Man, Endangered, and Queer Ducks (and Other Animals): The Natural World of Animal Sexuality. His books have twice been named finalists for the National Book Award in Young People’s Literature and have garnered a Printz Honor, a Stonewall Honor, and the Green Earth Book Award. He is on the faculty of the creative writing MFA programs at Hamline University and Fairleigh Dickinson University and lives with his husband in New York City. Visit him online at eliotschrefer.com.Arielle Egozi (she/they) is a writer and creative director. Their work is centered on the destigmatization (and celebration) of all bodies, brains, and identities and has been featured globally across major publications like the Washington Post, Business Insider, and Vice. She shares a bed with her two perrhijos and partner.Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this new series What’s the TEA? host Jason Blitman gets the inside scoop on new books–authors are tasked with describing their books with 3 words using the letters T, E, and A. This episode features Chad Beguelin talking to Jason about his debut gay romcom, Showmance. Chad Beguelin is a six-time Tony Award nominee. His Broadway works include The Prom, Disney’s Aladdin, Elf and The Wedding Singer. Chad also co-wrote the screenplay for The Prom, currently available on Netflix. Chad is a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Dramatic Writing Program. He currently lives in Bridgehampton with his husband Tom and their dog, Tucker.Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Jason Blitman talks to Rivers Solomon about their latest book, Model Home, discussing its unique spin on the haunted house genre and the layers of personal and family dynamics within. Guest Gay Reader Margaret Cho shares anecdotes from her eclectic career and childhood experiences growing up in a gay bookstore, all while reflecting on her love for reading. Rivers Solomon writes about life in the margins, where they are much at home. In addition to appearing on the Stonewall Honor List and winning a Firecracker Award, Solomon's debut novel, An Unkindness of Ghosts, was a finalist for Lambda, Hurston/Wright, Otherwise (formerly Tiptree), and Locus Awards. Solomon's second book, The Deep, based on the Hugo-nominated song by the Daveed Diggs–fronted hip-hop group clipping, was the winner of the 2020 Lambda Award and was short-listed for the Nebula, Locus, Hugo, Ignyte, Brooklyn Library Literary, British Fantasy, and World Fantasy Awards. Their work appears in Black Warrior Review, The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, Guernica, Best American Short Stories, Tor.com, Best American Horror and Dark Fantasy, and elsewhere. A refugee of the transatlantic slave trade, Solomon was born on Turtle Island but currently resides on an isle in an archipelago off the western coast of the Eurasian continent.Margaret Cho Comedian. Actor. Musician. Advocate. Entrepreneur. Five-time Grammy and Emmy nominee. Margaret Cho’s strong voice has been lighting the path for other women, other members of underrepresented groups, other performers, to follow. Her recent television appearances – guest star on Season 2 of The Flight Attendant (HBO Max), guest star on Season 2 of Hacks (HBO Max) and two Netflix is a Joke comedy specials: Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration and Jane Fonda & Lily Tomlin: Ladies Night Live – have expanded an already wide-ranging career, and her role as the ‘mother hen’ in the well-reviewed movie Fire Island solidifies why we all love Margaret in the first place. As a comedian Margaret has been named one of Rolling Stone magazine's 50 Best Stand-Up Comics of All Time, one of Vogue magazine’s Top 9 Female Comedians of all time, while CNN chose her as one of the 50 People Who Changed American Comedy. Thankfully, Margaret has more stories to tell, and her production company, Animal Family Productions, has multiple scripted shows in development for 2022 and beyond.Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Jason Blitman is joined by one of the most banned authors in the country, George M. Johnson, to talk about their new book, Flamboyants: The Queer Harlem Renaissance I Wish I'd Known. They discuss the significance of LGBTQIA+ history, challenges faced by past queer icons of the Harlem Renaissance, and the connection between George's previous work, All Boys Aren't Blue, and Flamboyants. Guest Gay Reader Rasheed Newson joins Jason to talk about his reading list, the interconnectedness of queer history, and insights from his own book, My Government Means to Kill Me. George M. Johnson (they/them) is an Emmy nominated, award-winning, and bestselling Black nonbinary author and activist. They have written