Gays Reading

Jason Blitman sits down with Caro Claire Burke to discuss her debut novel  Yesteryear, April 2026's Good Morning America Book Club pick. Conversation highlights include: 🩰 Ballerina Farms 🐳 Why all millennials wanted to be marine biologists  📱 TikTok, culture at large, and fitting in CARO CLAIRE BURKE received her Master’s in Fine Arts from the Bennington Writing Semina...

In this episode of  What Are You Reading? , host  Jason Blitman  sits down with  Lisa Lee  to talk about the books that shaped and sustained her through the decade-long journey to her debut novel,  American Han . Lisa Lee is the recipient of the Marianne Russo Emerging Writer Award from the Key West Literary Seminar, an Emerging Writer Fellowship from the Center for F...

Host Jason Blitman talks to prolific author Yann Martel ( Life of Pi ) about his latest novel, Son of Nobody . They talk about religion versus art, dreams versus reality, Greek gods like Hades, and Martel’s enthusiasm for CrossFit burpees. Yann Martel  is the author of  Life of Pi , the international bestseller that won the 2002 Booker Prize and was adapted to the screen in the Oscar–win...

On this episode of  What Are You Reading? , host Jason Blitman sits down with actor, writer, and all-around fandom icon Felicia Day to talk favorite books, current reads, and her brand-new graphic novel,  The Last Daughter of Sparta . Felicia Day  has appeared as an actress in numerous television shows and films, including  Supernatural ,  The Magicians , an...

Host Jason Blitman talks to Lauren Groff about her new story collection, Brawler . This conversation was recorded live at Warwick's in San Diego. Conversation highlights include: 📓 A therapy session about story collections 💡 How Lauren knows an idea is a story and not a novel 🇫🇷 Expectations of Paris Lauren Groff  is a three-time National Book Award finalist and the  New York Times&nbs...

Jason Blitman  talks with novelist  Saleem Haddad  about what he's been reading, his new novel  Floodlines , and the story behind its stunning cover. Saleem Haddad  was born in Kuwait City to a Palestinian-Lebanese father and an Iraqi-German mother, and educated in Jordan, Canada, and the United Kingdom. He has worked as an aid worker with Doctors Without Borders in Yemen,...

Announcing the April Gays Reading Book Club pick with Allstora  ALMOST LIFE by Kiran Millwood Hargrave Two young women meet in Paris one sultry summer in a decades-spanning tour de force about the enduring power of young love and the poignant heartbreak of missed chances—perfect for fans of  One Day  and  Normal People . New to the club? Get your first book for just $1! When yo...

Host Jason Blitman is joined by debut novelist Tara Menon to talk about her new book,  Under Water .  Conversation highlights include: 🍦 The food textures that Tara hates 🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 Chosen family 🐦‍⬛ Venery nouns Tara Menon  was born in India, grew up in Singapore, spent a decade in New York, and now lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts where she is an assistant professor of Englis...

Host Jason Blitman is joined by Kate Schatz who lives out her Reading Rainbow fantasy by sharing some of her favorite books. Kate then shares the personal story behind writing her debut novel, Where the Girls Were. Kate Schatz  is a feminist author from California. She’s the  New York Times  bestselling author of  Do the Work: An Anti-Racist Activity Book , with W. Kamau Bell,...

Host Jason Blitman is joined by  T Kira Madden , author of the acclaimed memoir  Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls , to discuss her debut novel,  Whidbey . Conversation highlights include: ⛴️ T Kira's trip to Whidbey Island ☀️ The trauma of growing up in Florida 📺 Favorite reality TV T Kira Māhealani Madden is a diasporic Kanaka 'Ōiwi (Native Hawaiian) wri...

Jason Blitman talks with singer-songwriter and queer icon Ani DiFranco about her reading life and the story behind her new book, The Spirit of Ani. ANI DiFRANCO  is a Grammy Award–winning singer-songwriter and musician who has released twenty-three albums, traversing genres and addressing a range of autobiographical, political, and social issues. She is widely considered a feminist icon, and...

Host Jason Blitman sits down with author Amy Jo Burns — who returns to Gays Reading after co-interviewing Abraham Verghese with Jason in summer 2024 — to discuss her latest novel,  Wait for Me , the March pick for Read with Jenna's book club. Conversation highlights include:  🎶 Amy Jo's relationship to (and the power of) music 🫂 Embracing your authentic self 🖼️ Commercialization of art...

