Big Gay Book Talk with Authors Brian Schaefer and Rob Franklin
The NYC LGBT Community Center invites you to its Big Gay Book Talk on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, featuring a conversation between Brian Schaefer and Rob Franklin regarding their acclaimed debut novels, Town & Country and Great Black Hope. Moderated by Vanity Fair’s Chris Murphy, the evening promises sharp insight, cultural commentary, and behind-the-scenes reflections from three voices at the center of today’s literary and media landscape.
Tickets are available for $35 and include a copy of both novels; Town & Country and Great Black Hope. Both authors will sign their respective books after the conversation.
Itinerary:
6:30 pm: Doors Open (seating is on a first-come, first-served basis)
7–8 pm: 1-hour book talk + Q&A
8–8:30pm: 30 minutes of book signing
With questions about the event, please contact Brian Doyle, The Center’s Director of Special Events & Corporate Partnerships, at [email protected].
Brian Schaefer contributes regularly to The New York Times and has written for The New Yorker, New York magazine, and more. He is a recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Arts Journalism and was a finalist for the Livingston Award for International Reporting. He earned his master’s degree in creative writing from Bar-Ilan University in Tel Aviv. He and his husband live in New York City and the Hudson Valley. Town & Country is his first novel.
A full description of “Town & Country” can be found here.
Rob Franklin is the author of Great Black Hope, which was published in June 2025. A national bestseller, his debut novel was nominated for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, the Barnes and Noble Discover Prize, and the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence — it was named a Best Book of the Year by TIME, Vogue, and NPR, among others. His other recent work can be found in New York Magazine, Cultured, and Interview. A co-founder of Art for Black Lives, Franklin holds a BA from Stanford University and an MFA from NYU’s Creative Writing program. He teaches writing at School of Visual Arts in Manhattan and edits fiction for Joyland.
A full description of “Great Black Hope” can be found here.
Chris Murphy is a writer and performer living in Brooklyn, New York. Murphy is a staff writer at Vanity Fair, covering entertainment and popular culture. He wrote the magazine’s November 2024 cover story on Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, and hosts Universal’s official Wicked podcast, now streaming on Peacock. He’s also appeared on CNN, Hulu, and ABC, and prior to joining Vanity Fair, he wrote for Vulture/New York magazine. As an actor, Murphy has performed at Atlantic Theater Company, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, The Flea Theater, 54 Below, New York City Children’s Theater, Theatre Row, The Tank, Joe’s Pub, and Ars Nova, where he was a 2023-2024 Vision Resident. As a comedian, he’s performed in New York at The Bell House, Caveat, Club Cumming, and Union Hall, in Hollywood at the Netflix Is a Joke Fest, and on The Real Housewives of New York City. He holds a B.A. in English from Princeton University. Follow him on social at your own risk @christress
