For the inaugural episode of the new series Spill the Tea, host Jason Blitman is joined by Elda Rotor, VP and Publisher of Penguin Classics. They delve into what defines a 'classic,' explore Penguin's expansive and diverse catalog, talk about contemporary works, and discuss the importance of context in classic literature. Make sure to stick around for Elda's classic character answers in a game of "Screw/Marry/Kill!"  Elda Rotor oversees the U.S. classics publishing program including the works of John Steinbeck, Arthur Miller, Shirley Jackson, William Golding, Amy Tan, Alice Walker, and the Pelican Shakespeare series. Elda originated several series including the Penguin Classics Marvel Collection, Penguin Vitae, Penguin Liberty, Penguin Drop Caps, Penguin Orange Collection, Penguin Horror with Guillermo del Toro, and the forthcoming Penguin Speculative Fiction Special.Classics You Don't Know But Should:The Last Supper of Queer Apostles by Pedro Lemebel Dogeaters by Jessica HagedornThe Time Regulation Institute by Ahmet Hamdi TanpinarMinor Notes, Vol. 1 edited by Joshua Bennett and Jesse McCarthyThe Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas by Joaquim Maria Machado de AssisFeatured Articles:NYTimes: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/26/books/review/elda-rotor-penguin-classics.htmlRolling Stone: https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/marvel-comics-penguin-classics-spider-man-1367080/SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ BOOK CLUB!Use code GAYSREADING at checkout to get first book for only $4 + free shipping! Restrictions apply.http://aardvarkbookclub.com WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanCONTACT!hello@gaysreading.com

Host Jason Blitman talks to Sameer Pandya (Our Beautiful Boys) about his affinity for textiles and half-sleeve shirts, the surprising phase Sameer went through in school, and the best time in a party to play Butt Darts. Jason is then joined by Guest Gay Reader, prolific author Emma Donoghue who shares what she's been reading and talks about her new book, The Paris Express.Our Beautiful Boys and The Paris Express are both on sale now. Sameer Pandya is the author of the novel Members Only, a finalist for the California Book Award and an NPR “Books We Love” of 2020, and the story collection The Blind Writer, longlisted for the PEN/Open Book Award. His cultural criticism has appeared in a range of publications, including the Los Angeles Review of Books, The Atlantic, Salon, and Sports Illustrated. A recipient of the PEN/Civitella Fellowship, he is currently an associate professor of Asian American studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara.Emma Donoghue is the author of sixteen novels, including the award-winning national bestseller Room, the basis for the acclaimed film of the same name. Her latest novel is The Paris Express. She has also written the screenplays for Room and The Wonder and nine stage plays. Her next film (adapted with Philippa Lowthorpe from Helen Macdonald’s memoir) is H Is for Hawk. Born in Dublin, she lives in Ontario with her family. Find out more at EmmaDonoghue.com.SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ BOOK CLUB!Use code GAYSREADING at checkout to get first book for only $4 + free shipping! Restrictions apply.http://aardvarkbookclub.com WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanCONTACT!hello@gaysreading.com

Host Jason Blitman talks with Kristen Arnett (Stop Me If You've Heard This One) about grief, art, optimism, and their shared Florida experience. Jason is then joined by Guest Gay Reader Torrey Peters, who discusses what she’s been reading and shares insights into Stag Dance, her latest book following her breakout novel, Detransition, Baby.Kristen Arnett is the author of the New York Times-bestselling novel Mostly Dead Things and the award-winning collection Felt in the Jaw. A queer writer based in Florida, she has written for The New York Times, Guernica, McSweeney’s, The Guardian, and elsewhere. She has been a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award and a winner of the Ninth Letter Literary Award in Fiction and the Coil Book Award.Torrey Peters is the bestselling author of the novel Detransition, Baby, which won the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel and was named one of the 100 Best Books of the 21st Century by The New York Times. It was also a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle’s John Leonard Prize, a finalist for the Brooklyn Public Library Book Prize, and longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction. She has an MFA from the University of Iowa and an MA in comparative literature from Dartmouth. Peters rides a pink motorcycle and splits her time between Brooklyn and an off-grid cabin in Vermont.Buy Stop Me If You've Heard This OneBuy Stag DanceSUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ BOOK CLUB!Use code GAYSREADING at checkout to get first book for only $4 + free shipping! Restrictions apply.http://aardvarkbookclub.com WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanCONTACT!hello@gaysreading.com

