Gays Reading

Afleveringen

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  Re-release | Shobha Rao, Indian Country 04.08.2026 47min

  Re-release | Host Jason Blitman talks to Shobha Rao (Indian Country) live at Camino Books in San Diego. They discuss Laura Ingalls Wilder, the title’s double meaning from Rao’s childhood experience as “Indian,” the book’s central themes of water and rivers, the recurring power of three, and much more. This conversation originally took place on August 14, 2025. Shobha Rao moved to the United States from India at the age of seven. She is the author of the short story collection, An Unrestored Woman, and the novel, Girls Burn Brighter. Rao is the winner of the Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Fiction and was a Grace Paley Teaching Fellow at The New School. Her story “Kavitha and Mustafa” was chosen by T.C. Boyle for inclusion in Best American Short Stories. Girls Burn Brighter was long listed for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize and was a finalist for the California Book Award and the Goodreads Choice Awards. She lives in San Francisco.SUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Re-release | Katie Kitamura, Audition 28.07.2026 53min

  RE-RELEASE In honor of the Booker Prize 2026 Longlist announcement, we're re-releasing the conversation with Katie Kitamura, shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2025 for Audition. Jason talks to Katie about learned behaviors, the nature of intimacy, the art of performance, and her immersive process of writing. Perhaps most importantly, they talk at length about french fries. This episode originally aired on April 8, 2025.Katie Kitamura is the author of Audition, which has been a finalist for the 2025 Pulitzer Prize, 2025 Booker Prize, the 2025 National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction and the Gotham Book Prize, and has been longlisted for the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction and the Joyce Carol Oates Prize. Her five previous novels include A Separation and Intimacies, which was longlisted for the National Book Award and the PEN/Faulkner Award and was a finalist for the Joyce Carol Oates Prize. She is a recipient of the Rome Prize in Literature, a Lannan fellowship, and many other honors, and her work has been translated into twenty-one languages. She teaches in the creative writing program at New York University.SUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Re-release | Lyndsay Rush, A Bit Much 21.07.2026 53min

  Re-release | Host Jason Blitman chats with accidental poet Lyndsay Rush (A Bit Much) about the unique flavors of snacks, traumatic school memories, and the importance of embracing one's "bit much" personality. This episode originally aired October 29, 2024Lyndsay Rush is a comedy writer, cofounder of the branding agency Obedient, and the poet behind the popular Instagram account @maryoliversdrunkcousin. Her debut book of poems, A Bit Much was an instant USA Today Bestseller and her writing has been featured in Reductress, McSweeney’s, New York magazine, and The New York Times. Lyndsay spent most of her adult life freezing in Chicago, but currently swelters in Nashville with her husband and young son.SUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Laura Dave, The First Time I Saw Him 14.07.2026 55min

  Host Jason Blitman talks to author Laura Dave about her latest thriller, The First Time I Saw Him, a Reese's Book Club Pick. This conversation was recorded live at Warwick's in San Diego. Laura Dave is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of several novels, including The Last Thing He Told Me and Eight Hundred Grapes. Her novels have sold more than six million copies and have been translated into forty languages. The Last Thing He Told Me was the Goodreads Mystery & Thriller of the Year for 2021 and is now a series on Apple TV+, cocreated by Laura. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their son.SUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Thrillers & Summer Book Recs feat. Jessica Knoll 07.07.2026 43min

  In the season finale, host Jason Blitman talks to Jessica Knoll about her latest thriller, Helpless, plus what actually makes a "poolside book" and the best ones to have in your bag this summer. Jessica Knoll is the New York Times bestselling author of Bright Young Women, The Favorite Sister,  and Luckiest Girl Alive—now a major motion picture from Netflix starring Mila Kunis. She has been a senior editor at Cosmopolitan and the articles editor at Self. She lives in New York City with her family.SUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  What Are You Reading? feat. Nate Berkus 03.07.2026 33min

  In this episode of What Are You Reading? host Jason Blitman talks to designer Nate Berkus about what he's been reading and about his newest book, Foundations.Nate Berkus is one of the world’s most influential interior designers, known for his elevated yet accessible approach to interiors. Along with creating award-winning interiors for private clients, his thirty-year-and-counting career has included innumerable television shows and brand collaborations. Consistently named to the AD100 and Elle Décor A-List, Nate lives in New York with his husband Jeremiah Brent and their children Poppy and Oskar.SUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Jenny Jackson, The Shampoo Effect 30.06.2026 55min

  Host Jason Blitman welcomes back author and editor Jenny Jackson (Pineapple Street) to discuss her new novel, The Shampoo Effect, a Read with Jenna pick. Come for the chat about donuts (Lookin at you, Dunkin!), stay for Jenny's anticipated book recommendations.Jenny Jackson is the New York Times bestselling author of Pineapple Street. A graduate of Williams College and the Columbia Publishing Course, Jenny is vice president and editorial director of fiction at Alfred A. Knopf. Raised in Ipswich, Massachusetts, she lives in Brooklyn Heights with her family.SUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  What Are You Reading? feat. Ryan O'Connell 26.06.2026 39min

