Gays Reading

Jason Blitman
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Gays Reading

Great authors. Real talk. Really fun. 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.

  1. Ruben Reyes Jr. (Archive of Unknown Universes) feat. Chloe Michelle Howarth, Guest Gay Reader

    11H AGO

    Ruben Reyes Jr. (Archive of Unknown Universes) feat. Chloe Michelle Howarth, Guest Gay Reader

    Host Jason Blitman sits down with Ruben Reyes Jr. to discuss his highly anticipated debut novel, Archive of Unknown Universes, which follows his acclaimed story collection, There is a Rio Grande in Heaven. Their conversation ranges from advocating for the perfect 90-minute movie runtime to how specifics become universal, plus Ruben's late-in-life discovery of musical legends Joni Mitchell and Alanis Morissette. Jason then welcomes Guest Gay Reader Chloe Michelle Howarth (Sunburn), the debut Irish novelist who reveals her unexpected new taste for queer horror fiction and love of translated literature. Ruben Reyes Jr. is the son of two Salvadoran immigrants and the author of There Is a Rio Grande in Heaven. A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and Harvard College, his writing has appeared in The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, Lightspeed Magazine, and other publications. Originally from Southern California, he now lives in Brooklyn. Chloe Michelle Howarth was born in July 1996. She grew up in the West Cork countryside, which has served as an inspiration for her writing. She attended university at IADT in Dun Laoghaire, Dublin, where she studied English, Media and Cultural Studies. Chloe currently lives in Brighton. Sunburn is her debut novel. BOOK CLUB! Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE July Book: Disappoint Me by Nicola Dinan SUBSTACK! https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH! http://gaysreading.printful.me PARTNERSHIP! Use code READING to get 15% off your madeleine order! https://cornbread26.com/ WATCH! https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW! Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitman Bluesky: @gaysreading | @jasonblitman CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com

    1h 8m
  2. Dylin Hardcastle (A Language of Limbs) feat. Benedict Nguyễn, Guest Gay Reader

    JUL 1

    Dylin Hardcastle (A Language of Limbs) feat. Benedict Nguyễn, Guest Gay Reader

    Host Jason Blitman talks with author Dylin Hardcastle about their new book A Language of Limbs. They explore what it means to be fully present, and Dylin offers insights into the fascinating history of Claude Cahun, the pioneering French artist and writer, then reflects on their experience living in an all-trans household. Dylin opens up about their relationship with their aunt and the transformative journey of self-discovery and identity. The episode continues with Guest Gay Reader Benedict Nguyễn, who discusses her current reads and introduces her latest book, Hot Girls with Balls. Dylin Hardcastle (they/them) is an award-winning author, artist, and screenwriter. They are the author of Below Deck (2020), Breathing Under Water (2016), and Running Like China (2015). Their work has been published to critical acclaim in eleven territories and translated into eight languages. A Language of Limbs won the Kathleen Mitchell Award through Creative Australia. The novel has been optioned by Curio (Sony Pictures) and is in development. Benedict Nguyễn is a dancer and gym buff who works as a creative producer in live performance. She’s written for The Baffler, BOMB, Los Angeles Review of Books, Vanity Fair, The Brooklyn Rail, The Margins, and other publications. In 2022, she published nasty notes, the redacted-email zine on freelance labor. Hot Girls with Balls is her first novel. @xbennyboo BOOK CLUB! Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE July Book: Disappoint Me by Nicola Dinan SUBSTACK! https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH! http://gaysreading.printful.me PARTNERSHIP! Use code READING to get 15% off your madeleine order! https://cornbread26.com/ WATCH! https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW! Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitman Bluesky: @gaysreading | @jasonblitman CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com

    1h 4m
  3. Joe Westmoreland (Tramps Like Us) feat. Rob Franklin, Guest Gay Reader

    JUN 26

    Joe Westmoreland (Tramps Like Us) feat. Rob Franklin, Guest Gay Reader

    Host Jason Blitman sits down with author Joe Westmoreland to discuss the newly republished edition of his 2001 novel, Tramps Like Us. They explore the book’s evolution from memoir to fiction, delve into the “Pink Bubble” technique, and revisit untold stories from Joe’s hitchhiking days that didn’t make it into the final draft. They also reflect on how everything seems to be constantly changing—yet somehow coming full circle. Later, Jason is joined by Guest Gay Reader Rob Franklin, who shares what he’s been reading and shares about his new book, Great Black Hope. Joe Westmoreland is the author of the novel Tramps Like Us, originally published in 2001. His writing has appeared in several anthologies, zines, and catalogues for art exhibitions. He lives with his partner, the artist Charles Atlas, in New York City. Born and raised in Atlanta, Rob Franklin is a writer of fiction and poetry, and a cofounder of Art for Black Lives. A Kimbilio Fiction Fellow and finalist for the New England Review Emerging Writer Award, he has published work in New England Review, Prairie Schooner, and The Rumpus among others. Franklin lives in Brooklyn, New York, and teaches writing at the School of Visual Arts. Great Black Hope is his first novel. BOOK CLUB! Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE July Book: Disappoint Me by Nicola Dinan SUBSTACK! https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH! http://gaysreading.printful.me PARTNERSHIP! Use code READING to get 15% off your madeleine order! https://cornbread26.com/ WATCH! https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW! Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitman Bluesky: @gaysreading | @jasonblitman CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com

