Rabbi Michael Zedek, the rabbi emeritus of Emanuel Congregation in Chicago, joined Leah for a very fun and meandering conversation about lots of his favorite things. His book, Taking Miracles Seriously: A Journey to Everyday Spirituality, is going into a second printing and he's available for all of your events - Jewish or not, in person or virtual…

Ashlie, host of Advice from The Cheerbrarian, LOVES books and loves to prescribe books to friends, listeners and strangers based on a few questions. We talk about breaking up with your phone, the benefits of parallel reading multiple books at the same time, and book discovery. Keep up with Ashlie online Advice from the Cheerbrarian: https://open.sp…

Nancy House-Bluhm, author of Whispers for Terra and The Nickel Loop, loves clear communication. The midwesterner spent 25 years in Colorado before returning to Michigan. She talks with Leah about communication skills, trains and The Artist's Way. Keep up with Nancy online Whispers for Terra The Nickel Loop Nancy's website Nancy's email Instagram @j…

Elana Silber is the CEO of Sharsheret, the Jewish breast and ovarian cancer organization that Leah supports, and totally obsessed with Orangetheory. Nothing interrupts her daily workouts and she might get you Orange-curious by the end of the episode. Elana has dedicated her career to supporting people with breast and ovarian cancers through her wor…

Theresa Goodrich, aka The Local Tourist, has always loved to write. After she was diagnosed with breast cancer, she decided not to let anything stop her from writing fiction and she has written FIVE mysteries featuring travel writer Alex Paige. Theresa is one of the first people I met on Twitter and this was a great chance to catch up with each oth…

Summer hiatus is over with a banger of an episode! Abbas Jaffary, a mathematician and roller derby referee, joined Leah to talk about The Chicago Knockouts Roller Derby League and his love of math. Leah and Abbas also share a love of How Did This Get Made, the podcast that brings all people together. Follow Abbas online Mathematics for Misfits: htt…

Chuck Gay, a musician, writer and actor, joins Leah to introduce her to Buck Owens and the Buckaroos. Chuck can be seen in Elvis of the Yukon (as Elvis) written by guest Pam Mandel and produced by Amy Guth. Keep up with Chuck online Instagram @charlespgay Facebook @chuckgaymusic ChuckGayMusic.com Top Five Buck Owens Albums Buck Owens and The Buckar…

Author Darrin Doyle returns to celebrate a new book and his love of horror movies. Keep up with Darrin online Darrin's website: https://www.darrindoyle.com/ Darrin on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDarrinDoyle Darrin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darrindoylewriter/ Let Gravity Seize the Dead pre-order: https://regal-house-publis…

Author and film maker Pam Mandel is here to convince us all to add an ebike to our garage for local errands and more freedom of movement. Her debut short film Elvis of the Yukon debuted in New York and has just been selected for the Seattle Film Festival. We will be visiting with her collaborators throughout the summer as we celebrate road trips. K…

Monica Reida, a Chicago-based artist and writer, loves coffee. Like... LOVES coffee. Affogato, espresso, drip coffee, percolated coffee, different roasts, decaf and so much more. Keep up with Monica online Monica's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monicareida/ Monica's portfolio: https://monicareida.myportfolio.com/ Monica's blog, Notes from a …

We are one week out from Passover seders, so what better time to revisit Caroline's advice about preparing for the Spring holiday? New Haggadah alert - The Promise of Liberty by Stuart Halpern & Jacob Kupietzky Where are you leaving? Egypt Where are you going? Jerusalem What are you carrying? The bread of freedom Pesach (Passover) starts on Monday …

Scott Smith, aka Our Man In Chicago, returns to Finding Favorites to talk about the Mission Impossible movies - why he loves them, how he watches them and where to start with the series. Scott first joined Leah to talk about The West Wing. Keep up with Scott online Our Man in Chicago Instagram @ourmaninchicago The Frunchroom Facebook @thefrunchroom…

Blaise Miller, an actor/director/writer based in LA, joined Leah to talk about his new web series "Hi, Blaise Miller" and his love of sweatpants. "Hi, Blaise Miller" is a six episode series exploring life for actors in Hollywood today - the world of self tapes and self doubt. The series is distributed by Crafty and new episodes are available every …

