Jason and Brett talk to Alex Gino (Green) about favorite sweets, book banning, their experience as a banned book author, using the singular they pronoun, and creating a safe world for young readers. Alex Gino writes queer and progressive middle grade novels, including the Stonewall and Lambda Award-winning Melissa. They love glitter, ice cream, gardening, wordplay, and stories that reflect the complexity of being alive. Alex is from Staten Island, NY and now lives in Western Massachusetts with Thunder the Wonder Cat. alexgino.comMelissa Cover FixGet your sticker if you have an old cover for Melissa HERE.**BOOKS!** Check out the list of books discussed on each episode on our Bookshop page:https://bookshop.org/shop/gaysreadingBy purchasing books through this Bookshop link, you can support both Gays Reading and an independent bookstore of your choice!Purchase your Gays Reading podcast Merch! Follow us on Instagram @gaysreading | @bretts.book.stack | @jasonblitmanWhat are you reading? Send us an email or a voice memo at gaysreading@gmail.com