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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
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 Catalan and Spanish.
Announcing the February Gays Reading Book Club Pick...
⭐️ MISSING SAM by Thrity Umrigar, the bestselling author of HONOR
At first glance, MISSING SAM looks like a classic thriller: a woman goes missing after a morning run and her wife is left behind to search for answers. But very quickly, this book becomes something much deeper. The book is about what happens when grief collides with prejud...
Host Jason Blitman chats with author Emily Austin about her latest novel, Is This a Cry for Help?
Conversation highlights include:
- Emily’s habit of endlessly rewriting the pitch at the top of her manuscript
- The ethics of librarianship and why access to information matters
- Bug killing, sex dens, and everything in between
Emily Austin is the author of We Could Be Rats, Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be ...
Host Jason Blitman sits down with Sarah Dickinson, creator and host of popular podcast Sarah’s Bookshelves Live, to talk about the books she’s most excited to read in 2026.
Conversation highlights include:
- Anticipated book trends for the year ahead
- Why first lines should be part of a book's marketing material
- Feelings on classic books
Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE
CONTACT! hello@gay...
Host Jason Blitman kicks off 2026 by revisiting some of the quiet yet impactful moments from Gays Reading episodes in 2025.
Featured in this episode are conversations with:
- Rabih Alameddine
- Daniel Black
- Jennifer Finney Boylan
- Karissa Chen
- Prabal Gurung
- Dylin Hardcastle
- Rickey Laurentiis
- Nathan H. Lents
- Sameer Pandya
- V.E. Schwab
Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE
CONTACT! hello@...
In the final episode of 2025, host Jason Blitman sits down with author and critic Marion Winik for a wide-ranging, bookish conversation. Winik shares her top ten favorite fiction reads of the year and reflects on her memoir First Comes Love as it celebrates its 30th anniversary—plus the release of its new audiobook. Even more from this conversation, including top ten nonfiction books and excl...
Host Jason Blitman sits down with literary icon John Irving to discuss his latest novel, Queen Esther. Their wide-ranging conversation touches on the story behind Irving’s first tattoo, what it truly means to be an ally, where he finds optimism in uncertain times, and the deeply personal experiences that continue to shape his writing—plus plenty more along the way.
John Irving was born in Exeter, New Hampshire, in 1942. His...
In this episode, host Jason Blitman sits down with Alex Snodgrass (aka The Defined Dish) to talk all things book club menus—how to plan them, why they matter, and how food can deepen the reading experience. Using Alex’s recent book club gathering for Conform as a case study, the conversation expands to include Conform author Ariel Sullivan, who joins to unpack the creative collaboration behind the menu and the meal. As part of our ...
Host Jason Blitman sits down with Reginald Dwayne Betts—poet, lawyer, and founder of Freedom Reads—for an intimate conversation about transforming America's prison system one library at a time.
In an extraordinary turn of events, Dwayne receives a live call from Jermaine, a friend currently incarcerated at Lawrenceville Correctional Facility. Jermaine joins the conversation to share how not having a Freedom Reads libr...
In this re-release 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.
Highlights include:
📖 The legacy of this iconic story
🎭 Insider behind-the-scenes
🎤 Unforgettable...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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