Gays Reading

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 and great conversation, Gays Reading is for you.

Episodes

November 25, 2025 63 mins

In this Thanksgiving week episode, host Jason Blitman talks to brand-new-dad Justinian Huang about his paper baby, Lucky Seed.

Conversation highlights:
👻 hungry ghosts and superstitions
🤳🏼 social media and millennials
🦃 tips for navigating family during Thanksgiving

Guest Gay Reader™️ this week is White Lotus and Overcompensating favorite--and avid reader--Lukas Gage.

Justinian Huang’s...

Mark as Played

Host Jason Blitman sits down with author Olivia Laing (The Lonely City) to talk about their new book, The Silver Book.

In this conversation, they dive into:
🎥 making art and Italian cinema
🏳️‍🌈 the role queerness plays throughout Laing’s work
🗣️ how identity becomes a negotiation with—and around—fakeness

Plus, this week’s Guest Gay Reader™️ is Michael Galyean (aka Dancing Blue Shirt Guy), who shares what he’s been rea...

Mark as Played

In this *spoiler free* conversation, host Jason Blitman talks to author Erin O. White about her book LIKE FAMILY, the December Gays Reading Book Club pick with Allstora.

LIKE FAMILY — a warm, big-hearted debut about the beautiful, messy, complicated ways we love one another. Set in a picturesque town in upstate New York, the novel follows three interconnected couples navigating friendship, parenthood, queer identity, jealo...

Mark as Played

Host Jason Blitman talks to award-winning Irish writer Gráinne O'Hare about her debut novel, Thirst Trap

Conversation highlights include:
❤️‍🔥 icks on dates
🙃 drunk alter egos 
🧡 Taylor Swift
👯‍♀️ long friendships

Next up is Guest Gay Reader™️ Brian Schaefer who talks about what he's been reading (hint: it's NOT books!), the book club he has with his mom, and shares the inspo behind his debut nove...

Mark as Played

Host Jason Blitman is joined by Aja Gabel to talk about her first novel in nearly a decade, Lightbreakers

Conversation highlights include:
✍🏻 the death of handwriting 
🧪 science vs art 
💭 what memory means to us

Jason's then joined by Guest Gay Reader™️ Anthony Delaney who shares a giant stack of books he's reading as well as shares about his new book, Queer Enlightenments. 

Aja Gabel is the author...

Mark as Played

Host Jason Blitman sits down with returning Gays Reading guest Catherine Newman (Sandwich) to talk about her new book, Wreck.

Conversation highlights include:
🤧 Ailments, of course.
😵‍💫 Anxiety, of course.
💻 The Portal, you understand.
🥳 But also a lot of fun stuff, too.

Jason is then joined by Guest Gay Reader™️ Rachel Runya Katz to hear about what she's been reading (get ready for so...

Mark as Played

Host Jason Blitman talks to bestselling author Tom Ryan about his latest adult mystery, We Had A Hunch

Highlights include:
🕵🏻‍♂️ a love of mysteries
✍🏻 how Tom taught himself to write
🎤 a question that Tom calls "Barbara Walters level journalism"

Jason is then joined by Guest Gay Reader™️, RuPaul's Drag Race superstar, Kim Chi about what she's been reading as well as her new books, Kim Chi Eats t...

Mark as Played

Prepare to grow your already overflowing TBR (sorry, not sorry!) with our new series What Are You Reading?. In this episode, host Jason Blitman sits down with Pentatonix and Dancing with the Stars' Scott Hoying and Mark Hoying to chat about the books that they've been reading recently and about their new children's book, Fa La La Family.

Scott Hoying is a Grammy and Emily award-winning singer, songwriter, a...

Mark as Played

In this *spoiler free* conversation, host Jason Blitman talks to author Victoria Redel about her book I AM YOU, the November Gays Reading Book Club pick with Allstora.

I AM YOU subverts the idea of a 17th-century historical novel  — it’s intimate, modern, and deeply queer in the way it explores gender, art, and identity. The characters feel so alive and complex that you can’t help but get pulled into their world, which mak...

Mark as Played

Host Jason Blitman talks with Megha Majumdar about her acclaimed second novel, A Guardian and a Thief—recently nominated for the Kirkus Prize and shortlisted for the National Book Award.

Conversation highlights include:
🐢 fables and folktales
🦬 interpretations of cave art
🤔 moral quandaries
🎶 concerts and music taste

Jason is then joined by Guest Gay Reader™️ Brandon Taylor about tennis, what might tempt...