Author Joyce Miller joins Leah to talk about her new book Joe Harris, The Moon, her love of greyhounds and her love of dancing with dogs. Keep up with Joyce online Look! You're Dancing: A Memoir of Dogs, Dance and Devotion Joe Harris, The Moon JoyceAMiller.com Follow Joyce on Instagram @joyceamillerwriter Show Notes Joe Harris Greyhounds "rooing" G…

Alabama based author Bradley Sides joined Leah to talk about his new collection Crocodile Tears Didn't Cause the Flood and his favorite band, The National. Keep up with Bradley online Crocodile Tears Didn’t Cause the Flood Bradley Sides on Facebook Bradley's website: Bradley-Sides.com Show Notes Those Fantastic Lives by Bradley Sides LeVar Burton R…

Ben Tanzer, a Chicago-based author and consultant, joined Leah to celebrate the launch of his new novel The Missing (pre-order on Bookshop.org for March 21, 2024 delivery) and his love of the book The Basketball Diaries. This conversation is a trip down memory lane, because Leah and Ben have been friends for 15+ years. We briefly discuss the suicid…

Paul Scheer, an LA-based actor, writer, comedian, and podcaster, grew up in New York Knicks territory, but now loves the L.A. Clippers. He joined Leah to talk about his memoir Joyful Recollections of Trauma (available for pre-order now, shipping on May 21, 2024), picking the right sports team for your family, and the inherent drama of NBA basketbal…

Author Esther Goldenberg visits Finding Favorites to share her loves of pour painting and drumming (djembe, not snare). She's also celebrating the publication of her first novel The Scrolls of Deborah. The Scrolls of Deborah is available for pre-order and will ship on February 20, 2024. EstherGoldenberg.com Follow Esther on Facebook and Instagram S…

Kathie Giorgio, a Wisconsin-based writer and founder of The All Writers Workshop, joined Leah to talk about her lifelong love of writing and her genre-agnostic publishing career. Kathie published her first short story as a teenager, her first book at 50, and will publish her 14th book in 2024. Content Warning: Kathie and Leah are both breast cancer…

Some of your favorite guests are back for the Best of 2023 Call-In Show! Leah asked guests and friends to send in a voice memo with their favorite discoveries of 2023. It's important to find moments of joy during difficult times and that's what each of our callers found! Best of 2023 Show Notes Carolyn Musin Berkowitz Snack hack! Monica Reida Princ…

Chuck Zagorski was declared the King of Christmas by his family and joined Leah to talk about his favorite holiday. Chuck listens to Christmas music all year, but limits his seven trees and 100+ nutcrackers to a window between November 1 and Three Kings Day. Email a 1-5 minute audio clip to Leah by December 25th to be included in the Best of 2023 s…

Emily Drake, host of the podcast Who's Missing, loves a cozy game. Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley, Cozy Cafe and more! We talk about parallel play, building relationships and so much more. Email a 1-5 minute audio clip to Leah by December 25th to be included in the Best of 2023 show! What did you love in 2023? email your clip to findingfavoritespo…

It's a thanksgiving interlude with a few updates of what Leah's been up to and the trailer for season 2 of Upper Middlebrow Podcast. Stand Up Comedy Nicole Byer Kyle Kinane Samantha Bee Broadway Stuff Beetlejuice What a Wonderful World Here We Are The Lehman Trilogy Company Podcast Stuff How Did This Get Made live shows Welcome to Rob Abrazado Uppe…

Evonne Marzouk returned to the podcast to celebrate the release of the paperback edition of her debut novel The Prophetess. We talk about the process of finding an audience, her lifelong love of writing, and processing difficult times through writing. We talk about donations for pre-orders, but her publisher has extended the donations through the e…

Pensylvania-based author and professor Holly M. Wendt joined Leah to talk about their love of all things cycling - from professional races to riding long distances, Holly loves all things two-wheeled. Their debut novel Heading North will be available on November 8th and you can order it today. HollyMWendt.com Instagram @hmwendt Twitter @hmwendt Hea…