Host Jason Blitman talks to RuPaul's Drag Race runner-up and Miss Congeniality, Sapphira Cristál about what she's been reading as well as about what folks can expect from her new comedy tour, One Slue Over the Cuckoo's Nest . Sapphira Cristál (runner-up and Miss Congeniality of  RuPaul’s Drag Race  Season 16) is a classically trained opera singer, composer, and drag queen known for her t...

Host Jason Blitman talks to Oprah's Book Club pick Tayari Jones about Kin , her long-awaited new novel, nearly a decade in the making. Conversation highlights include: 🔎 A Google-tangent about the etymology of the word "kin" 🌈 On writing an overtly queer book 🍰 The best kind of red velvet cake Per the conversation, here is the link to Motherhood Beyond Bars: https://www.motherhoodbeyond.org/ Ta...

Host Jason Blitman talks to everyone's favorite influencer and bestie, Misha Brown aka @yourbestiemisha , about what he's been reading as well as his new book Be Your Own Bestie: A No-Nonsense Guide to Changing the Way You Treat Yourself Misha Brown  is an undeniable entertainment powerhouse who excels as an influencer, podcast host, and performer. With a knack for captivating audiences, he s...

Host Jason Blitman is joined by prolific author Kate Quinn to talk about her latest novel, The Astral Library .  Conversation highlights include: 📖 The book Kate would (and wouldn't) want to live in ✨ Sacred spaces 📚 Reading habits and the best books to reread The Astral Library is out now wherever you get your books.  Kate Quinn  is the  New York Times  and ...

Announcing the March Gays Reading Book Club pick with Allstora  SO OLD, SO YOUNG by Grant Ginder Five parties over the course of twenty years bring six college friends together, exploring the ways we run from and cling to our friends in love, life, and death. New to the club? Get your first book for just $1! When you join the Gays Reading Book Club with Allstora, here’s wh...

Host Jason Blitman is joined by debut author Patmeena Sabit to talk about her book, this month's Barnes & Noble Book Club Selection,  Good People .  Conversation highlights include: ♥️ What it means to be a good person ✨ Karma and how we choose to live our lives 🫆 Paying a price to be your authentic self Good People is out now wherever you get your books.  Patmeena Sabit &nbsp...

Host Jason Blitman talks with author April Reynolds ( The Shape of Dreams ) about what she’s been reading lately and the joyful surprise of discovering just how many LGBTQIA+ authors have quietly shaped her reading life. April Reynolds is the author of the novel  Knee-Deep in Wonder , which won the Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Foundation Award and the PEN American Center: Beyond Margins...

Host Jason Blitman talks to author Nikesha Elise Williams about her new novel,  The Seven Daughters of Dupree .  Conversation highlights include: 🎶 Janet Jackson choreography 💜 What it means to be "enough" 🙏 The sacred, intimate rituals of hair Nikesha Elise Williams  is a two-time Emmy Award–winning producer, an award-winning author, and producer and host of the  Black and...

Host Jason Blitman sits down with bookish-multihyphenate Brian Larson aka @brian.reads who shares what he's been reading and talks about his new podcast, The Shelf Care Society. Brian Larson is the author of The Afterparty (publishing June 2027) a memoir that reframes sobriety not as loss but as liberation. Known as @brian.reads on social media, he is the founder of Shelf Care Society, a book club...

Host Jason Blitman is joined by acclaimed author George Saunders who talks about his new novel,  Vigil .  Conversation highlights include: 🎭 Comparisons to Shakespeare 🕯️ Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol 🍔 George's Last Meal George Saunders  is the author of nine books, including the novel  Lincoln in the Bardo,  which won the Man Booker Prize, and the story collections ...

Host  Jason Blitman  sits down with author  Nina McConigley  ( How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder ) to talk about what she’s been reading lately—beyond Eric Carle’s  The Very Lonely Firefly . Plus:  head to the  Gays Reading  Substack to hear Nina talk about adapting  Cowboys and East Indians  for the stage, now playing at the Denver Center throug...

Host Jason Blitman talks to author Gabriel Tallent about his new book, Crux.  Conversation highlights include: 💈 The surprising number of hot gay barbers in Salt Lake 🧗🏼‍♂️ What drawing a climb looks like ⭐️ Ambition and legacy Gabriel Tallent is the author of the  New York Times -bestselling novel  My Absolute Darling.  He was born in New Mexico and raised on the Mend...

Host Jason Blitman talks to author Annie Summerlee about what she's been reading as she awaited the publication of her book: The Book of Blood and Roses. Annie Summerlee  lives in Spain with her partner, two cats, and a rescue dog. Her short stories have been featured in  404 Ink, Litro,  and  So To Speak,  as well as other magazines and anthologies. She also writes in Cat...