Mark as Played

Host Jason Blitman talks to author Lily King about her newest novel, Heart the Lover

Conversation highlights include:
👩🏼‍🏫 weird classes we took in college
📝 beautiful sentences 
🃏 a love of card games
💌 a story about letters from an ex-boyfriend

Jason is then joined by Guest Gay Reader Dustin Thao who shares what he's been reading and talks about his book, You've Found Oliver.

Notes from th...

Mark as Played

Prepare to grow your already overflowing TBR (sorry, not sorry!) with our new series What Are You Reading?. In this episode, host Jason Blitman sits down with Heather Aimee O’Neill—debut author of The Irish Goodbye, this month’s Read with Jenna pick—to chat about the books that have been keeping her company lately.

Heather Aimee O’Neill is a poet, a teacher, and the assistant director of the Sackett Street Writers’ Workshop. She liv...

Mark as Played

⚠️ Quick note: In today’s episode, one of Jade’s answers unfortunately disappears into the ether. It turned out not to be as simple of a fix as we first hoped, but as soon as we’re able to repair it, we’ll update the file. Thanks for listening (and for rolling with the hiccups)

Host Jason Blitman talks to author Jade Chang about her newest novel, What a Time to Be Alive

Highlights include:
🎶 The Nanny theme song
�...

Mark as Played

Get ready to add to your ever-growing TBR (we're sorry!) because Gays Reading is kicking off the new series What Are You Reading?. On this episode, host Jason Blitman talks to Sarah Dickinson, host of Sarah's Bookshelves Live, about some of the books she's been reading recently. 

Sarah’s Bookshelves Live is a weekly book podcast featuring real talk about books and recommendations from a featured bookish guest.

Support ...

Mark as Played

Host Jason Blitman talks to 2025 Kirkus and National Book Award longlisted author Angela Flournoy about her newest book, THE WILDERNESS. 

Highlights include:
🪣 Angela's bucket list   
🗓️ the 10 year journey of writing this book
🎃 The Candy Corn Community
🤫 secret family recipes 
🍽️ "group of 7" dinner party guests

Jason is then joined by Guest Gay Reader™️ Rickey Laurentiis, who wa...

Mark as Played

Host Jason Blitman talks to Eliana Ramage about her debut novel, TO THE MOON AND BACK, this month’s Reese’s Book Club pick. 

Highlights include:
💭 many childhood ambitions
📚 Reading Rainbow contest trauma
🌈 the intersection of queerness and Cherokeeness
🧜🏻‍♀️ comparisons to The Little Mermaid

Jason is then joined by Guest Gay Reader™️ M.L. Rio, who shares what she’s been reading, gives Shakespeare beg...

Mark as Played

In this *spoiler free* conversation, host Jason Blitman talks to author Alejandro Varela, about his book MIDDLE SPOON, the October Gays Reading Book Club pick with Allstora.

MIDDLE SPOON unpacks what happens when you’ve got the husband, the kids, the bougie life… AND you’re going through a breakup with your boyfriend. Provocative, witty, and deeply human—this one’s not afraid to challenge the so-called “rules” of love.

Alej...

Mark as Played

Get ready to add to your ever-growing TBR (we're sorry!) because Gays Reading is kicking off the new series What Are You Reading?. On this episode, Jason talks to the host of Bookends, the CBC's literary podcast, Mattea Roach, to learn about what they've been reading recently.

About Bookends: the CBC's literary podcast
When the book ends, the conversation begins. Mattea Roach speaks with writers who...

Mark as Played

Host Jason Blitman talks to Patrick Ryan about his new novel, Buckeye, which is this month’s Read with Jenna Book Club selection. They talk about writing inspirations, father-son relationships, and Ryan's love for pinball. Jason is then joined by Guest Gay Reader, Rabih Alameddine (The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother)) his perspective on dealing with trauma, devotion, and forgiveness.

Patrick Rya...

Mark as Played

Host Jason Blitman kicks off season 5 with political leader and author Stacey Abrams discussing her latest legal thriller, Coded Justice, the role of AI in healthcare, and what it means to be a professional troublemaker. Later, Jason is joined by Dan Pelosi, beloved for his culinary adventures on Instagram as @grossypelosi, who chats about his new cookbook Let's Party.

STACEY ABRAMS is a New York Times bestselling aut...

Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

    Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.

    Crime Junkie

    Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.

    The Breakfast Club

    The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!

    Dateline NBC

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.