Host Jason Blitman talks to Jinwoo Chong (I Leave It Up To You) about the inspiration behind his new novel, what it means to start over, and the most accurate way to eat sushi. Jason is then joined by actress, comedian, content creator Dylan Mulvaney who talks about what she's been reading, her new book Paper Doll, and her endless upcoming projects. Jinwoo Chong is the author of the novel Flux, a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway and VCU Cabell First Novel awards, a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, and named a best book of the year by Esquire, GQ, and Cosmopolitan. His short stories and other work have appeared in The Southern Review, Guernica, The Rumpus, Literary Hub, Chicago Quarterly Review, and Electric Literature. He lives in New York City.Dylan Mulvaney is an actress, comedian and content creator known for her viral series Days of Girlhood which has over 1 billion views across all social media platforms. Dylan was recently named Forbes' 30 under 30, Out 100 and Attitude Magazine's Woman of the Year for 2023. To celebrate her first year of transition, Dylan produced a live show - Day 365 - at The Rainbow Room to support The Trevor Project and raised nearly two hundred thousand for queer youth. Dylan is a graduate of the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and has performed in the Broadway musical Book of Mormon in the US, Canada and Mexico. Her greatest hope is to bring trans stories and queer joy to mainstream media.SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ BOOK CLUB!Use code GAYSREADING at checkout to get first book for only $4 + free shipping! Restrictions apply.http://aardvarkbookclub.com WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanCONTACT!hello@gaysreading.com

Host Jason Blitman talks to Clare Leslie Hall (Broken Country) about the inspiration behind her book and how she straddled multiple genres. They talk about themes of nostalgia, the challenges of writing, and the emotional connections to her characters. Broken Country is the March 2025 pick for both Reese's Book Club and Barnes & Noble's Book Club. Clare Leslie Hall is a novelist and journalist who lives in the wilds of Dorset, England, with her family. She’s the author of Broken Country, Pictures of Him, and Days You Were Mine.SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ BOOK CLUB!Use code GAYSREADING at checkout to get first book for only $4 + free shipping! Restrictions apply.http://aardvarkbookclub.com WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanCONTACT!hello@gaysreading.com

Host Jason Blitman talks to Charlotte McConaghy (Wild Dark Shore) about Charlotte's journey from writing fantasy epics to exploring real-world themes, environmentalism and human connection in her recent works, and the challenges and joys of depicting complex, authentic characters. Jason is then joined by Guest Gay Reader Bruce Vilanch who shares amusing anecdotes from his vast career in entertainment, including his experiences with celebrities and the most memorable—and infamous—projects he's worked on. Charlotte McConaghy is the author of the international bestseller MIGRATIONS, a TIME Magazine Best Book of the Year and the Amazon Best Fiction Book of the Year for 2020, which is being translated into over twenty-five languages and adapted for film, as well as the New York Times Bestseller ONCE THERE WERE WOLVES. Her forthcoming novel WILD DARK SHORE will be released March 4, 2025. She lives in Sydney, Australia.Bruce Vilanch is an actor (occasionally an actress), writer (occasionally a rewriter), and comedian (occasionally for money, often for causes). He has coauthored 25 Academy Award spectacles, winning two writing Emmys in the process, and has been nominated for seven more. In addition to the Oscars, he has cowritten many Tonys, Emmys, Grammys, People’s Choice, American Comedy Awards, TV Land Awards, SAG Awards, and a ton of other pageants, roasts, tributes, and various trumped-up reasons for people to strut a red carpet. He has coauthored dozens of variety television shows and actually put words in the mouth of Cher. He’s also a lyricist, scoring gold and platinum records for disco songs he wrote for Eartha Kitt and the Village People. And musical theatre geeks will remember him as the coauthor of the Broadway misfire called Platinum, which was revived off-Broadway for reasons that continue to mystify Bruce.SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ BOOK CLUB!Use code GAYSREADING at checkout to get first book for only $4 + free shipping! Restrictions apply.http://aardvarkbookclub.com WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanCONTACT!hello@gaysreading.com

In this bonus episode of Gays Reading, host Jason Blitman is in conversation with author Sara Sligar (Vantage Point) recorded live at the Palm Springs Readers' Festival. Together they explore the unsettling world of deepfakes and their impact, the inspiration behind her novel, and the ethical implications of deepfake technology.Sara Sligar is an author and academic based in Los Angeles, where she teaches English and creative writing as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Southern California. She holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s in History from the University of Cambridge. Her writing has been published in McSweeney’s, Quartz, The Hairpin, and other outlets. Take Me Apart is her first novel.SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ BOOK CLUB!Use code GAYSREADING at checkout to get first book for only $4 + free shipping! Restrictions apply.http://aardvarkbookclub.com WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanCONTACT!hello@gaysreading.com

