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This week, Ira is joined by Jackson Howard, Executive Editor at Farrar, Straus and Giroux, to dive into the wild world of publishing. They discuss everything from Jackson’s gay awakening—the animated Hercules—to who is writing the best sex, gay and otherwise. Tune in to learn what it takes to get published, and what editors like Jackson are looking for... and for all the gay literary gossip and Substack hot takes you’ve ever wanted.

03:01 — Queer awakenings and gay tropes

11:46 — How an editor chooses books

15:59 — Reading, writing, and the publishing industry

18:00 — The "gay lit boom"

20:09 — BookTok and the purpose of reading

22:24 — Toni Morrison and literary influence

25:06 — Queer stories and identity in publishing

27:31 — Solidarity in queer communities

29:00 — The "gay moment" we're in

35:45 — The history of the big, fat, wet kiss

37:39 — Music, criticism, and creativity

42:49 — Taste, book reviews, and literary culture

56:43 — Discovering and editing great fiction

01:00:50 — Sex writing and the next generation of writers

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Debut authors Bobuq Sayed (No God But Us) and Kyle Carrero Lopez (Party Line) sit down with Ira to talk about the myth of "queer utopia," nightlife as never just escapism, and a shared disinterest in writing books about the obvious villain. Kyle and Bobuq also discuss refusing to leave their politics, their work, and everything else consuming their minds at the entrance of the club. Because for Bobuq and Kyle, the dance floor was never a break from reality… but where they go to feel it most intensely, among strangers and familiar faces. Turns out the club was never just for dancing.

00:12 Alix Earle & the Literacy Crisis

03:36 Structuring Poetry Collections

07:19 Gatekeeping in the Publishing World

12:58 Writer Burnout and Self-Care

14:33 Writing Before the Pregame

25:20 Unpacking the Queer Utopia

32:53 Literary Inspirations

37:38 Dream Parties

41:19 Encounter with Assata Shakur

45:03 Book Launches & Nightlife Friendships

51:40 Advice for Debut Authors

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Jessel Taank is here, and she has some things to clear up! She joins Ira to discuss the fan reaction to her on the latest season of The Real Housewives of New York City. They get into her feud with Carole Radziwill, the Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy drama, her infamous Dorinda Medley fashion showdown, and her complicated relationship with Erin Lichy. Plus, Jessel reveals her plans to play matchmaker for Ira.

00:00 — Intro

01:43 — Jessel Taank Joins

06:18 — RHONY Fan Backlash

07:40 — Erin & Setting Boundaries

14:17 — Race & RHONY

15:05 — Carole Radziwill & Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy

19:47 — Dorinda & the Bubble Dress

24:03 — RHONY Friendships & the New Cast

33:36 — Fashion PR & Personal Style

41:04 — Matchmaking

44:27 — RHONY Zingers & Confessionals

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Chris Black is everywhere and doing everything — co-hosting the podcast How Long Gone, building his American essentials clothing line Hanover, writing a memoir, and hanging in the DJ booth with Charli XCX's husband. He joins Ira to talk about his taste and how he developed it, from the 90s Atlanta hardcore scene that exposed him to life beyond a white, middle-class, suburban childhood, to the current "say yes" era he's living in — all while juggling sobriety, marriage, and still wanting to be in bed by ten.

00:00 Taylor Swift Released New Music

03:40 Chris Black joins Ira

06:46 Writing Retreats & Isolation

10:45 Books, Memoirs & Reading

15:48 Manhattan vs. Brooklyn Living

20:46 90s Hardcore Punk Roots

24:48 The Value of Gatekeeping

27:58 Managing a Band, TRL & MTV Nostalgia

30:45 Video Podcasts vs. Audio

34:37 His GQ Column & Bravo's Southern Charm

36:42 Developing Taste via Magazines

38:31 Launching Hanover Apparel

40:16 Curation & Photography

43:48 Ultimate Pop Diva Mount Rushmore

53:29 Fantasy of Living Abroad

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Marlon James joins Ira Madison III for a conversation about his new novel The Disappearers (which has been shortlisted for the 2026 Booker Prize), growing up in Jamaica, and the pop culture that shaped him. They get into Marlon’s complicated relationship with his own past, how Prince, Heathers, and ’90s grunge gave him a vocabulary, and why he wants readers to enter the world of his books on his own terms. If you haven't picked up a copy of The Disappearers yet... run, don't walk.

00:00 Ira Madison III Ranks the Booker Prize 2026 Shortlist

04:33 The Disappearers & Writing His Most Personal Novel

07:56 Growing Up Queer in Jamaica

12:12 Prince, Pop Culture & Queerness

20:19 How He Writes & Gets Out of the Way

32:17 How Pop Culture Shapes His Writing

37:13 Jamaican Patois & Writing on His Own Terms

45:15 Queer Sex, Shame & Writing

50:14 Revenge, Trauma & Literary Perspective

52:25 What Marlon Wants to Disappear From Literature

56:58 Writing Multiple Perspectives

01:06:22 How He Knows When a Book Is Finished

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We’re talking lights, camera, action with writer, director, and Ira’s book club bestie Shatara Michelle Ford. They talk about Ford’s latest feature, Dreams in Nightmares, the real cost of funding their first indie project, and how to make ambitious work without waiting for Hollywood’s green light. Plus, Shatara breaks down what they learned working with director James Gray on Lost City of Z and the moment on set that made Shatara fall in love with Robert Pattinson's acting.

00:00 Welcome to Feedback

03:12 Ira and Shatara Reunite

07:38 Queen Elizabeth and The Black List

13:42 From Test Pattern to Dreams in Nightmares

26:24 Shatara’s Directing Process

33:08 Learning From James Gray

40:31 Robert Pattinson and The Lost City of Z

43:46 Making a Black Queer Road Movie

49:30 Richard Brody and Dreams in Nightmares

51:13 What’s Next for Shatara?

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This week on Feedback, Ira sits down with playwright Max Wolf Friedlich, whose Broadway hit "Job" went from a scrappy sleeper to a show so in-demand that Hugh Jackman could barely get a ticket. Max opens up about the realities of creating a Broadway banger, what it's been like following up with his new play "The Holes", and the unlikely origin of his theater career — a LARPing summer camp at age nine. Plus, a little on looksmaxxing, slam poetry, and creating social cachet in supporting art.

0:00 Rachel Cusk's Life of M & the Natalie Portman Rumors

2:52 Introducing Max Friedlich & His New Play The Holes

6:16 How Job Became a Viral Broadway Sensation

9:10 Max's Early Social Media Career

12:24 NYC Celebrity Theater Culture and Writer Anonymity

16:59 The Origin of The Holes: LARPing Camp & an 8th-Grade Assignment

24:14 Max Relives His Slam Poetry Days

28:49 Avoiding a "Job" Sequel: Controversy, Honesty & the Mental Toll of Broadway

33:32 Tech Bros and Social Cachet in Supporting the Arts

40:24 What Theater Teaches Men

46:29 Celebrity Scandal Nostalgia, NYC Food & Comfort Movies

52:08 Indie Film & Theater Influences: Jane Schoenbrun, Passing Strange & The Seafarer

58:46 Screens on Stage, Fan Encounters & Quitting Social Media

1:07:08 Internet Outrage, Dolly Parton & Looksmaxing Culture

1:14:18 Robert Pattinson Producing The Holes

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