Podcast
Gays Reading
Best authors. Best banter. Host — and gay reader — Jason Blitman is joined each week by bestselling authors, VIP gay readers, cultural icons, and other special guests for lively, spoiler-free conversations. Gays Reading celebrates LGBTQIA+ and ally authors and storytellers through fun, thoughtful, and insightful discussions. Whether you're gay, straight, or somewhere in between, if you love great books or great conversation, Gays Reading is for you.
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- Episodes
- 246
- Releases
- Twice a week
- Typical length
- 52 min
- On air since
- 2023
- Latest episode
- 19 hours ago
Episodes
246 episodes, newest first
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54 min
Jodi Picoult, Hollow Bones
Episode 246
Show notes
Prolific author Jodi Picoult joins Jason to discuss her 30th book, Hollow Bones. Along the way, they dig into musicals, PostSecret, and even recite the preamble to the Constitution.
Jodi Picoult is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of thirty novels, including By Any Other Name, Mad Honey (co-authored with Jennifer Finney Boylan), Wish You Were Here, The Book of Two Ways, A Spark of Light, Small Great Things, Leaving Time, and My Sister’s Keeper, and, with daughter Samantha van Leer, two young adult novels, Between the Lines and Off the Page. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband.
CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com
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41 min
What Are You Reading? feat. Jane Leeves
Episode 245
Show notes
Frasier star Jane Leeves joins Jason to talk about the books she's loved throughout her life, the first editions she and her husband collect, and her new memoir, Daphne & Me, a look back at her years on the beloved sitcom.
Jane Leeves was born in Ilford, Essex, England. She had her start on The Benny Hill Show, then appeared in many popular sitcoms such as Seinfeld and Murder She Wrote and landed a recurring role on Murphy Brown as Audrey Cohen. In addition to Frasier, she starred in the Emmy Award–winning TV Land series Hot in Cleveland and graced the world of theater as Sally Bowles in Cabaret on Broadway. Leeves has starred on the big screen, as well, in movies like Music of the Heart. In 2018, she joined the Fox medical drama The Resident. Leeves lives in Malibu, California, with her husband, Marshall Coben, with whom she has two children.
CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com
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53 min
Yiyun Li, Music Against the Night
Episode 244
Show notes
When Ann Patchett was on Gays Reading, the must-read book she discussed was Music Against the Night, so it's no surprise that author Yiyun Li joins Jason to talk about it. They discuss how she reads Moby-Dick annually, her relationship to music, and how she first learned of John Field, the subject of Music Against the Night.
Yiyun Li is the author of several works of fiction—Wednesday’s Child; The Book of Goose; Must I Go; Where Reasons End; Kinder Than Solitude; Gold Boy, Emerald Girl; The Vagrants; and A Thousand Years of Good Prayers—and the memoirs Things in Nature Merely Grow and Dear Friend, from My Life I Write to You in Your Life. She is the recipient of many awards, including a Pulitzer Prize, a PEN/Faulkner Award, a PEN/Malamud Award, a PEN/Hemingway Award, a PEN/Jean Stein Book Award, a MacArthur Fellowship, and a Windham–Campbell Prize, and was a finalist for the National Book Award. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, A Public Space, The Best American Short Stories, and The PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories, among other publications. She teaches at Princeton University and lives in Princeton, New Jersey.
CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com
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46 min
What Are You Reading? feat. Elizabeth Gilbert
Episode 243
Show notes
Prolific writer Elizabeth Gilbert talks about what she's been reading (a set of books recommended by her local indie bookstore), the books she buys in bulk to give away, and her latest book, All the Way to the River, Oprah's Book Club selection last September.
Elizabeth Gilbert is the author of nine previous works of fiction and nonfiction, which collectively have sold more than 25 million copies worldwide, spent more than two hundred weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, and been translated into more than fifty languages. She has been a finalist for the National Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the PEN/Hemingway Award. With more than 20 million views of her TED Talk and 2.7 million followers on her social media accounts, she continues to be one of the most beloved and influential writers of our age.
CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com
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53 min
Mary Beth Keane, Whale Harbor
Episode 242
Show notes
New York Times bestselling author Mary Beth Keane (Ask Again, Yes) joins Jason to talk about her newest novel, Whale Harbor. They get into how the book echoes her own family, the most exciting thing that’s ever happened to her, and the surprising freedom of discovering that the worst thing that could happen might not be so bad after all.