    1h 2m
  4. Leila Mottley (The Girls Who Grew Big) feat. Chip Pons, Guest Gay Reader

    JUN 24

    Leila Mottley (The Girls Who Grew Big) feat. Chip Pons, Guest Gay Reader

    Host Jason Blitman sits down with author Leila Mottley (The Girls Who Grew Big) to discuss her experience as a doula and how it shaped her portrayals of motherhood. They explore themes of friendship, family, shame, and the evolving landscape of abortion laws in Florida. Later, Jason is joined by Guest Gay Reader, Chip Pons, who shares insights on his debut book Winging It With You, his love for rom-coms, and his journey from Bookstagrammer to published author. Leila Mottley is the author of the novel Nightcrawling, an Oprah’s Book Club pick and New York Times bestseller, and the poetry collection woke up no light. She is also the 2018 Oakland Youth Poet Laureate. She was born and raised in Oakland, where she continues to live. Chip Pons grew up in a small lake town in Northern Michigan before eventually traveling the world as a photojournalist in the US Air Force, where he met and worked alongside his dream of a husband and better half. He’s spent his entire life swooning over the love stories filling up his shelves until one day, he was brave—or delusional—enough to write his own. He currently lives in the heart of Washington, DC. and when he is not writing or chasing his pup, Margot, around, he can be found daydreaming of untold happily ever afters or on Bookstagram shouting about the books he loves. And snacking, like, all the time. BOOK CLUB! Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE July Book: Disappoint Me by Nicola Dinan SUBSTACK! https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH! http://gaysreading.printful.me PARTNERSHIP! Use code READING to get 15% off your madeleine order! https://cornbread26.com/ WATCH! https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW! Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitman Bluesky: @gaysreading | @jasonblitman CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com

    1h 5m
  5. Allison King (The Phoenix Pencil Company) feat. Jeff Hiller, Guest Gay Reader

    JUN 17

    Allison King (The Phoenix Pencil Company) feat. Jeff Hiller, Guest Gay Reader

    Host Jason Blitman talks with author Allison King about her debut novel The Phoenix Pencil Company, June's Reese's Book Club selection. They explore themes of memory, the importance of preserving and sharing stories, and yes—pencils. Later, Jason is joined by Guest Gay Reader Jeff Hiller (HBO's Somebody Somewhere), who shares his current reads and discusses his new memoir Actress of a Certain Age. Allison King is an Asian American writer and software engineer based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In technology, her work has ranged from semiconductors to platforms for community conversations to data privacy. Her short stories have appeared in Fantasy Magazine, Diabolical Plots, and LeVar Burton Reads, among others. She is a 2023 Reese’s Book Club LitUp fellow. The Phoenix Pencil Company is her first novel. Jeff Hiller is an actor, writer and comedian who has appeared on TV shows such as Somebody Somewhere, American Horror Story: NYC, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, 30Rock, and Law and Order: CI, among numerous others. His film roles include Greta, Morning Glory, Ghost Town, and Set it Up, and he has performed on Broadway, off-Broadway, in Shakespeare in the Park, Disney musicals, and regional theater. Jeff regularly performs solo shows at Joe’s Pub at the Public Theatre and improvises at The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in LA and NYC. BOOK CLUB! Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE July Book: Disappoint Me by Nicola Dinan SUBSTACK! https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH! http://gaysreading.printful.me PARTNERSHIP! Use code READING to get 15% off your madeleine order! https://cornbread26.com/ WATCH! https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW! Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitman Bluesky: @gaysreading | @jasonblitman CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com

