Gays Reading

Jason Blitman
  • 5.0 (102)
  • 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. John Irving

    2D AGO

    John Irving

    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 first novel, Setting Free the Bears, was published in 1968, when he was twenty-six. He competed as a wrestler for twenty years, and coached wrestling until he was forty-seven. He is a member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma. In 1980, Mr. Irving won a National Book Award for his novel The World According to Garp. In 2000, he won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Cider House Rules. In 2013, he won a Lambda Literary Award for his novel In One Person. Internationally renowned, his novels have been translated into almost forty languages. His all-time bestselling novel, in every language, is A Prayer for Owen Meany. A dual citizen of the United States and Canada, John Irving 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.

    47 min
  2. The Book Club Menu feat. The Defined Dish & Ariel Sullivan (Conform)

    DEC 16

    The Book Club Menu feat. The Defined Dish & Ariel Sullivan (Conform)

    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 celebration of people doing interesting things with books, Ariel also shares a peek into her ambitious storytelling vision—including how her series isn’t just a trilogy, but a trilogy of trilogies. Alex's invite, menu, recipes, photos, and MORE conversation can be found over on the Gays Reading Substack.  Alex Snodgrass is a food lover, health enthusiast, and founder of the popular blog and social media outlet The Defined Dish. She is a recipe developer and food stylist from Dallas, where she lives with her husband and two young daughters. She is a master at substituting clean ingredients to create bold flavors in the kitchen and her recipes are perfect for any level of home cook. In 2018, Alex won the "Most Inspired Weeknight Dinners" Saveur Blog Award, and she continues to share her love for creating special moments around the dinner table. Ariel Sullivan is the author of Conform and Beneath. She lives in Connecticut with her husband, two sons, and their two French bulldogs. Growing up a military brat, Ariel moved every two years as a perpetual new kid; Ariel often observed from the outskirts, where a deep love of reading was born. When she isn’t writing, Ariel loves to read everything from poetry to psychology, bake with her sons, listen to live music, and travel. 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.

    38 min
  3. Dwayne Betts (Freedom Reads)

    DEC 9

    Dwayne Betts (Freedom Reads)

    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 library has impacted his own journey, offering rare, unfiltered insight into what literature means inside the prison system.  Reginald Dwayne Betts is a poet and lawyer. A 2021 MacArthur Fellow, he is the Executive Director of Freedom Reads, a not-for-profit organization that is radically transforming the access to literature in prisons through the installation of Freedom Libraries in prisons across this country. For more than twenty-years, he has used his poetry and essays to explore the world of prison and the effects of violence and incarceration on American society. The author of a memoir and three collections of poetry, he has transformed his latest collection of poetry, the American Book Award winning Felon, into a solo theater show that explores the post incarceration experience and lingering consequences of a criminal record through poetry, stories, and engaging with the timeless and transcendental art of paper-making. His book Doggerel: Poems is available now. In 2019, Betts won the National Magazine Award in the Essays and Criticism category for his NY Times Magazine essay that chronicles his journey from prison to becoming a licensed attorney. He has been awarded a Radcliffe Fellowship from Harvard’s Radcliffe Institute of Advanced Study, a Guggenheim Fellowship, an Emerson Fellow at New America, and most recently a Civil Society Fellow at Aspen. Betts holds a J.D. from Yale Law School. 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.

    39 min
  4. [Re-Release] Gregory Maguire (Wicked) feat. Eric Williams and Eden Espinosa

    DEC 2

    [Re-Release] Gregory Maguire (Wicked) feat. Eric Williams and Eden Espinosa

    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 riffs, obvs 💚 Identify, friendship, and self-acceptance This episode is perfect for fans of the musical, lovers of literature, and anyone who has ever felt like an outsider finding their place in the world. Originally released November 20, 2024.  Gregory Maguire has written quite a few books for adults, including Wicked, which inspired the Broadway play and the two-part movie. He’s also written several dozen books for children, the more recent titles being What-the-Dickens, Egg & Spoon, and Cress Watercress, a Boston Globe–Horn Book Honor Book. Eric Williams is an actor, comedian, and podcast host based in Los Angeles. His podcast “That’s A Gay Ass Podcast” was recently named “One of the Best Podcasts To Listen To” by Glamour Magazine. Guests include Dan Savage (‘Savage Love’), Bowen Yang (‘SNL’), Jesse Tyler Ferguson (‘Modern Family’), Jinkx Monsoon (‘Rupaul’s Drag Race’), Joel Kim Booster (‘Fire Island’), and more. Listen here. Eric also hosts the popular “That’s A Gay Ass Live Show,” a variety competition show that has been featured in the Netflix Is A Joke Fest, New York Comedy Festival, and multiple sold out engagements in New York and LA. You can read more about the podcast and live show in Variety (brag). Eden Espinosa is most recognized for her portrayal of Elphaba in Wicked on Broadway and in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Other credits: originating the title character in Brooklyn the Musical, Flora in Flora the Red Menace, and Maureen in the closing company of Rent on Broadway. She also originated Sadie Thompson in Rain at the Old Globe Theater and portrayed Eva Peron in Evita at TPAC and Studio Tenn. Recently, she originated Tamara De Lempicka in Lempicka, earning her a Tony Award nomination. @edenespinosa 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.

