On Friday night, I was lucky enough to be at the Carnegie Library’s Lecture Hall, where Jonathan Van Ness made a stop on his book tour for Over the Top. I have never bought tickets so quickly for an event, and I’m so glad that I did, because it ended up being sold out. I was already super excited to hear him talk… and then I got an e-mail about two weeks ago that he’d be interviewed by MICHELLE KWAN at the event. I may have actually screamed?

I was not disappointed. It was such a fun evening! If the topics that JVN talked about are any indication, I’m going to love his book. While he may be the “grooming” expert on Queer Eye, his talk was definitely not just about skincare and makeup. While he did talk about ingredients in products and their lack of regulation, he talked about so many other things, too. In just a short hour, he discussed politics and the upcoming election, his time on the show, and his HIV-positive status, among other topics! It was a jam-packed hour. Michelle was such a great moderator/interviewer, too – going along with his stories but helping to guide him back on track sometimes, too. You can tell that they’re genuinely friends!

I think the best part was how honest, vulnerable, and open JVN was. His answers were off-the-cuff and not guarded – he had moments of both tears and laughter. It’s clear that there are so many things that he’s passionate about, and it was so infectious to hear him talk about them.

I can’t end this post without sharing the pictures that I got to take with JVN and Michelle! They were both so kind and generous with their time; coming out to the crowd after the talk ended to say hello and take pictures. It was the best night, and if JVN’s book tour is coming to your city, you should definitely go.