Gays Reading

Jason is joined by National Book Award finalist Deesha Philyaw to discuss her debut novel, The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman. Deesha shares why she ghosted a hookup, the talent she'd perform if she were in a pageant, why queerness plays such a big role in her books, and much more.Deesha Philyaw’s debut short story collection, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, won the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, the Story Prize, the LA Times Book Prize: The Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction and was a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction. Deesha is a Kimbilio Fiction Fellow, a Baldwin for the Arts Fellow, a United States Artists Fellow, and co-host of two podcasts, Ursa Short Fiction (with Dawnie Walton) and Reckon True Stories (with Kiese Laymon). She is currently at work developing TV shows based on her short fiction.

Meg Mason (Sorrow and Bliss) joins Jason to talk about her new novel, Sophie, Standing There, a Reese's Book Club pick, and the books she's been reading between stops on her worldwide book tour.Meg Mason is the author of Sorrow and Bliss, which became an international bestseller after it was first published in Australia. Winner of the British Book Industry Book of the Year, and shortlisted for the Women’s Prize, it has since been translated into more than 30 languages. Her first career was in journalism, beginning at the Times of London, later writing for Vogue, Elle, GQ, Sunday Style, and The New Yorker’s Daily Shouts and Murmurs. Born in New Zealand, she lives in Sydney with her husband and two daughters.

Jason talks with author Min Jin Lee (Pachinko) about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, her experience taking a class with The Artist's Way author Julia Cameron, why she's quick to curse, her new novel American Hagwon, and everything in between.Min Jin Lee is the author of the novels Free Food for Millionaires and Pachinko, a finalist for the National Book Award, runner-up for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and a New York Times “100 Best Books of the Century.” She serves as the New York State Author Laureate from 2025 through 2027. She is the 2024 recipient of The Fitzgerald Prize for Literary Excellence. Lee has received the Manhae Grand Prize for Literature, the Bucheon Diaspora Literary Award, and the Samsung Happiness for Tomorrow Award for Creativity from South Korea. She is the recipient of fellowships in Fiction from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Harvard Radcliffe Institute, and the New York Foundation for the Arts. Lee is an inductee of the New York Foundation for the Arts Hall of Fame and the New York State Writers Hall of Fame. She lives in Harlem with her family.

Author Meg Howrey (They're Going to Love You) communed with her bookshelves to identify books that shaped her as a writer. She's self-taught, no MFA, no workshops, just a reader. Meg also talks about her latest novel, Body Language.Meg Howrey is the author of the novels Blind Sight, The Cranes Dance, The Wanderers, and most recently, They’re Going to Love You, which was a New York Times Editor’s Choice, and a New Yorker Best Book of 2022. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Granta, Harvard Review, Vogue, and the Los Angeles Review of Books. A former professional dancer, she currently lives in Los Angeles.

Jason talks to author Lucy Foley (The Guest List) about her experience working with the Agatha Christie estate to create a new Miss Marple book, Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel. They talk about what makes a Foley Christie book, the things one can do on a ski vacation, her research trip to St. Moritz, and much more.  Lucy Foley studied English literature at Durham University and University College London and worked for several years as a fiction editor in the publishing industry. She is the author of five novels including The Paris Apartment, The Guest List, The Hunting Party, and The Midnight Feast. She lives in London. For updates about the book and tour, follow Lucy on social media at @lucyfoleyauthor.

Molecular biologist turned award-winning chef, food writer, photographer, and bestselling cookbook author Nik Sharma shares what he's been reading lately and talks about his forthcoming cookbook, Fundamentals of Flavor. Nik Sharma is the bestselling author of cookbooks celebrated for blending culinary science with deeply personal storytelling: Season, The Flavor Equation, and Veg-Table. A former molecular biologist, Sharma brings a unique lens to the kitchen, where flavor is both a feeling and a formula. He serves as Editor in Residence at America's Test Kitchen, where he hosts the YouTube show Flavor Forward with Nik Sharma, is a co-host of the show In the Test Kitchen on Netflix, and is a cast member on the upcoming America’s Test Kitchen show on PBS. Sharma is the creator of the award-winning blog Nik Sharma Cooks (formerly A Brown Table), and his writing and photography have been featured in The San Francisco Chronicle, The New York Times, The Guardian, and The Wall Street Journal, among others. He lives in Los Angeles, California, where he's always dreaming up his next recipe.