Our first new episode of 2026 drops next week on January 13th! John is really proud of this upcoming episode which is about Bayard Rustin. For this week, we have a recent episode of The Gaily Show which we air in our off weeks.

Today: The 2025 Chicago Journalist of the Year, Jake Wittich, joins us for a special episode of Unpack This For Me. While you know him as a featured contributor to The Gaily Show (bi-weekly on Wednesdays), we take this opportunity for him to unpack how he goes about his work. What does it mean to be a queer journalist when the federal government is dominated by MAGA and using that power to attack the LGBTQ community in blue cities? By sharing his story, we learn more about what it takes to produce quality journalism in a time when the federal government is pumping out dozens of fake news stories and conspiracy theories by the hour.

Windy City Times has been the voice of Chicago’s LGBTQ+ community since 1985. This year marks the news outlet’s 40th anniversary of uplifting queer stories, reporting with Pride and chronicling LGBTQ+ history. Visit WindyCityTimes.com/newsletters to sign up for the publication’s weekly LGBTQ+ news updates.

Jake Wittich is managing editor of Windy City Times, where he reports in-depth stories on Chicago’s LGBTQ+ community and oversees the publication’s growing newsletter operation. And the Chicago Journalist’s Association named him Journalist of the Year 2025.

Watch on YouTube

We're in video too! You can watch this episode at youtube.com/@thegailyshow

Credits

Host/Founder: John Parker (learn more about my name change)
Executive Producer: Jim Pounds
Production and Distribution Support: Brett Johnson, AM950
Marketing/Advertising Support: Chad Larson, Laura Hedlund, Jennifer Ogren, AM950
Accounting and Creative Support: Gordy Erickson

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One of the world's oldest surviving novels was a queer book?!

Today we meet Neil Laird and we’re talking about the queer book that saved his life: The Satyricon by Petronius.

Neil is a multiple Emmy-nominated Executive Producer who has worked extensively on both the network and production side of non-fiction TV since 1997. He's developed, overseen, and produced over 1,000 hours of non-fiction programs and specials in nearly every genre, with a particular passion, expertise, and contacts in history, archaeology, and international exploration. He write a series of satirical adventure novels: Prime Time Travelers, Prime Time Pompeii, and, the forthcoming Prime Time Troy. They're all about a time-traveling TV crew uncovering forgotten LGBTQ voices from the past.

Petronius (20 C.E. - 66 C.E.) served as a Governor in the Roman Empire and ultimately as Consul, the most powerful position in the Empire. When he left public service, Emperor Nero named him the Arbiter Elegantiae, or master of elegance. A prominent writer, Petronius is considered the likely author of The Satyricon.

Connect with Neil

website: neillaird.com
instagram: @primetimeauthor
facebook: facebook.com/neil-laird-author

Our Bookshop
Visit our Bookshop for new releases, current bestsellers, banned books, critically acclaimed LGBTQ books, or peruse the books featured on our podcasts: bookshop.org/shop/thisqueerbook

Buy your copy of The Satyricon here: https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9780806144382

For the forthcoming Prime Time Troy, as well as Prime Time Travelers and Prime Time Pompeii, check this out: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Neil-Laird/author/B0CYJ7HDB4

Become an Associate Producer!
Become an Associate Producer of our podcast through a $20/month sponsorship on Patreon! A professionally recognized credit, you can gain access to Associate Producer meetings to help guide our podcast into the future! Get started today: patreon.com/thisqueerbook

Credits
Host/Founder: John Parker
Executive Producer: Jim Pounds
Associate Producers: Archie Arnold, K Jason Bryan and David Rephan, Bob Bush, Natalie Cruz, Troy Ford, Jonathan Fried, Paul Kaefer, Joe Perazzo, Bill Shay, and Sean Smith
Patreon Subscribers: Stephen D., Terry D., Stephen Flamm, Ida Göteburg, Thomas Michna, Sofia Nerman, and Gary Nygaard.
Creative and Accounting support provided by: Gordy Erickson
Quatrefoil Library
Quatrefoil has created a curated lending library made up of the books featured on our podcast! If you can’t buy these books, then borrow them! Link: https://libbyapp.com/library/quatrefoil/curated-1404336/page-1

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We have a new episode of This Queer Book Saved My Life on December 16th! Today, Once Upon a Crime Books presents 7 Minutes in Book Heaven, the podcast where we interview LGBTQ authors about the new books they have coming out for us to love and cuddle up with.

Visit them online: onceuponacrimebooks.com

Once Upon a Crime Books is an independent bookstore specializing in mystery fiction. Located in Uptown Minneapolis, you can shop in their store Monday through Saturday 11am – 5:30pm. Or, visit their website! There, you can browse all of their books, from new releases to classic mysteries.

In this new episode, Once Upon a Crime Books introduces us to Anne Laughlin and her new novel: Clean Kill which is available to buy in in-store or on their website.

Anne Laughlin has written seven books for Bold Strokes Books, all stand alone crime novels of the classic mystery, police procedural, and psychological thrill variety. She is the winner of four Goldie Awards from the Golden Crown Literary Society and has been short listed three times for a Lammy Award from the Lambda Literary Foundation. Currently a board member of Mystery Writers of America/Midwest and MWA's Queer Advisory Board, Anne believes in giving back to the crime writing community. Anne lives in Chicago with her wife, Linda Braasch, and their two cats.

Buy Clean Kill

Visit Once Upon a Crime Books in-person or buy online: https://onceuponacrimebooks.com/book/9781636796345

Connect with Anne Laughlin

website: annelaughlinwriter.com
facebook: facebook.com/anne.laughlin

Credits

Presented by: Once Upon a Crime Books
Host/Founder: John Parker
Executive Producer: Jim Pounds
Theme music: Summer Mood by lesfm

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