Gays Reading

Jason Blitman
  • 5.0 (105)
  • BOOKS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

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.

  1. What Are You Reading? feat. Sapphira Cristál

    5H AGO

    What Are You Reading? feat. Sapphira Cristál

    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 theatrical lip syncs and six-octave range. She is renowned as a charismatic host who forges a special connection with her audiences. Sapphira holds 16 pageant crowns and has performed globally. In 2024, she was thrice the guest artist in Madonna’s Celebration Tour, and she debuted her original operatic production, Soundcake, with Monét X Change and Thorgy Thor at Lincoln Center. Afterward, she brought her one-woman show, The Cristál Ball Tour, across North America. Sapphira works to inspire young people through appearances at colleges, youth camps, and high schools. She taught several years of master classes in drag makeup and performance at Emerson College, and she has given artist talks at Rockland Community College. An experienced attitude and stage presence coach, Sapphira has also taught master classes at the Philadelphia Burlesque Academy and various dance studios. Whenever she gets the chance, Sapphira partners with charitable organizations to raise funds to change people's lives. Her personal credo is: "There is no better exercise for the heart than reaching down to lift someone up," and she has made it her mission to uplift, encourage and inspire those around her. Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE SUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    25 min
  2. Tayari Jones, Kin

    3D AGO

    Tayari Jones, Kin

    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/ Tayari Jones is the author of four novels, most recently An American Marriage, which was an Oprah’s Book Club selection and also appeared on Barack Obama’s summer reading list and his year-end roundup. It won the Women’s Prize for Fiction, the Aspen Words Literary Prize, and an NAACP Image Award and has been published in two dozen countries. Jones is the C.H. Candler Professor of English and Creative Writing at Emory University and lives in Atlanta. Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE SUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    55 min
  3. What Are You Reading? feat. Misha Brown

    FEB 20

    What Are You Reading? feat. Misha Brown

    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 shot to notoriety on TikTok in 2021 with the viral Lessons in Not Crossing a Gay Man series, amassing over 6 million followers. Named Motivational Creator of the Year and honored by the Webby Awards for social impact, he also earned a Best Comedy Podcast nomination from the Podcast Academy. Misha’s work has been spotlighted by People, USA Today, and Good Morning America, cementing his status as one of the most compelling voices online. Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE SUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    36 min
  4. Kate Quinn, The Astral Library

    FEB 17

    Kate Quinn, The Astral Library

    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 USA Today bestselling author of historical fiction. A native of Southern California, she attended Boston University, where she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in classical voice. A lifelong history buff, she has written four novels in the Empress of Rome Saga and two books set in the Italian Renaissance before turning to the 20th century with The Alice Network, The Huntress, The Rose Code, The Diamond Eye, and The Briar Club. The Astral Library is her first foray into magic realism. She and her husband now live in Maryland with their rescue dogs. Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE SUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    48 min
  5. March Book Club: Grant Ginder, So Old, So Young

    FEB 15

    March Book Club: Grant Ginder, So Old, So Young

    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 what you get: A SIGNED copy of the book!30% off everything on Allstora’s websiteAccess to our Book Club chatEvery subscription donates a children’s book to an LGBTQIA+ youthA book club that exclusively supports LGBTQIA+ authorsAnd more along the way Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE SUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    31 min
  6. Patmeena Sabit, Good People

    FEB 9

    Patmeena Sabit, Good People

    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 was born in Kabul a few years after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. When she was a month old, her family fled the conflict and became refugees in Pakistan, joining the millions of other Afghans that had sought refuge there. They later moved to the United States and she grew up in Virginia. She currently lives in Toronto. Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE SUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    45 min
  7. What Are You Reading? feat. April Reynolds

    FEB 6

    What Are You Reading? feat. April Reynolds

    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 Award. She co-wrote The Red Rooster Cookbook with Marcus Samuelson and is co-editor, with Henry Louis Gates Jr., of The Toni Morrison Reader and The Zora Neale Hurston Reader. Reynolds has taught creative writing at New York University and the 92nd Street Y, and currently teaches at Sarah Lawrence College. A former resident of East Harlem, she now lives in Astoria, Queens. Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE SUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    32 min
  8. Nikesha Elise Williams, The Seven Daughters of Dupree

    FEB 3

    Nikesha Elise Williams, The Seven Daughters of Dupree

    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 Published podcast. A narrative strategist by day and journalist always, her work has appeared in The Washington Post, Essence, and Vox. Nikesha is a Kimbilio Fiction Fellow and a DeGroot Foundation Writer of Note grantee. A Chicago native, she lives in Florida with her family. Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE SUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    41 min
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About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    Jason Blitman
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    180
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Gays Reading
  • Show Website
    Gays Reading

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