Mary Beth Keane is the author of five novels, including the New York Times bestseller Ask Again, Yes. She was awarded a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship for fiction writing and has received citations from the National Book Foundation, PEN America, and the Hemingway Society. Born in the Bronx to parents from the west of Ireland, she lives in New York with her husband and two sons.
CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com
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47 min
Rebecca Birrell, Venus, Vanishing
Episode 241
Show notes
Jason talks to debut author Rebecca Birrell about her novel Venus, Vanishing, this month's selection for The Nod™️ by Gays Reading with Aardvark Book Club.
Rebecca Birrell is an art historian and a Bye-Fellow in the History of Art at Murray Edwards College, University of Cambridge. She was formerly the curator of nineteenth and twentieth century paintings and drawings at the Fitzwilliam Museum and has occupied curatorial positions at the Jewish Museum London, the Department of Prints and Drawing at the British Museum, and at the Charleston Trust. She studied English literature at University College London, followed by a master's in women’s studies at the University of Oxford and a PhD from the Edinburgh College of Art. Venus, Vanishing is her debut novel.
CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com
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52 min
Ríoghnach Robinson, Bad Words
Episode 240
Show notes
Jason is joined by Ríoghnach Robinson, author of Bad Words--this month’s Good Morning America Book Club pick--to talk about reviews, what makes us feel most human, Taylor Swift, and--maybe most importantly--their love of em dashes.
RÍOGHNACH (pronounced ree-uh-nock) ROBINSON grew up in North Carolina, studied economics at Kenyon College, and now lives in New York City. Her books for young readers, including Lambda Award winner Come Home to My Heart, are published under the pen name Riley Redgate. She has also written for WEBTOON and The Onion, America's Finest News Source. You can find her on Instagram at @rioghnachrobinson. Bad Words is her first adult novel.
CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com
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35 min
What Are You Reading? feat. David Lauterstein
Episode 239
Show notes
David Lauterstein, founder of iconic queer menswear brand, Nasty Pig, joins Jason to talk books--what he's reading now, and what went into writing Sodomy Gods, a love story for everyone, which he recently released as an audiobook.
David Lauterstein is among the most influential forces in queer culture, celebrated as an unapologetic champion for sex-positivity since co-founding the iconic Nasty Pig fashion brand in1994. As its CEO, he has been honored for his trailblazing entrepreneurship, his philanthropic efforts supporting homeless queer youth, and by the White House for his decades of public health advocacy. A formally trained poet and house music producer, Lauterstein resides in New York City with his husband and Nasty Pig co-founder, Frederick Kearney. Sodomy Gods is his first book.
CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com
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56 min
Deesha Philyaw, The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman
Episode 238
Show notes
Jason is joined by National Book Award finalist Deesha Philyaw to discuss her debut novel, The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman. Deesha shares why she ghosted a hookup, the talent she'd perform if she were in a pageant, why queerness plays such a big role in her books, and much more.
Deesha Philyaw’s debut short story collection, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, won the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, the Story Prize, the LA Times Book Prize: The Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction and was a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction. Deesha is a Kimbilio Fiction Fellow, a Baldwin for the Arts Fellow, a United States Artists Fellow, and co-host of two podcasts, Ursa Short Fiction (with Dawnie Walton) and Reckon True Stories (with Kiese Laymon). She is currently at work developing TV shows based on her short fiction.
CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com
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46 min
What Are You Reading? feat. Meg Mason
Episode 237
Show notes
Meg Mason (Sorrow and Bliss) joins Jason to talk about her new novel, Sophie, Standing There, a Reese's Book Club pick, and the books she's been reading between stops on her worldwide book tour.
Meg Mason is the author of Sorrow and Bliss, which became an international bestseller after it was first published in Australia. Winner of the British Book Industry Book of the Year, and shortlisted for the Women’s Prize, it has since been translated into more than 30 languages. Her first career was in journalism, beginning at the Times of London, later writing for Vogue, Elle, GQ, Sunday Style, and The New Yorker’s Daily Shouts and Murmurs. Born in New Zealand, she lives in Sydney with her husband and two daughters.
CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com
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58 min
Min Jin Lee, American Hagwon
Episode 236
Show notes
Jason talks with author Min Jin Lee (Pachinko) about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, her experience taking a class with The Artist's Way author Julia Cameron, why she's quick to curse, her new novel American Hagwon, and everything in between.
Min Jin Lee is the author of the novels Free Food for Millionaires and Pachinko, a finalist for the National Book Award, runner-up for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and a New York Times “100 Best Books of the Century.” She serves as the New York State Author Laureate from 2025 through 2027. She is the 2024 recipient of The Fitzgerald Prize for Literary Excellence. Lee has received the Manhae Grand Prize for Literature, the Bucheon Diaspora Literary Award, and the Samsung Happiness for Tomorrow Award for Creativity from South Korea. She is the recipient of fellowships in Fiction from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Harvard Radcliffe Institute, and the New York Foundation for the Arts. Lee is an inductee of the New York Foundation for the Arts Hall of Fame and the New York State Writers Hall of Fame. She lives in Harlem with her family.
CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com
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29 min
What Are You Reading? feat. Meg Howrey
Episode 235
Show notes
Author Meg Howrey (They're Going to Love You) communed with her bookshelves to identify books that shaped her as a writer. She's self-taught, no MFA, no workshops, just a reader. Meg also talks about her latest novel, Body Language.
Meg Howrey is the author of the novels Blind Sight, The Cranes Dance, The Wanderers, and most recently, They’re Going to Love You, which was a New York Times Editor’s Choice, and a New Yorker Best Book of 2022. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Granta, Harvard Review, Vogue, and the Los Angeles Review of Books. A former professional dancer, she currently lives in Los Angeles.
CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com
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54 min
Lucy Foley, Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel
Episode 234
Show notes
Jason talks to author Lucy Foley (The Guest List) about her experience working with the Agatha Christie estate to create a new Miss Marple book, Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel. They talk about what makes a Foley Christie book, the things one can do on a ski vacation, her research trip to St. Moritz, and much more.
Lucy Foley studied English literature at Durham University and University College London and worked for several years as a fiction editor in the publishing industry. She is the author of five novels including The Paris Apartment, The Guest List, The Hunting Party, and The Midnight Feast. She lives in London. For updates about the book and tour, follow Lucy on social media at @lucyfoleyauthor.
CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com
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32 min
What Are You Reading? feat. Nik Sharma
Episode 233
Show notes
Molecular biologist turned award-winning chef, food writer, photographer, and bestselling cookbook author Nik Sharma shares what he's been reading lately and talks about his forthcoming cookbook, Fundamentals of Flavor.
Nik Sharma is the bestselling author of cookbooks celebrated for blending culinary science with deeply personal storytelling: Season, The Flavor Equation, and Veg-Table. A former molecular biologist, Sharma brings a unique lens to the kitchen, where flavor is both a feeling and a formula. He serves as Editor in Residence at America's Test Kitchen, where he hosts the YouTube show Flavor Forward with Nik Sharma, is a co-host of the show In the Test Kitchen on Netflix, and is a cast member on the upcoming America’s Test Kitchen show on PBS. Sharma is the creator of the award-winning blog Nik Sharma Cooks (formerly A Brown Table), and his writing and photography have been featured in The San Francisco Chronicle, The New York Times, The Guardian, and The Wall Street Journal, among others. He lives in Los Angeles, California, where he's always dreaming up his next recipe.
CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com
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50 min
Emily St. John Mandel, Exit Party
Episode 232
Show notes
Jason is joined by author Emily St. John Mandel to talk about her new novel, Exit Party. They share how the end of the world is going for each of them, the state of knowing and not knowing something, Emily's evolution of embracing her bisexuality in writing this new novel, among other things.
EMILY ST. JOHN MANDEL is the author of six novels, most recently Sea of Tranquility, which has been translated into 25 languages and was selected by President Barack Obama as one of his favorite books of 2022. Her previous novels include The Glass Hotel, which was also on Obama’s list, was shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, and has been translated into 26 languages; and Station Eleven, which was a finalist for a National Book Award and the PEN/Faulkner Award, won the 2015 Arthur C. Clarke Award among other honors, has been translated into 36 languages, and aired as a limited series on HBO Max. She lives in New York City and Los Angeles.
CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com
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35 min
What Are You Reading? feat. Alexis Nikole Nelson aka Black Forager
Episode 231
Show notes
The internet's favorite forager, Alexis Nikole Nelson aka Black Forager, talks to Jason about what's she's been reading and shares insights about her new book, Happy Snacking, Don't Die!
Alexis Nikole Nelson, best known to most people as Black Forager, is a social media creator, vegan, urban forager, and outdoor educator who has amassed millions of followers. Her mother first showed her how to forage at the age of five by introducing her to onion grass. Now Alexis posts videos of her foraging finds in a playful, humorous way, whether she is exploring a nearby park or searching in her neighbor’s front yard, proving that anyone can try their hand at foraging. Alexis also takes these plants home with her to use in her creative vegan cooking. Her posts often address topics such as the indigenous roots of foraging in America, the history of American foraging laws, and sustainable ways for her viewers to include wild plants and mushrooms in their diets. Alexis has been featured in a broad range of media from The New York Times to Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and she was named a Time100 Creator in 2025. Alexis lives in Columbus, Ohio. Follow her on X, Instagram, and YouTube @BlackForager.
CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com
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52 min
Marlon James, The Disappearers
Episode 230
Show notes
Jason is joined by Marlon James to talk about his Booker Prize longlisted novel, The Disappearers. They cover topics like Dolly Parton, growing up gay in Jamaica, the ballet that changed his life, and much more.
Marlon James is the Booker Prize–winning and New York Times bestselling author of A Brief History of Seven Killings; the bestselling and National Book Award finalist Black Leopard, Red Wolf; as well as the bestselling Moon Witch, Spider King; The Book of Night Women; and John Crow’s Devil. In addition to the Booker Prize, James’s novels have won the American Book Award, the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature, and the Los Angeles Times Ray Bradbury Prize for Science Fiction, and have been finalists for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the NAACP Image Award. The recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and named in 2019 one of Time magazine’s one hundred most influential people in the world, James lives in New York City.
CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com
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56 min
Josh Silver, Fruit Fly
Episode 229
Show notes
Jason talks to author Josh Silver about his breakout hit that everyone's talking about, Fruit Fly, this month's selection for The Nod™️ by Gays Reading with Aardvark Book Club.
Josh Silver is the author of HappyHead, which was shortlisted for the YA Book Prize and nominated for the Carnegie Medal, its sequel, Dead Happy, and Erase Me. His experience working with teenagers as a mental health nurse inspired the critically acclaimed duology.
CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com
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52 min
Chloe Benjamin, Under Story
Episode 228
Show notes
Jason talks to author Chloe Benjamin, whose latest novel, Under Story was just announced as September 2026's Good Morning America Book Club pick. They discuss the various adventures writing the book took Chloe on, mushroom and psychedelic experiences, our relationship to time, and more.
Chloe Benjamin is the author of The Immortalists, a New York Times bestseller, and The Anatomy of Dreams. A Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection, LibraryReads favorite, and #1 Indie Next pick, The Immortalists was named a best book of 2018 by NPR, The Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, and others. The Anatomy of Dreams received the Edna Ferber Fiction Book Award and was longlisted for the 2014 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize. Originally from San Francisco, CA, Chloe is a graduate of Vassar College and the M.F.A. in fiction at the University of Wisconsin. Her work has been translated into over thirty languages. She lives with her husband in the San Francisco Bay Area.
CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com
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50 min
Liane Moriarty, Big Little Truths
Episode 227
Show notes
Jason talks to author Liane Moriarty about her newest novel (and first sequel), Big Little Truths. They discuss what makes her feel like a queen, the lyrics to "Come on Eileen," and that time she may or may not have been a taxi driver.
Liane Moriarty is the author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers Big Little Lies, Apples Never Fall, The Husband’s Secret, Truly Madly Guilty, and Here One Moment; the New York Times bestsellers Nine Perfect Strangers, What Alice Forgot, and The Last Anniversary; The Hypnotist’s Love Story; and Three Wishes. She lives in Sydney, Australia, with her husband and two children.
CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com
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