    1h 13m
  6. S.A. Cosby (King of Ashes) feat. Richie Jackson, Guest Gay Reader

    JUN 12

    S.A. Cosby (King of Ashes) feat. Richie Jackson, Guest Gay Reader

    Host Jason Blitman talks to author S.A. Cosby (King of Ashes) about books that inspired Cosby early in his writing, the plot holes he found in fairy tales as a kid, his appreciation of Shakespeare's work, and his commitment to being an LGBTQIA+ ally. Jason is then joined by Guest Gay Reader, author and theatre producer Richie Jackson, who shares what he's been reading and reflects on the personal motivation behind writing Gay Like Me—a heartfelt legacy project intended as a guide and love letter to his son. S. A. Cosby is a New York Times bestselling writer from southeastern Virginia. He is the author of All the Sinners Bleed, which was on more than forty Best of the Year lists, including Barack Obama’s, as well as Edgar Award finalist Razorblade Tears and Los Angeles Times Book Prize winner Blacktop Wasteland. He has also won the Anthony Award, ITW Thriller Award, Barry Award, Macavity Award, BCALA Award, and Audie Award and has been longlisted for the ALA Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence. Richie Jackson is the author of the best-selling book Gay Like Me published by HarperCollins. He is an award-winning Broadway, television, and film producer who produced the Tony Award-nominated Harvey Fierstein’s Torch Song on Broadway and executive produced Showtime’s Nurse Jackie (Emmy and Golden Globe nominee for “Best Comedy Series”) for seven seasons. His writing has appeared in O The Oprah Magazine, Out, Town & Country, and The Advocate. As an alumnus of NYU, he endows a program at his alma mater to train the next generation of LGBTQ+ activists called the Richie Jackson LGBTQ+ Service Fellows. He and his husband, Jordan Roth, were honored with The Trevor Project’s Trevor Hero Award. They are the proud parents of two extraordinary sons. BOOK CLUB! Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE July Book: Disappoint Me by Nicola Dinan SUBSTACK! https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH! http://gaysreading.printful.me PARTNERSHIP! Use code READING to get 15% off your madeleine order! https://cornbread26.com/ WATCH! https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW! Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitman Bluesky: @gaysreading | @jasonblitman CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com

    1h 11m
  7. V.E. Schwab (Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil) feat. Melissa Febos, Guest Gay Reader

    JUN 10

    V.E. Schwab (Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil) feat. Melissa Febos, Guest Gay Reader

    Host Jason Blitman welcomes bestselling author Victoria "V.E." Schwab for a conversation about her remarkable milestone—her 25th book, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil. They discuss the profound power of names, exploring how identity shapes both fantasy storytelling and LGBTQIA+ narratives, the impact of representation in literature, and the moment that nearly drove Schwab to walk away from writing altogether. Later, Melissa Febos joins Jason as our Guest Gay Reader, calling in from her treadmill desk, to share what she's been reading as well as more about her new memoir, The Dry Season.  Victoria "V.E." Schwab is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty books, including the acclaimed Shades universe, the Villains series, the City of Ghosts series, Gallant, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and The Fragile Threads of Power. When not haunting Paris streets or trudging up English hillsides, she lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is usually tucked in the corner of a coffee shop, dreaming up monsters. Melissa Febos is the nationally bestselling author of four books, including Girlhood—which won the National Book Critics Circle Award in Criticism, and Body Work: The Radical Power of Personal Narrative. She has been awarded prizes and fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, LAMBDA Literary, the National Endowment for the Arts, the British Library, the Black Mountain Institute, the Bogliasco Foundation, and others. Her work has appeared in The Paris Review, The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The Best American Essays, Vogue, The Sewanee Review, New York Review of Books, and elsewhere. Febos is a full professor at the University of Iowa and lives in Iowa City with her wife, the poet Donika Kelly. BOOK CLUB! Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE July Book: Disappoint Me by Nicola Dinan SUBSTACK! https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH! http://gaysreading.printful.me PARTNERSHIP! Use code READING to get 15% off your madeleine order! https://cornbread26.com/ WATCH! https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW! Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitman Bluesky: @gaysreading | @jasonblitman CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com

    1h 17m
  8. The Edmund White Episode

    JUN 6

    The Edmund White Episode

    Host Jason Blitman sits down with legendary author Edmund White, a towering figure in gay literature, for what would become one of White's final recorded conversations. In this deeply personal conversation, they explore White's latest memoir The Loves of My Life, delving into his reflections on love's many forms, the intimate dynamics that sustain lasting relationships, and the remarkable literary legacy of one of America's most influential LGBTQ+ voices. White offers candid insights drawn from decades of both living and writing about love, loss, and the complexities of human connection. Books and Boys and Big Dinners at Home How I’ll Remember Edmund White. by Christopher Bollen A husband’s story: Michael Carroll reflects on life with Edmund White by Will Freshwater Edmund White (1940-2025) was the author of many novels, including A Boy’s Own Story, The Beautiful Room Is Empty, The Farewell Symphony, A Saint from Texas, and The Humble Lover. His nonfiction included City Boy, Inside a Pearl, The Unpunished Vice, and other memoirs; The Flâneur, about Paris; and literary biographies and essays. He received the PEN/Saul Bellow Award for Achievement in American Fiction and the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters from the National Book Foundation. He lived in New York. BOOK CLUB! Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE July Book: Disappoint Me by Nicola Dinan SUBSTACK! https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH! http://gaysreading.printful.me PARTNERSHIP! Use code READING to get 15% off your madeleine order! https://cornbread26.com/ WATCH! https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW! Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitman Bluesky: @gaysreading | @jasonblitman CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com

    48 min
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5
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About

Great authors. Real talk. Really fun. 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.

Information

  • Creator
    Jason Blitman
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2025
  • Episodes
    134
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Gays Reading
  • Show Website
    Gays Reading

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