on race, gender, sex, and culture for Essence, the Advocate, BuzzFeed News, Teen Vogue, and more than forty other national publications. George has appeared on BuzzFeed’s AM2DM as well as on MSNBC. They are also a proud HBCU alum twice over and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated. Their debut memoir, All Boys Aren’t Blue, was a New York Times bestseller and garnered many accolades. It was the second-most banned book of 2022 in the United States, according to the American Library Association. For their work fighting book bans and challenges, the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) honored George with its Free Speech Defender Award, and TIME Magazine named them one of the “100 Next Most Influential People in the World.” While writing their memoir, George used he/him pronouns. Originally from Plainfield, New Jersey, they now live in Los Angeles, California.Rasheed Newson is a writer and producer of Bel-Air, The Chi, and Narcos. He currently resides in Pasadena, California with his husband and two children. My Government Means to Kill Me is his debut novel.Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this new series What’s the TEA? host Jason Blitman gets the inside scoop on new books–authors are tasked with describing their books with 3 words using the letters T, E, and A. This episode features Abdi Nazemian talking to Jason about his new book Desert Echoes. Abdi Nazemian is the author of Like a Love Story, a Stonewall Honor Book, Only This Beautiful Moment, The Chandler Legacies, and The Authentics. His novel The Walk-In Closet won the Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Debut Fiction. His screenwriting credits include the films The Artist’s Wife, The Quiet, and Menendez: Blood Brothers and the television series Ordinary Joe and The Village. He has been an executive producer and associate producer on numerous films, including Call Me by Your Name, Little Woods, and The House of Tomorrow. He lives in Los Angeles with his husband, their two children, and their dog, Disco. Find him online at abdinazemian.com.Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Jason Blitman talks to Rumaan Alam (Entitlement) about the intricate themes of his novel, focusing on class, money, and societal values. They also delve into the significance of the book's title and how it reflects broader societal issues. Featured in this episode is Guest Gay Reader, Lea DeLaria, who discusses her work in theater, her desire to play iconic Shakespearean clowns, and her passion for classic literature. Learn more about Lea DeLaria's BRUNCH IS GAY at 54 Below here. Rumaan Alam is the author of the New York Timesbestselling novel Leave the World Behind, which was a finalist for the National Book Award and adapted into a major motion picture, as well as two other novels. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, and elsewhere. He lives in Brooklyn.Lea DeLaria was the first openly gay comic on television in America, and is an accomplished Jazz performer who has performed in concert venues all over the world. She is best known as ‘Big Boo’ from Orange is the New Black (3 SAG Awards). Lea can currently be seen in the indie feature film Potato Dreams of America, and in the Indigo Girls jukebox feature film, Glitter & Doom. Lea recently starred in the Off-Broadway Revival of Tennessee Williams' play, The Night of the Iguana, directed by Emily Mann. TV credits include Girls5Eva, Awkwafina is Nora from Queens, East New York,The Blacklist, Physical, Reprisal, Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, Shameless, and Broad City. Film credits include Cars 3, Support The Girls, and First Wives Club. Broadway credits, POTUS Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive (Bernadette), The Rocky Horror Show (Eddie/Dr. Scott) and On The Town (Hildy), Obie and Theatre World Awards. @realleadelaria www.leadelaria.comSupport the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Jason Blitman talks to TJ Klune (Somewhere Beyond the Sea) about the highly-anticipated sequel to his bestselling novel, The House in the Cerulean Sea. TJ talks about his favorite character, feeling seen--especially by our teachers, and makes a statement that truly shocks Jason. Jason is then joined by Guest Gay Reader James Scully (Broadway's Oh, Mary!) talking about what he's currently reading. TJ Klune is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling, Lambda Literary Award-winning author of The House in the Cerulean Sea, Under the Whispering Door, In the Lives of Puppets, the Green Creek Series for adults, the Extraordinaries Series for teens, and more. Being queer himself, Klune believes it's important—now more than ever—to have accurate, positive queer representation in stories.James Scully is thrilled to be making his Broadway Debut with Oh, Mary!. So much love for this company and immensely grateful to be alive at the same time as Cole Escola. Special Thanks and Love to Melissa, Sean, Kate, Conor, Lisa, Dana, Ben, Ashley, Charles, Andrew, Adam, Alice, Preston, Alex, Otters 2014, and Pico. Te quiero mi bichito. Previous Credits Include: "Heathers" (Paramount), Straight Up (James Sweeney), "YOU" (Netflix), Fire Island (Hulu), "Titans" (MAX), SMUTA (Jacob Wasson), Problemista (A24), "Fantasmas" (HBO). TO THEATRE!Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this new series What’s the TEA? host Jason Blitman gets the inside scoop on new books–authors are tasked with describing their books with 3 words using the letters T, E, and A. This first episode features Shannon Bowring talking to Jason about her new book Where the Forest Meets the River. Shannon Bowring has been nominated for a Pushcart and a Best of the Net, and was recently selected in Best Small Fictions. She holds an MFA from University of Southern Maine Stonecoast and currently resides in Maine. The Road to Dalton is her first novel. Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Jason Blitman talks to author Danzy Senna whose new book Colored Television is the latest Good Morning America Book Club pick. They talk about psychics, the Cult of California, author personas, and her writing process. Jason is then joined by Guest Gay Reader, designer Jonathan Adler who shares what he’s reading as well as tips to best curate your bookshelf. Check out the Colored Television Spotify PlaylistDanzy Senna is the author of five previous books, including the bestselling Caucasia and, most recently, New People, as well as a memoir. The recipient of numerous awards and honors, she teaches writing at the University of Southern California.Theme song performed by Kyle Sherman Sign up to learn more about OUTspoken at www.weareoutspoken.org Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the season premiere of Gays Reading, host Jason Blitman talks to acclaimed author Elif Shafak (There are Rivers in the Sky) about the importance of storytelling and information vs. knowledge vs. wisdom. They also engage in a unique conversation about religion and so much more. This episode features Guest Gay Reader Franklin Cappadora aka Jason’s husband.Elif Shafak is an award-winning British-Turkish author of a dozen novels, including The Island of Missing Trees, which was short-listed for the Costa Novel Award, and 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World, which was short-listed for the Booker Prize. Her work has been translated into fifty-six languages. She holds a PhD in political science and has taught at universities in Turkey, the United States and the United Kingdom. She lives in London and is an honorary fellow at Oxford University.Theme song performed by Kyle ShermanSign up to learn more about OUTspoken.Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this BONUS episode, Jason and author Amy Jo Burns (Mercury) talk to Abraham Verghese about his book The Covenant of Water. Jason and Amy did a summer-long read-along with fellow listeners and readers and this is their culminating conversation with Abraham. Note: There WILL be spoilers! The Covenant of Water was a 2023 Oprah's Book Club selection. Abraham Verghese is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and the author of books including the NBCC Award finalist My Own Country and the New York Times Notable Book The Tennis Partner. His most recent book, Cutting for Stone, spent 107 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and sold more than 1.5 million copies in the U.S. alone. It was translated into more than twenty languages and is being adapted for film by Anonymous Content. Verghese was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2016, has received five honorary degrees, and is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. He lives and practices medicine in Stanford, California where he is the Linda R. Meier and Joan F. Lane Provostial Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine. A decade in the making, The Covenant of Water is his first book since Cutting for Stone. Amy Jo Burns is the author of the memoir Cinderland and the novel Shiner, which was a Barnes & Noble Discover Pick, NPR Best Book of the year, and “told in language as incandescent as smoldering coal,” according to The New York Times. Her latest novel, Mercury, is a Barnes & Noble Book Club Pick, a Book of the Month Pick, a People Magazine Book of the Week, and an Editor’s Choice selection in The New York Times. Amy Jo’s writing has appeared in The Paris Review Daily, Elle, Good Housekeeping, and the anthology Not That Bad. Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Season Finale, Jason and Brett take it back to the beginning--two friends talking about books. They shout out 8 different books releasing in the second half of 2024 that they're excited about as well as share some Gays Reading updates.Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jason and Brett are joined by debut authors Alana S. Portero (Bad Habig), Komail Aijazuddin (Manboobs), and Gina María Balibrera (The Volcano Daughters). They talk about how the city of Madrid is like a drag queen, cheesecake and carbs, and reclaiming your culture's narrative. Alana S. Portero is a medieval historian, writer, playwright, LGBTQIA+ activist, and cofounder of the theatre company STRIGA. Her writings on feminism and LGBTQIA+ activism from the perspective of a trans woman have been featured in a number of international publications, including Agente provocador, elDiario.es, El Salto Diario, S Moda, and Vogue. She lives in Madrid.Komail Aijazuddin is a visual artist and writer. He holds degrees in Art & Art History from New York University and an MFA from the Pratt Institute, NY. His debut book Manboobs: A memoir of Musicals, Visas, Hope & Cake is coming Fall 2024, published by Abrams Press (US) and Transworld/DoubleDay Books (Internationally). He lives and works in New York City.Gina María Balibrera earned an MFA in Prose from the University of Michigan’s Helen Zell Writers’ Program. She’s been awarded grants from Aspen Words, Tin House, the Rackham Foundation, and the Periplus Collective, as well as a Tyson Award, the Aura Estrada Prize, and the Under the Volcano Sandra Cisneros Fellowship.Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jason and Brett talk to Lev Grossman (The Bright Sword) about the difference between an adventure and a quest, being the hero of your own story, the trials of putting on armor, and what makes a king. Lev Grossman is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Magicians trilogy—The Magicians, The Magician King, and The Magician’s Land—which has been published in thirty countries and adapted as a TV show that ran for five seasons on SYFY. He is also a screenwriter and the author of two children’s books, The Golden Swift and The Silver Arrow, and his journalism has appeared in Time, Vanity Fair, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, among many other places. He lives with his wife and children in New York City.Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jason and Brett talk to Peng Shepherd (All This and More) about what it means to be real, the repercussions of the choices that we make, the many versions of our lives, and get the scoop on her very first published book. Peng Shepherd was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, and has lived in Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, London, New York, and Mexico City. Her second novel, The Cartographers, became a national bestseller, was named a Best Book of 2022 by The Washington Post, and received a 2020 fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. Her debut, The Book of M, won the 2019 Neukom Institute for Literary Arts Award for Debut Speculative Fiction, and was chosen as a best book of the year by Amazon, Elle, Refinery29, and The Verge, as well as a best book of the summer by the Today show and NPR’s On Point.Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jason and Brett talk to Julia Phillips (Bear) about different sibling dynamics, the "bear" knocking on her door, and why she's wearing a snake in her wedding photos. Julia Phillips is the bestselling author of the novel Disappearing Earth, which was a finalist for the National Book Award and one of The New York Times Book Review’s 10 Best Books of the Year. A 2024 Guggenheim fellow, she lives with her family in Brooklyn.Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jason and Brett talk to debut authors Solomon J. Brager (Heavyweight), Oisín McKenna (Evenings & Weekends), and August Thompson (Anyone's Ghost). They explore themes like inherited trauma and family history, queer identity, and the complexities of growing up. And they talk about some favorite snacks and date stories. Solomon J. Brager is a cartoonist and writer living in Brooklyn, New York. Their comics and research have appeared in The Nib, Jewish Currents, ArtForum, World War III Illustrated, Pinko Magazine, Refract Journal, and The New Inquiry, among other publications. They hold a PhD from Rutgers University, New Brunswick, and teach as adjunct faculty in history, media, and gender studies.Oisín McKenna was born in Dublin and lives in London. He was awarded the