    1h 34m
  5. Justinian Huang (Lucky Seed) feat. Lukas Gage, Guest Gay Reader

    NOV 25

    Justinian Huang (Lucky Seed) feat. Lukas Gage, Guest Gay Reader

    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 debut novel, The Emperor and the Endless Palace, was an Indie Next Pick and a 2025 Stonewall Honor Book. It was hailed by Booklist as “a sweeping triumph,” and as “page-turning and deeply thoughtful,” in a starred review by Publishers Weekly. He lives in Los Angeles, where he also works as a film executive, most recently on KPop Demon Hunters. Justinian’s second novel, Lucky Seed, is a USA Today bestseller. Lukas Gage is an actor/writer/producer who is best known for his role in the first season of the Emmy Award–winning HBO limited series, The White Lotus. Lukas also starred in Netflix’s You; Euphoria on HBO; Daniel Goldhaber’s How to Blow Up a Pipeline; Down Low for FilmNation, which he cowrote and stars opposite Zach Quinto and Simon Rex; and Fargo on FX/HULU. Lukas can also be seen in the remake of Road House for Amazon/MGM, Smile 2 for Paramount, and the highly anticipated film, Rosebush Pruning. Support the show BOOK CLUB! Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK! https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH! http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH! https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW! Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitman Bluesky: @gaysreading | @jasonblitman CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com 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.

    1h 4m
  6. Olivia Laing (The Silver Book) feat. Michael "Dancing Blue Shirt Guy" Galyean, Guest Gay Reader

    NOV 18

    Olivia Laing (The Silver Book) feat. Michael "Dancing Blue Shirt Guy" Galyean, Guest Gay Reader

    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 reading and talks about his multifaceted career as a choreographer, private chef, and children's book author (The Dancing Blue Shirt Boy). Watch Michael's viral video HERE.  Olivia Laing is an internationally acclaimed writer and critic. They’re the author of eight books, including The Lonely City, Everybody, and the Sunday Times number one bestseller The Garden Against Time. Laing’s first novel, Crudo, won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, and in 2018 they were awarded the Windham–Campbell Prize for nonfiction. Their books have been translated into twenty-one languages. Michael Galyean is a choreographer, chef, creator, author, and beloved Knoxville personality best known as the viral “Dancing Blue Shirt Guy.” After his breakout dance video reached millions, he parlayed that momentum into a multifaceted career leading with warmth, enthusiasm, and a commitment to making people feel welcome. Michael choreographs high-school musical theatre (most recently Legally Blonde), works as a private chef and event emcee, and fosters community as Business Development Manager at Painter1 of Knoxville. Michael's debut children’s book The Dancing Blue Shirt Boy blends humor, heart, and personal storytelling to celebrate self-discovery and the joy of dance. Find him on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube: @dancingblueshirtguy. Support the show BOOK CLUB! Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK! https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH! http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH! https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW! Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitman Bluesky: @gaysreading | @jasonblitman CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com 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.

    1h 8m
  7. December Book Club: Erin O. White (Like Family)

    NOV 15

    December Book Club: Erin O. White (Like Family)

    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, jealousy, grief, and the quiet bravery of choosing each other again and again. At its core, LIKE FAMILY is a love letter to queer families and small-town life. What I love most is how Erin O. White writes about family — the people who see you, hold you, frustrate you, change you — with tenderness, humor, and honesty. These characters are flawed, loving, funny, and so deeply human. If you enjoy character-driven family novels in the spirit of Anne Tyler, Catherine Newman, and Ann Patchett, this one will feel like a cozy hug. A fifty-one-year-old debut novelist, Erin O. White is also an essayist and the author of the memoir Give Up For You. After growing up in Colorado and living for twenty years in western Massachusetts, she now lives with her wife and daughters in Minneapolis. What do you get when you join the Gays Reading Book Club? Curated book delivered monthly to your door (at a discount!) – the books we’d call “accessibly literary”30% Off Allstora’s websiteAccess to the book club “Kiki” to talk about the booksExclusive author Q&AsAllstora donates a children’s book to an LGBTQIA+ youthThis club exclusively supports LGBTQIA+ authorsAnd more!Support the show BOOK CLUB! Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK! https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH! http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH! https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW! Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitman Bluesky: @gaysreading | @jasonblitman CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com 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
  8. Gráinne O'Hare (Thirst Trap) feat. Brian Schaefer, Guest Gay Reader

    NOV 11

    Gráinne O'Hare (Thirst Trap) feat. Brian Schaefer, Guest Gay Reader

    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 novel, Town & Country. Gráinne O’Hare is a writer from Belfast based in Newcastle upon Tyne. She received a Northern Debut Award for Fiction from New Writing North, and was awarded funding by the Arts Council for the development and completion of her first novel. She has also been shortlisted for the Francis MacManus Short Story Competition and the Bridport Prize, and came in the top three of the Benedict Kiely Short Story Competition. She is media sub-editor of Criticks reviews for the British Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies, and has a PhD on eighteenth-century women’s life-writing from Newcastle University. Brian Schaefer contributes regularly to The New York Times and has written for The New Yorker, New York magazine, and more. He is a recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Arts Journalism and was a finalist for the Livingston Award for International Reporting. He earned his master’s degree in creative writing from Bar-Ilan University in Tel Aviv. He and his husband live in New York City and the Hudson Valley. Town & Country is his first novel. Support the show BOOK CLUB! Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERE December Book: Like Family by Erin O. White SUBSTACK! https://gaysreading.substack.com/ MERCH! http://gaysreading.printful.me WATCH! https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW! Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitman Bluesky: @gaysreading | @jasonblitman CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com 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.

    1h 11m
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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 - 2025
  • Episodes
    162
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Gays Reading
  • Show Website
    Gays Reading

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