Show Notes
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! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from Gays Reading
New York Times bestselling author Mary Beth Keane (Ask Again, Yes) joins Jason to talk about her newest novel, Whale Harbor. They get into how the book echoes her own family, the most exciting thing that’s ever happened to her, and the surprising freedom of discovering that the worst thing that could happen might not be so bad after all.
Jason talks to debut author Rebecca Birrell about her novel Venus, Vanishing, this month's selection for The Nod™️ by Gays Reading with Aardvark Book Club.
Jason is joined by Ríoghnach Robinson, author of Bad Words--this month’s Good Morning America Book Club pick--to talk about reviews, what makes us feel most human, Taylor Swift, and--maybe most importantly--their love of em dashes.
David Lauterstein, founder of iconic queer menswear brand, Nasty Pig, joins Jason to talk books--what he's reading now, and what went into writing Sodomy Gods, a love story for everyone, which he recently released as an audiobook.
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.