Bee Vargas, AKA the reigning Ms. Illinois, loves power lifting and joined Leah to talk about her journey to embracing her larger body in and out of the gym. Whether its rooftop yoga, crushing dead lifts or representing Illinois at the national level, Bee is a delight. Follow Bee online https://www.instagram.com/thatbeeword/ https://www.instagram.co…

Donate to American Friends of Magen David Adom Jerusalem-based tour guide Joel Haber joined Leah to talk about Shabbat Stews ahead of the release of his ebook Chulent & Hamin: The Ultimate Jewish Comfort Food. There is so much more to Chulent than beans and meat! Follow Joel on Instagram and his blog Taste of Jew. Follow @findingfavspod on Instagra…

Taylore Nicholl and Michael Lester, a pair of independent filmmakers from Texas, joined Leah to talk about their love of film, making films, and dream projects. Follow the pair online Support Taylore and Michael on Patreon Carry On (Taylore's first movie) @taylorenicholl on Instagram What We Become Tik Tok @mediocre_michael Show Notes Duo of Greenv…

Jesse Dukes, co-host of Upper Middlebrow, returns to Finding Favorites to wrestle with Jimmy Buffett's legacy. We talk about internal rhymes, lifestyle brands, and songs with more meaning on the tenth listen than on the first. Keep up with Jesse online Upper Middlebrow Podcast JesseDukes.com Show Notes Neuromancer Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorr…

Josh Mohr, Seattle-based author of Model Citizen, joined Leah to discuss his new novel Farsickness which he wrote this summer and is illustrated by his daughter Ava. We talk about teachers that change your life, collaborating with your children, making art during the pandemic, and grappling with PTSD. Buy a copy of Farsickness today Silly Gooses wi…

Ronnie Raviv joined Leah to try and figure out if he has any favorite things. We talk about cocktails, cocktail bars, books, TV, great meals and our friendship origin story. For someone who claims to have no favorite things, there was no lacking in conversation. Like my beloved Zouks, Ronnie is not on twitter. Show Notes Second City Conservatory Qu…

Poet and playwright Dan O'Brien joined Leah this week to discuss his three books coming out this fall, before diving into the world of British comedies of the last 10-20 years. (We start talking about comedies at 35 minutes, but first 30 minutes is a lot of cancer talk.... schedule your mammograms and colonoscopies, friends). Follow Dan online Inst…

Bindy Bitterman, a Chicago-based author, published her first book Skiddly Diddly Skat at the age of 90 and joined Leah at the inaugural Chicago Jewish Book Fest for a storytime and live podcast interview. We talk about limericks, the Catskills, art collections and saying yes to all adventures. Keep up with Bindy online Show Notes Society of the Fif…

Rachel Duggan, a Milwaukee-based illustrator, loves butts, foxes, and pretty rocks. We sat down to talk about her book All Butts are Good Butts, how she became the wedding butt illustrator and how much she loves finding things in her natural environment. Follow Rachel online RADIllustrates.com Instagram @radillustrates Tik Tok @radillustrates All B…

Canadian author Vanessa Ricci-Thode has turned her front yard into an official Monarch butterfly waystation and joined Leah Jones to talk about her love of the migrating butterfly. We talk about the very long commute from Mexico to Canada, simple steps to conservation and their second love of gigantic trees. Vanessa's new book True Flame (Book 2 of…

Chad Hancock, host of Wackadoo! A Bluey Podcast for Grown-ups, joined Leah to introduce her to the new blue dog popular with kids and parents alike. Chad shares how he and his family started watching family, why it's an important piece of children's media and some of his favorite episodes. We also compare notes on hosting food podcasts, Chicago vs.…

Author and MFA student Allison Stalberg joins host Leah Jones to talk about niche, independent RPG games, obscure TV and movies from the 80s, the impact of Tumblr and her current writing projects. Follow Allison online Twitter @stalbergwrites Tik Tok @stalbergwrites Sor Anime on Tumblr Show Notes The Candle Wench (page 43) Wander Faerie Tale Theatr…

Dana Kaye, a Chicago-based book publicist, loves the creative outlet of stand-up comedy. She also loves a good memoir, so first we compare notes on audio memoirs we've been listening to before diving into how she uses open mics and stand-up comedy as a creative writing outlet. Follow Dana Kaye online https://kayepublicity.com/ Instagram @danakaye23…