Next Generation Bursary from the Arts Council of Ireland to write Evenings and Weekends and it was developed with further funding from Arts Council England. Evenings and Weekends has been awarded a 2022 London Writers Award, and in 2017, Oisín was named in the Irish Times as one of the best-spoken word artists in the country. He has written and performed four theatre shows, including ADMIN, an award-winning production at Dublin Fringe 2019, and has written for outlets including the Irish Times on issues such as gentrification and the alienation of Dublin’s youth. August Thompson was born and raised in the middle of nowhere, New Hampshire, before he attended middle school in West LA. After surviving California optimism, he moved to NYC for his bachelor’s, studied in Berlin, and taught English in Spain for two years. He recently received his MFA at New York University’s creative writing program as a Goldwater Fellow.Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jason and Brett talk to Catherine Newman (Sandwich) about ailments, weighted blankets, reproductive mayhem, peanut butter, queerness, and of course… sandwiches. Catherine Newman has written numerous columns, articles, and canned-bean recipes for magazines and newspapers, and her essays have been widely anthologized. She is the author of the novel We All Want Impossible Things; the memoirs Waiting for Birdy and Catastrophic Happiness; the middle-grade novel One Mixed-Up Night; and the bestselling kids’ life-skills books How to Be a Person and What Can I Say? She lives in Amherst, Massachusetts.Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jason and Brett talked to Chris Whitaker (All the Color of the Dark) about what keeps friends in your life, horror stories from his time working in a library, what it means to have faith and hope, and Danny Zuko. Chris Whitaker is the award-winning author of Tall Oaks, All the Wicked Girls, and the New York Times bestseller We Begin at the End. Chris lives in the UK. All the Colors of the Dark was recently announced as the July 2024 Read with Jenna Book Club selection. Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jason and Brett are joined by Claire Lombardo (Same As It Ever Was), last month's Reese's Book Club pick for her novel, The Most Fun We Ever Had. They talk to Claire about secrets in relationships, favorite children, Boo Radleyism, and debate Joni Mitchell. What Guys & Dolls reference is Jason talking about in the intro? Listen here. More info about Claire & Jason in conversation at Warwick's HERE. Claire Lombardo is the author of The Most Fun We Ever Had, which has been optioned for television by Reese Witherspoon. She lives in Iowa City, where she has taught at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and Grinnell College and works part-time as a bookseller at Prairie Lights Books.Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the final PRIDE installment of Upcoming/Up & Coming, Jason and Brett talk to debut* authors Kimberly King Parsons (We Were the Universe), KB Brookins (Pretty), and Santiago Jose Sanchez (Hombrecito). They talk about the theatre of parenthood, queer representation in books and media, and using writing to better understand your own story. *Debut-ish! Kimberly’s debut novel and KB’s debut memoir.Kimberly King Parsons is the author of Black Light, a collection of stories that was long-listed for the National Book Award and the Story Prize. In 2020, she received the National Magazine Award for fiction. Born in Lubbock, Texas, she lives in Portland, Oregon, with her partner and children. We Were the Universe is her first novel.KB Brookins is a Black, queer, and trans writer and cultural worker from Texas. They are the author of Freedom House and How to Identify Yourself with a Wound. Brookins has poems, essays, and installation art published in Academy of American Poets, Teen Vogue, Poetry Magazine, Prizer Arts & Letters, Okayplayer, Poetry Society of America, Autostraddle, and other venues. They have earned fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, PEN America, Equality Texas, and others.Santiago Jose Sanchez (they/them), a Grinnell College assistant professor of English and a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, is a queer Colombian American writer. Santiago’s writing has appeared in McSweeney’s, ZYZZYVA, Subtropics, and Joyland and been distinguished in Best American Short Stories. They are the recipient of a Truman Capote Fellowship from the University of Iowa and an Emerging LGBTQ Voices Fellowship from Lambda Literary.Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jason and Brett talk to Rufi Thorpe (Margo’s Got Money Troubles) about her obsession with wrestling (and how learning about it was like an all-cereal buffet), having a public persona and the chaos of the modern internet, falling in love with strangers, and of course, @tooturnttony. Rufi Thorpe is the author of The Knockout Queen, a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner award; Dear Fang, with Love; and The Girls from Corona del Mar, which was long-listed for the International Dylan Thomas Prize and the Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize. A native of California, she currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two sons.Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jason and Brett continue PRIDE 2024 with celebrated authors. They’re joined in conversation with Jen Silverman (There’s Going to Be Trouble), David Levithan (Wide Awake Now), and Emma Copley Eisenberg (Housemates) talking about the cyclical nature of history, queer inheritance, intersectionality of arts and queerness, and much more. Jen Silverman is a New York-based writer, playwright, and screenwriter. Jen is the author of novel We Play Ourselves, which is short-listed for a Lambda Literary Award, the story collection The Island Dwellers, which was longlisted for a PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for debut fiction, and the poetry chapbook Bath, selected by Traci Brimhall for Driftwood Press. Additional work has appeared in Vogue, The Paris Review, Ploughshares, LitHub, The Yale Review, and elsewhere. Jen’s plays have been produced across the United States and internationally. Jen is a three-time MacDowell fellow, a member of New Dramatists, and the recipient of a New York Foundation for the Arts grant, a Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Fellowship, the Yale Drama Series Award, and a Playwrights of New York Fellowship. Jen is a 2022 National Endowment for the Arts Fellow for Prose and a 2022 Guggenheim Fellow for Drama. Jen also writes for TV and film.When not writing during spare hours on weekends, David Levithan is editorial director at Scholastic and the founding editor of the PUSH imprint, which is devoted to finding new voices and new authors in teen literature. His acclaimed novels Boy Meets Boy and The Realm of Possibility started as stories he wrote for his friends for Valentine’s Day (something he’s done for the past 22 years and counting) that turned themselves into teen novels. He’s often asked if the book is a work of fantasy or a work of reality, and the answer is right down the middle—it’s about where we’re going, and where we should be.Emma Copley Eisenberg is a queer writer of fiction and nonfiction. Her first book, The Third Rainbow Girl: The Long Life of a Double Murder in Appalachia, was named a New York Times Notable Book and was nominated for an Edgar Award, a Lambda Literary Award, and an Anthony Award, among other honors. Her fiction has appeared in Granta, McSweeney’s, VQR, American Short Fiction, and other publications. Raised in New York City, she lives in Philadelphia, where she co-founded Blue Stoop, a community hub for the literary arts.Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Pride edition of Upcoming/Up & Coming, Jason and Brett talk to Justinian Huang (The Emperor and the Endless Palace) about living life romantically, KT Hoffman (The Prospects) about how anyone can play baseball, and Myriam Lacroix (How it Works Out) about a twist on autofiction. Born to immigrants in Monterey Park, California, Justinian Huang studied English at Pomona College and screenwriting at the University of Oxford. He is now based in Los Angeles with Swagger, a Shanghainese rescue dog he adopted during his five years living in China. The Emperor and the Endless Palace is his debut novel.KT Hoffman is originally from Beaverton, Oregon and currently lives in Brooklyn. He received his bachelor’s degree in English and Creative Writing from Stanford University. If he isn’t writing about trans hope and gay kissing, he’s probably white-knuckling his way through the ninth inning of a Seattle Mariners game. The Prospects is his debut novel.Myriam Lacroix was born in Montreal to a Québécois mother and a Moroccan father, and currently lives in Vancouver. She has a BFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia and an MFA from Syracuse University, where she was editor in chief of Salt Hill Journal and received the New York Public Humanities Fellowship for creating Out-Front, an LGBTQ+ writing group whose goal was to expand the possibilities of queer writing.Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jason and Brett kick off PRIDE 2024 with some incredible queer authors! They talk to Carvell Wallace (Another Word for Love) about the key to your ability to fight for what's right, R.O. Kwon (Exhibit) about art and how taking a choreography workshop got her in the body of her characters, and Byron Lane (Big Gay Wedding) about why he thinks he'd thrive in prison. Carvell Wallace grew up between Southwestern PA, Washington DC, and Los Angeles. He attended Tisch School for the Arts and worked as a stage actor before spending fifteen years in direct service youth non-profits. He has covered arts, entertainment, music, culture, race, sports, and parenting for The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, Slate, GQ, Pitchfork, MTV News and others. As a podcast host, he has been nominated for a Peabody and won a Kaleidoscope Award and was the Slate parenting advice columnist. He is the co-author of the New York Times best-selling basketball memoir The Sixth Man with Andre Iguodala. He lives in Oakland and has two adult children, a comfortable couch, and a lot of plants.R. O. Kwon is the author of the nationally bestselling novel The Incendiaries, which was named a best book of the year by more than forty publications and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle John Leonard Award. With Garth Greenwell, Kwon coedited the bestselling Kink, a New York Times Notable Book. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, and elsewhere. She has received fellowships and awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, Yaddo, and MacDowell. Born in Seoul, Kwon has lived most of her life in the United States.Byron Lane is the author of A Star Is Bored, hailed by the New York Times Book Review as “wildly funny and irreverent.” He’s a playwright, screenwriter, Emmy Award–winning journalist, and former assistant to actress Carrie Fisher. He’s originally from New Orleans and lives in Palm Springs, California, with his husband, author Steven Rowley, and their rescue dogs, Raindrop and Shirley.Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the fourth installment of their debut novelists series UPCOMING / UP & COMING, Jason and Brett talk to three new writers about their recently and soon-to-be released books. Zoë Bossiere (Cactus Country, May 21) talks about navigating identity growing up in a trailer park; Alan Murrin (The Coast Road, June 4) shares how short stories transformed into a novel; and Essie Chambers (Swift River, June 4) talks about how ancestral inheritance shaped her book, and also learns about the cootie shot. Zoë Bossiere (they/she) is writer from Tucson, Arizona. They are the managing editor of Brevity: A Journal of Concise Literary Nonfiction. as well as the coeditor of two anthologies: The Best of Brevity (Rose Metal Press, 2020) and The Lyric Essay as Resistance: Truth from the Margins (Wayne State UP, 2023). Bossiere's debut, Cactus Country: A Boyhood Memoir, chronicles their experiences growing up as a trans boy in a Tucson, Arizona trailer park.Alan Murrin is an Irish writer based in Berlin. His short story, “The Wake,” won the 2021 Bournemouth Writing Prize and was shortlisted for short story of the year at the Irish Book Awards. The Coast Road was shortlisted for the PFD Queer Fiction prize. Murrin is also the recipient of an Irish Arts Council Agility Award and an Arts Council Literature Bursary. He is a graduate of the prose fiction masters at the University of East Anglia, and writes for the Irish Times and the Times Literary Supplement, as well as Art Review and e-flux.Essie Chambers earned her MFA in creative writing from Columbia University and has received fellowships from the MacDowell Vermont Studio Center, and Baldwin for the Arts. A former film and television executive, she was a producer on the documentary Descendant, which was released by the Obamas’ Higher Ground production company and Netflix in 2022. Swift River is her debut novel. Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jason and Brett talk to Steven Rowley (The Guncle Abroad) about sea cave adventures in Capri, Varla Jean Merman's rendition of "Ring Them Bells," the best Wang Chung song, and obviously: Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again and Grease 2.Steven Rowley is the bestselling author of five novels including, Lily and the Octopus, a Washington Post Notable Book; The Editor, an NPR Best Book of the Year; The Guncle, winner of the 22nd Thurber Prize for American Humor and Goodreads Choice Awards finalist for Novel of the Year; and The Celebrants. His fiction has been translated in twenty languages. He resides in Palm Springs, California.Truffle hunt in Rome: https://matteo-truffles.com/Support the showBOOK CLUB!Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH!http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @[email protected] up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.