Gays Reading

The internet's favorite forager, Alexis Nikole Nelson aka Black Forager, talks to Jason about what's she's been reading and shares insights about her new book, Happy Snacking, Don't Die!

Alexis Nikole Nelson, best known to most people as Black Forager, is a social media creator, vegan, urban forager, and outdoor educator who has amassed millions of followers. Her mother first showed her how to forage at the age of five by introducing her to onion grass. Now Alexis posts videos of her foraging finds in a playful, humorous way, whether she is exploring a nearby park or searching in her neighbor’s front yard, proving that anyone can try their hand at foraging. Alexis also takes these plants home with her to use in her creative vegan cooking. Her posts often address topics such as the indigenous roots of foraging in America, the history of American foraging laws, and sustainable ways for her viewers to include wild plants and mushrooms in their diets. Alexis has been featured in a broad range of media from The New York Times to Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and she was named a Time100 Creator in 2025. Alexis lives in Columbus, Ohio. Follow her on X, Instagram, and YouTube @BlackForager.
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Jason is joined by Marlon James to talk about his Booker Prize longlisted novel, The Disappearers. They cover topics like Dolly Parton, growing up gay in Jamaica, the ballet that changed his life, and much more.

Marlon James is the Booker Prize–winning and New York Times bestselling author of A Brief History of Seven Killings; the bestselling and National Book Award finalist Black Leopard, Red Wolf; as well as the bestselling Moon Witch, Spider King; The Book of Night Women; and John Crow’s Devil. In addition to the Booker Prize, James’s novels have won the Amer­ican Book Award, the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature, and the Los Ange­les Times Ray Bradbury Prize for Science Fiction, and have been finalists for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the NAACP Image Award. The recipient of a Guggenheim Fellow­ship and named in 2019 one of Time magazine’s one hundred most influential people in the world, James lives in New York City.
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Jason talks to author Josh Silver about his breakout hit that everyone's talking about, Fruit Fly, this month's selection for The Nod™️ by Gays Reading with Aardvark Book Club.

Josh Silver is the author of HappyHead, which was shortlisted for the YA Book Prize and nominated for the Carnegie Medal, its sequel, Dead Happy, and Erase Me. His experience working with teenagers as a mental health nurse inspired the critically acclaimed duology.
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Jason talks to author Chloe Benjamin, whose latest novel, Under Story was just announced as September 2026's Good Morning America Book Club pick. They discuss the various adventures writing the book took Chloe on, mushroom and psychedelic experiences, our relationship to time, and more.

Chloe Benjamin is the author of The Immortalists, a New York Times bestseller, and The Anatomy of Dreams. A Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection, LibraryReads favorite, and #1 Indie Next pick, The Immortalists was named a best book of 2018 by NPR, The Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, and others. The Anatomy of Dreams received the Edna Ferber Fiction Book Award and was longlisted for the 2014 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize. Originally from San Francisco, CA, Chloe is a graduate of Vassar College and the M.F.A. in fiction at the University of Wisconsin. Her work has been translated into over thirty languages. She lives with her husband in the San Francisco Bay Area.
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Jason talks to author Liane Moriarty about her newest novel (and first sequel), Big Little Truths. They discuss what makes her feel like a queen, the lyrics to "Come on Eileen," and that time she may or may not have been a taxi driver.

Liane Moriarty is the author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers Big Little Lies, Apples Never Fall, The Husband’s Secret, Truly Madly Guilty, and Here One Moment; the New York Times bestsellers Nine Perfect Strangers, What Alice Forgot, and The Last Anniversary; The Hypnotist’s Love Story; and Three Wishes. She lives in Sydney, Australia, with her husband and two children.
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