  Host Jason Blitman talks to Ryan O'Connell (Netflix's Special) about what he's been reading and learn about his newest book, Inspiration Porn. Ryan O’Connell is the Emmy-winning creator, writer, and star of Netflix’s Special, which is based on his memoir, I’m Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves. He’s also written for other TV shows, including Will & Grace, Awkward, and Peacock’s Queer as Folk revival, which he stars in. He lives in Los Angeles with his partner, Jonathan Parks-Ramage.SUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Sophie Chen Keller, Little Wonder 23.06.2026 48min

  Host Jason Blitman talks to newly minted Oprah's Book Club author Sophie Chen Keller about her new novel, Little Wonder. Conversation highlights includeHow becoming a parent helped shape the storySocial inequalities as added context for the bookCapturing the leaps in technology in China Sophie Chen Keller is the author of The Luster of Lost Things, which was also released in Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. Her first publication came at the age of fifteen, with a short story in Glimmer Train literary magazine. A classically trained pianist, she was born in China and raised in California; after graduating from Harvard, she lived in New York City and Beijing before moving to Germany, where she currently resides with her husband and two children.SUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Father's Day feat. Colton Underwood 18.06.2026 28min

  In this special Father's Day episode, host Jason Blitman sits down with Colton Underwood to talk fatherhood and learn about his new book, a letter he wrote (and read) to his son, Dear Bishop. Colton Underwood is an American TV personality, executive producer, philanthropist, entrepreneur and NY Times Best Seller. During his time in the NFL, Colton was inspired by his young cousin Harper to launch the Legacy Foundation and bring awareness to Cystic Fibrosis- a genetic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system.In recent years he has become a Mental Health Advocate, speaking on his own experience in hopes to help others. Because of this and the mental health side effects of CF treatment modalities, Colton transitioned the foundation to mental health awareness. Most recently he has been in Washington DC to introduce new legislation that would provide mental health resources to student athletes and he’s just getting started!SUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Andrew Sean Greer, Villa Coco 16.06.2026 55min

  Jason Blitman talks with Pulitzer Prize winer Andrew Sean Greer (Less) about his newest novel, Villa Coco. This conversation was recorded live in Los Angeles at the First Congressional Church sponsored by Book Soup. Conversation highlights include:🇮🇹 How living in Italy inspired aspects of the book👑 His experience with a real-life princess🎶 Intel on the musical adaptation of LessANDREW SEAN GREER is the bestselling author of seven works of fiction, including Pulitzer Prize winner Less and its companion Less Is Lost. He is the recipient of the Northern California Book Award, the California Book Award, the New York Public Library Young Lions Award, the O. Henry award for short fiction, and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York Public Library. Greer lives in Venice.SUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  What Are You Reading? feat. Haili Blassingame 12.06.2026 30min

  Host Jason Blitman is joined by debut novelist Haili Blassingame to hear about what she's been reading and learn about her book, They All Fall in Love at the End. Haili Blassingame is a producer for the NPR program 1A. She has written for publications like The New Republic and The New York Times, in which she published the viral “My Choice Isn’t Marriage or Loneliness” for “Modern Love”. She was one of twelve essayists selected to write a follow-up piece for the column’s 20th anniversary in October 2024. She’s also been a guest on the Modern Love podcast, NPR’s Life Kit, and NPR’s 1A. She previously worked on NPR’s Code Switch and Weekend Edition. She is pursuing an MFA in creative writing from American University. She lives in Washington, DC.SUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Matt Haig, The Midnight Train 10.06.2026 56min

  Host Jason Blitman talks to author Matt Haig (The Midnight Library) about his latest novel, The Midnight Train. This conversation was recorded live at University of San Diego presented by Warwick's. Matt Haig was born in Sheffield, England. His novels include The Humans, How to Stop Time, and The Midnight Library, which has been a number one New York Times bestseller and sold more than fourteen million copies world-wide. His non-fiction works include his award-winning mental illness memoir Reasons to Stay Alive and The Comfort Book. His most recent fiction, The Life Impossible, was a New York Times bestseller. He has also written several children’s books, including A Boy Called Christmas, which became a major feature film. His work has been published in fifty-six languages and he is an advocate for literacy, libraries, and better mental health provision for everyone.SUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Melissa Albert, The Children 08.06.2026 53min

  Host Jason Blitman is joined by prolific author Melissa Albert to talk about her debut adult novel, The Children, named June 2026's Read with Jenna Book Club pick. Melissa Albert is the New York Times and indie bestselling author of The Bad Ones, Our Crooked Hearts, and the Hazel Wood series. Her work has been translated into more than twenty languages and included in the New York Times list of Notable Children’s Books. The Children is her first adult novel. SUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Ann Patchett, Whistler 05.06.2026 52min