Stacey Agdern, author of B'nai Mitzvah Mistake, joined Leah to talk about the intersection of writing romance, being joyfully Jewish, and her love of hockey. In her fourth romance novel with Jewish characters, Stacey brings together professional hockey and Jewish traditions. Follow Stacey online StaceyAgdern.com Facebook Twitter @nystacey Instagram…

Christina Meyer, a musician and practicing physican, joined Leah to talk about her love of NKOTB. We talk NKOTB Cruises, Joey's solo shows, fandom friends and getting ready for BlockCon happening this weekend in Chicago. (In fact, both Christina and Jen - who was on the podcast to talk NKOTB in 2021 - were both at BlockCon this weekend!) Follow Chr…

Laura and Annie are childhood best friends who both became mental health professionals. During peak COVID lockdown, they created the BFF Sticker Club. It's an online community for adults who love stickers, so we are talking all about stickers and stickies! BFF Sticker Club Instagram @thebffstickerclub Etsy for thebffstickerclub Show Notes Camp GUCI…

Phil Gomes joins Leah this week to reminisce about the early days of blogging and his dedication to the Brazilian spirit cachaca. Phil is the CCMO of Bloq and is currently based in Rio de Janeiro with his family. Follow Phil online PhilGomes.com Twitter @philgomes Substack Show Notes Instagram Cachacagora Cachacagora.com Werneck Cachaca apprentices…

Phillip Mottaz, author of The Psychic Barber mystery series, is on Finding Favorites to talk about CCIW colleges (Go Knox! Go Millikin!), early aughts Chicago improv and The Ramones. Follow Phillip on Twitter and check his website for updates The Murderous Haircut of the Mayor of Bel Air: A Psychic Barber Mystery The Homicidal Hairstyle of the Vira…

Author Nicole Zelniker (she/they) joined Leah to talk about Broadway shows, writing and their love of cats. (Cats the animal, not Cats the musical, but maybe also Cats the musical). Nicole is the EIC of Knee Brace Press and her latest book, Until We Fall, available wherever books are sold. Follow Nicole online Tik Tok @nicolewritesbooks Twitter @ni…

Chris Bagg, co-host of Upper Middlebrow, joins Finding Favorites to talk about Dungeons & Dragons and the greater universe of table top role playing games. He shares how he started playing D&D, what he plays now and a brief explanation of why 50,000 D&D players and creators cancelled their memberships. Keep up with Chris online Twitter @chrisbagg I…

Laurel Snyder, an Atlanta-based author, joined Leah to talk about the music and marriage of Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires. From Jason's early career in the Drive By Truckers to current collaborations with his wife Amanda Shires, their music was the soundtrack to Laurel's pandemic life. Laurel's new book The Witch of Woodland is available for pre-o…

Abby Stewart, a Bay Area author, loves artists journals and queso. She joined Leah fresh from AWP in Seattle to talk about her new novel Foundations, writing and publishing during lockdown, and her love of diaries and journals written by artists. We also talk about the best ways to improve Velveeta queso dip. Keep up with Abby online HelloAbigailSt…

Leah was sick with COVID this week, which meant no energy for new interviews. However, mountains of Candy Chat Chicago epsiodes were in the hopper waiting to be edited and it happens to be Jocelyn's birthday. So happy birthday Jocelyn, here is a crossover episode of Candy Chat Chicago!Leah Jones による

Jesse Dukes, co-host of the podcast Upper Middlebrow, loves the Richard Lester movies from 1973 and 1974: The Three Musketeers and The Four Musketeers. We also talk about the Neal Stephenson deep dive on Upper Middlebrow. Follow Jesse online @CuriousDukes UpperMiddlebrow.com Show Notes Blank Check Podcast Strange Days The Hunt for Red October M3gan…

Cameron MacKenzie returns to talk about places that feel like home that aren't home and we try to find the thread that connects Kamakura in Japan, The Nation in Washington DC, The Presidio and Washington Square Park in San Francisco, and Fergies Bar in Philadelphia. CameronMacKenzie.org Facebook River Weather stories Show Notes The Nation in DC Red…