Host Jason Blitman talks to Karissa Chen (Homeseeking) about musicals--particularly The Last Five Years' influence on her writing, dreams as well as idealism, the coincidence of reconnection, and the concept of seeking home. Jason is then joined by Guest Gay Reader Paul Lisicky (Song So Wild and Blue) and talk about all things Joni Mitchell. Homeseeking is the January 2025 Good Morning America Book Club selection. Karissa Chen is a Fulbright fellow, Kundiman Fiction fellow, and a VONA/Voices fellow whose fiction and essays have appeared in The Atlantic, Eater, The Cut, NBC News THINK!, Longreads, PEN America, Catapult, Gulf Coast, and Guernica, among others. She was awarded an artist fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts as well as multiple writing residencies including at Millay Arts, where she was a Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation Creative Fellow and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, among others. She was formerly a senior fiction editor at The Rumpus and currently serves as the editor-in-chief at Hyphen magazine. She received an MFA in fiction from Sarah Lawrence College and splits her time between New Jersey and Taipei, Taiwan.Paul Lisicky is the author of seven books including Later: My Life at the Edge of the World (one of NPR's Best Books of 2020), as well as The Narrow Door (a New York Times Editors' Choice and a Finalist for the Randy Shilts Award), Unbuilt Projects, The Burning House, Famous Builder, and Lawnboy. His work has appeared in The Atlantic, BuzzFeed, Conjunctions, The Cut, Fence, The New York Times, Ploughshares, Tin House, and in many other magazines and anthologies. He has taught in the creative writing programs at Cornell University, New York University, Sarah Lawrence College, and elsewhere. He is currently a Professor of English in the MFA Program in Creative Writing at Rutgers University-Camden, where he is Editor of StoryQuarterly. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ BOOK CLUB!Use code GAYSREADING at checkout to get first book for only $4 + free shipping! Restrictions apply.http://aardvarkbookclub.com WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanCONTACT!hello@gaysreading.com

Host Jason Blitman talks to Nancy Johnson (People of Means) about race, class, and civil rights, offering a multi-layered perspective on life issues both timeless and timely. They touch on intriguing parent-child relationships, the omnipresent "they," and more. Jason is then joined by Guest Gay Reader, musical artist McKenna Michels, who shares her unique blend of storytelling through song, music video, and graphic novel. A native of Chicago’s South Side, Nancy Johnson worked for more than a decade as an Emmy-nominated, award-winning television journalist at CBS and ABC affiliates nationwide. A graduate of Northwestern University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she lives in downtown Chicago and manages brand communications for a large nonprofit. Her first book, The Kindest Lie, was a Book of the Month Club selection and a Target Book Club pick.Hailing from the vibrant city of Austin, where creativity lives on every corner, McKenna Michels is a singer-songwriter whose melodies and lyrics resonate deep within the soul. Her heart-driven songs give voice not only to the traumas she endured, but to countless nameless survivors who have faced similar challenges in their own lives. https://www.mckennamichelsmusic.com/Miranda July story as mentioned in the Valentine's Day episode:https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2006/09/18/something-that-needs-nothingSUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ BOOK CLUB!Use code GAYSREADING at checkout to get first book for only $4 + free shipping! Restrictions apply.http://aardvarkbookclub.com WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanCONTACT!hello@gaysreading.com

In this special Valentine's Day episode, host Jason Blitman talks to February's Read with Jenna author, Jessica Soffer (This is a Love Story). From New York City's Central Park to the evocative smell of street food, Jason and Jessica explore the romantic and the realist perspectives on love. They share some personal loves, book and story recommendations, and even a few favorite food-related love stories. This episode is for both the hopeless romantics and steadfast realists. Jessica Soffer is the author of This Is a Love Story and Tomorrow There Will Be Apricots. She grew up in New York City, attended Connecticut College, and earned her MFA at Hunter College. Her work has appeared in Granta, The New York Times, Real Simple, Saveur, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue, and on NPR’s Selected Shorts. She teaches creative writing to small groups and in the corporate space and lives in Sag Harbor, New York, with her family.UPDATE: Miranda July The New Yorker story: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2006/09/18/something-that-needs-nothingSUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ BOOK CLUB!Use code GAYSREADING at checkout to get first book for only $4 + free shipping! Restrictions apply.http://aardvarkbookclub.com WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanCONTACT!hello@gaysreading.com