  Host Jason Blitman welcomes Ann Patchett back to the podcast—last heard discussing her annotated Bel Canto in fall 2024—for a conversation about her newest novel, Whistler.Conversation highlights include:⏱️ Changes made to the book moments before it went to print😔 The relationship between missing something and grief 🎭 Whether Ann might ever write for the stageAnn Patchett is the author of novels, most recently the #1 New York Times bestselling Tom Lake, works of nonfiction, and children's books. She has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the PEN/Faulkner, the Women's Prize for Fiction in the UK, and the Book Sense Book of the Year. Her novel The Dutch House was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Her work has been translated into more than thirty languages, and Time magazine named her one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. President Biden awarded her the National Humanities Medal in recognition of her contributions to American culture. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where she is the owner of Parnassus Books.Ann Patchett's New Yorker essay GlowwormsSUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Rasheed Newson, There is Only One Sin in Hollywood 02.06.2026 55min

  Host Jason Blitman is joined by the most frequent Gays Reading guest, Rasheed Newson, to discuss his latest book, There's Only One Sin in Hollywood.Conversation highlights include:📖 Stories that don't get their due in the history books🎥 Rumors in Hollywood and how they continue today🪞How the understanding of ourselves change as we get olderRasheed Newson is the author of the national bestseller My Government Means to Kill Me, which was selected as a Lambda Literary finalist for Gay Fiction and was named one of the “100 Notable Books of 2022” by The New York Times. He is also a television drama writer, producer, and showrunner. He codeveloped Bel-Air and worked on The Chi, Animal Kingdom, and Narcos, among other drama series. Newson is a 2025–26 American Library in Paris Visiting Fellow. He currently lives with his husband and their two children in Pasadena.SUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Sonia Feldman, Girl's Girl 01.06.2026 47min

  Host Jason Blitman talks to debut novelist Sonia Feldman about her book Girl's Girl, this month's The Nod™️ by Gays Reading with Aardvark Book Club. Conversation highlights include:👯‍♀️ What it means to be a good friend💧 Why Sonia describes the book as "dewey" 🌎 The universality of specific stories and what it means to loveSonia Feldman lives in Cleveland, Ohio. She won the PEN America PEN/Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers, and her poetry and fiction have appeared in The Missouri Review, The Southern Review, and Waxwing. She also runs Sonia’s Poem of the Week, a popular email newsletter. Girl’s Girl is her first novel.SUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  What Are You Reading? feat. Steven Rowley 29.05.2026 34min

  On this episode of What Are You Reading?, host Jason Blitman is joined by New York Times bestselling author Steven Rowley for a conversation about what he's been reading, what goes into writing a great blurb, and his latest novel, Take Me With You, an instant USA Today bestseller.Steven Rowley is the New York Times bestselling author of Lily and the Octopus, a Washington Post Notable Book; The Editor, an NPR Best Book of the Year; The Guncle, winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humor and Goodreads Choice Awards finalist for Novel of the Year; The Celebrants, a Today Show Read with Jenna book club pick; The Guncle Abroad, a USA Today bestseller; and The Dogs of Venice. His fiction has been translated into twenty languages. He resides in Palm Springs, California.SUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Rachel Howzell Hall, Mist and Malice 26.05.2026 52min

  Host Jason Blitman finally sits down with author Rachel Howzell Hall now that he's survived a full year of agony waiting for the follow-up to her cliffhanger-ending crime novel, Fog and Fury. Today, they're celebrating the arrival of Mist and Malice, the long-awaited sequel. New to the series? No problem. This spoiler-free conversation is the perfect entry point into the world of Haven.Conversation highlights:🌽 Rachel's favorite foods at the county fair🎵 The song from Hamilton as a character's theme song👵 Which Golden Girl Rachel identifies withRachel Howzell Hall is the New York Times bestselling author of Fog and Fury, The Cruel Dawn, The Last One, What Never Happened, We Lie Here, These Toxic Things, And Now She’s Gone, They All Fall Down, and, with James Patterson, The Good Sister, which was included in Patterson’s collection The Family Lawyer. A two-time Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist as well as an Anthony, International Thriller Writers, and Lefty Award nominee, Rachel is also the author of Land of Shadows, Skies of Ash, Trail of Echoes, and City of Saviors in the Detective Elouise Norton series. A past member of the board of directors for Mystery Writers of America, she has been a featured writer on NPR’s acclaimed Crime in the City series and the National Endowment for the Arts weekly podcast. Rachel lives in Los Angeles with her husband and daughter.SUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  What Are You Reading? feat. Ayelet Waldman 22.05.2026 33min

  Host Jason Blitman talks to Ayelet Waldman about what she's been reading (spoiler alert: a lot of audiobooks while quilting!) and about her new book, A Perfect Hand. Come for the book recs, stay for the Heated Rivalry conversation. Ayelet Waldman is the author of A Really Good Day, Love and Treasure, Red Hook Road, Love and Other Impossible Pursuits, Daughter’s Keeper, Bad Mother and the Mommy-Track Mystery series. She co-developed and was an Executive Producer on the Netflix series Unbelievable, which received a Peabody Award and Best Limited Series nominations at the Critics’ Choice Awards, the Golden Globes, and the Primetime Emmys in 2020. Waldman lives in Berkeley, California with her husband Michael Chabon.SUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.