Earlier this month I was in New Orleans for a holiday, and I had to chance to dine with Frank Brigtsen. He’s the owner of the namesake restaurant Brigtsen’s, a local landmark that has been serving up his unique style of Creole and Cajun cooking for more then 30 years….

Here’s the 99th dinner interview with a stranger! It’s my lunch in Miami with Sebastian Arcos, associate director of Florida International University’s (FIU) Cuban Research Institute (CRI). Sebastian knows what he’s talking about — he was born and raised in Havana, grew disillusioned with the Castro regime in his teenage…

Dinner 98 is online! In late March I was in New York for the weekend and had the chance to interview actors Santino and Jessica Fontana. I’d read about their joint career in the arts in a great New York Times article about their wedding, and thought they’d have interesting…

“Love Wins” is the title of a book that Jim Obergefell wrote about his experiences being the lead named plaintiff in the Supreme Court case Obergefell v. Hodges, about the landmark decision that held that the Constitution guarantees the right of same-sex couples to marry across the United States. Almost…

Dinner 96 is online! This is my meal at sea with entertainer and singer/songwriter Matt Yee, who is a mainstay of gay and straight cruise ships performing his cabaret act to packed audiences. In late January we were on the same cruise, and so one night when he had a…

W. Ralph Eubanks is a writer, educator and scholar with an extensive history covering racism in America — both his experiences growing up African-American, as well as broader issues such as the institutionalized economic racism he’s researching for his next book. In addition to all that expertise, he’s also fantastic…

Recently, I met with the winner of a silent auction. The twist was that dinner with me was the prize at the auction. I’d offered an interview for the site to help raise funds for college scholarships for LGBT athletes, and (much to my shock) people actually bid on it….

Brad Rushing lives his life behind a lens. He’s an award-winning cinematographer (or director of photography) whose work has included music videos for stars such as Britney Spears, Eminem and Nelly; movies working with a host of well-known actors, actresses and directors; and commercials for dozens of big corporations. Brad…

Former U.S. Senator Larry Pressler (R-SD) wants to save democracy. Larry, who left the Senate in 1997 after an unsuccessful reelection bid, has been using his post-Congress career to teach students about the importance of civil service. His hope is to inspire a new generation of informed voters who might…

JR “Nexus” Russ is living up to his name. Christened Nexus on his first trip to the Burning Man festival, JR — an artist in Washington, DC — finds his professional and personal life increasingly at a nexus. He’s heavily involved in the city’s arts scene, but equally passionate about…