Brontez Purnell is the author of Since I Laid My Burden Down, a debut novel about growing up gay in 1980s Alabama that ''not only holds its own as queer literature, but also expands upon it'' (San Francisco Chronicle). The winner of a 2018 Whiting Award for Fiction, he is also the author of a graphic novel, a children's book, and a novella. The multi-talented Purnell is also the creator of a cult zine, the frontman for a punk band, the founder of the Brontez Purnell Dance Company, and the director of an array of short films, documentaries, and music videos. One of Vulture's ''46 Books We Can't Wait to Read in 2021,'' 100 Boyfriends is a funny, foulmouthed, and sensitive look into the messy lives of queer men navigating the pitfalls of modern dating. 

Kaitlyn Greenidge is the author of We Love You, Charlie Freeman, a finalist for The Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize and one of the New York Times ''Critics' Top 10 Books of 2016.'' A contributing writer for the Times, Greenidge has earned fellowships from the Whiting Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

(recorded 2/24/2021)