Gays Reading

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.

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-acceptanceThis 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

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 showBOOK 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 | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanCONTACT!hello@gaysreading.com

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—fakenessPlus, 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 showBOOK 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 | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanCONTACT!hello@gaysreading.com

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 showBOOK 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 | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanCONTACT!hello@gaysreading.com

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 friendshipsNext 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 showBOOK 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 | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanCONTACT!hello@gaysreading.com

Host Jason Blitman is joined by Aja Gabel to talk about her first novel in nearly a decade, Lightbreakers. Conversation highlights include:✍🏻 the death of handwriting 🧪 science vs art 💭 what memory means to usJason's then joined by Guest Gay Reader™️ Anthony Delaney who shares a giant stack of books he's reading as well as shares about his new book, Queer Enlightenments. Aja Gabel is the author of the novel The Ensemble. Her prose can be found in The Cut, the Los Angeles Times, Oprah Daily, and elsewhere. Her short story “Little Fish” was adapted into a feature film, and she has written extensively for television. She lives in Los Angeles.Dr Anthony Delaney has a PhD in history from the University of Exeter, where he is an Honorary Fellow, and presents the History Hit podcast After Dark. Queer Georgians is his first book.Support the showBOOK 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 | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanCONTACT!hello@gaysreading.com

Host Jason Blitman sits down with returning Gays Reading guest Catherine Newman (Sandwich) to talk about her new book, Wreck. Conversation highlights include:🤧 Ailments, of course. 😵‍💫 Anxiety, of course. 💻 The Portal, you understand.🥳 But also a lot of fun stuff, too.Jason is then joined by Guest Gay Reader™️ Rachel Runya Katz to hear about what she's been reading (get ready for some fab romance recs!) and learn about her new book, Isn't It Obvious? -- the perfect book for those of us who love A Cinderella Story and You've Got Mail. Catherine Newman is the New York Times bestselling author of the memoirs Catastrophic Happiness and Waiting for Birdy, the middle-grade novel One Mixed-Up Night, the kids’ craft book Stitch Camp, the best-selling how-to books for kids How to Be a Person and What Can I Say?, and the novels We All Want Impossible Things, Sandwich, and Wreck (forthcoming from HarperCollins). Her books have been translated into a dozen languages. She has been a regular contributor to the New York Times, Real Simple, O, The Oprah Magazine, Cup of Jo, and many other publications. She writes Crone Sandwich on Substack and lives in Amherst, MassachusettsRachel Runya Katz is a contemporary romance writer living in Seattle with her partner, her cat, and far too many houseplants. She has a PhD in biomedical engineering, which is minimally helpful for this endeavor. Her books center queer Jews of color and their layered lives of joy, sadness, and love. She is the author of Thank You for Sharing.Support the showBOOK 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 | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanCONTACT!hello@gaysreading.com

Host Jason Blitman talks to bestselling author Tom Ryan about his latest adult mystery, We Had A Hunch. Highlights include:🕵🏻‍♂️ a love of mysteries✍🏻 how Tom taught himself to write🎤 a question that Tom calls "Barbara Walters level journalism"Jason is then joined by Guest Gay Reader™️, RuPaul's Drag Race superstar, Kim Chi about what she's been reading as well as her new books, Kim Chi Eats the World and Donutella Hamachi and the Library Avengers.Tom Ryan is an internationally bestselling, award-winning author, screenwriter and producer. His adult mystery debut The Treasure Hunters Club (2024) was an instant USA Today, Globe & Mail, and Toronto Star bestseller and a 2025 Edgar Award nominee. His YA mystery Keep This To Yourself (2019) was the winner of the 2020 ITW Thriller Award for Best YA Thriller, and his follow-up YA mystery I Hope You’re Listening (2020) was the winner of the 2021 Lambda “Lammy” Award for Best LGBTQ Mystery. Tom’s latest novel, We Had a Hunch, will be released in October 2025.Kim(berly) Chi is the ORIGINAL world-famous drag queen with a passion for makeup artistry™. With over 2 million followers across all platforms, Kim Chi’s unique eye for fashion (bionic doily) and culture (proud lifetime Chipotle Celebrity Card holder) has been showcased and lauded on an international scale. Apart from her globally successful makeup brand, KimChi Chic Beauty, Kim is the author of a middle-grade novel and a cookbook.Support the showBOOK 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 | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanCONTACT!hello@gaysreading.com