Finding Favorites with Leah Jones

Where are you leaving? Egypt Where are you going? Jerusalem What are you carrying? The bread of freedom Pesach (Passover) starts on Friday night and Caroline Musin Berkowitz joined Leah to talk about how she gets organized for the holiday. We talk about recipes, family traditions, finding the right haggadah, additions to the seder plate, and how to give gift to your future self with a good spreadsheet. Follow Caroline on Instagram and Twitter Keep up with Hashtag Daf Yomi on Instagram Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Bread Machine Challah II Chicken Marbella Matzah Toffee CRC Pesach Guide 2022 A Slob Comes Clean Fly Lady Graphic Novel Haggadah Matza Pajamas Caroline's Legendary Passover Spreadsheet Haggadot.com Sunflower addition

Deborah Greenhut, author of The Hoarder's Wife, joined Leah on Finding Favorites to discuss her debut novel, baking challah, and the music of Joni Mitchell and Laura Nyro. Deborah's debut novel is available on April 5, 2022, in print and digital. DeborahGreenhut.com The Hoarder's Wife Woodhall Press Children's travel books by Deborah Gentle Art Swedish Death Cleaning The Settlement Cookbook Joni Mitchell's mysterious illness Laura Nyro Gershwin Plays Gershwin Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Transcript follows ----more---- deborah 0:00 My name is Deborah Greenhut, and my favorite thing is stories that repair reality. Announcer 0:07 Welcome to the Finding Favorites podcast where we explore your favorite things without using an algorithm. Here's your host, Leah Jones. Leah Jones 0:20 Hello, and welcome to Finding Favorites. I'm your host, Leah Jones. It is April already -- Sunday, April 3rd. I was missing last week, I was missing in action. Luckily, Shai Korman from "Friday Night Movie" podcast, interviewed his neighbor, Katie Jones, about reality TV. And we snuck that one in; hopefully, you have had a chance to listen to that very fun conversation. It is heavy on '90s/early aughts nostalgia for reality TV and I'm grateful as always for Shai when Shai steps in. Leah Jones 1:03 Last weekend, I went to L.A. and took my computer and took my microphone and went to see a show -- went to see "How Did This Get Made" live at Largo, and told very few people I was coming. Which was good, because mostly I hung out with my friend Esther and napped, slept, napped some more. Then went to Largo, and called it a day -- called it a weekend, went to the airport. But I never had a moment to pull up my computer and edit the podcast. I interviewed author Deborah Greenhut, the night before I went to L.A.; and so, let's be honest, there was never a chance i was gonna get done. I am continuing my healing journey; I finished radiation two or three weeks ago, and I'm getting my energy back. I still sometimes take naps that are -- I'm just out cold. I'll sleep for a full day, or I will sit down, and then wake up hours later. So, I'm still recovering from radiation and treatment. But I've started physical therapy. I'm working on reconditioning my body, my core muscles, my knees, just trying to get stronger, so that I can do things like walk to the train. My goal is that by May Ist, I am commuting on the train again. Right now, I just can't imagine taking the risk that I wouldn't be able to get a seat on the train, or even walking to the station right now. Leah Jones 2:57 This week, I've got author Deborah Greenhut. Her first novel comes out on Tuesday, so, it is publication week for her. It's called "The Hoarder's Wife." So if you ordered it today, you'd have it for the week of publication. And we have a really lovely conversation -- wide-ranging -- about her book, about baking challah, Joni Mitchell, jazz music -- we really cover the gambit. Deborah was a really lovely person to have a conversation with. And without further ado, I'm going to let you listen. Enjoy this episode with Deborah Greenhut. Get your boosters, wear your mask, and wash your hands and keep enjoying your favorite things. Leah Jones 4:00 Hello, and welcome to Finding Favorites. I'm your host, Leah Jones. And this is the podcast where we learn about people's favorite things and we get recommendations without using an algorithm. This week, it's officially spring. And it is with that. chilly and rainy in Chicago. And I am pleased to have with me today Deborah Greenhut. Deborah is an author -- she's not a first-time author, but she is a first-time novelist. Her novel, "The Hoarder's Wife," is coming out April 5th; right around the corner. People can pre-order now, and have it delivered on publication date. Deborah, how are you doing today? deborah 4:46 I'm very well, thank you. It's nice to be here. Leah Jones 4:50 Thank you and I like to imagine where people are. Where are you sitting tonight; where are you based? deborah 5:00 I'm based in New Jersey, about the center of the state. So we call it "the gut." Not near the shore, not near the mountains -- we do have some -- and just right in the middle there. Leah Jones 5:17 Because New Jersey's near the Poconos? Are those the mount -- or the Catskills, or both? deborah 5:23 Some of New Jersey is near the Poconos, yes? Leah Jones 5:28 Are those the mountains you're near? deborah 5:30 No, I'm actually not near anything, really. I'm not too far from driving to the shore. Actually, it's not too far from anywhere in New Jersey to go, you could drive the whole state in a day easily. It's not that big a deal to drive. But I am in the center near Rutgers University, I guess would be the best way to position it. 'Exit nine', the way we like to say in New Jersey, on the Turnpike, and my town actually has a sign that says, "The center of New Jersey - Welcome to the center of New Jers

Shai Korman, host of Friday Night Movie Podcast, joins the Finding Favorites team this week as guest host. He's talking to Katie Jones about her love of Reality TV. Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Follow Shai AKA @pancake4table on Twitter and Instagram. Subscribe to Friday Night Movie Podcast

Host Leah Jones is the guest this week - talking about all of her favorite podcasts, TV shows, movies and other random stuff that kept her comfortable during primary cancer treatment. She rang the gong after her final radiation treatment on March 18, 2022, so this is a recap of just some of the stuff that she liked since her diagnosis. Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Podcasts Doughboys HDTGM Arm Cherries Everything Nicole Byer - WWYDM, Best Friends, Newcomers High mighty, Dork Forest Blank Check with Griffin and David Friday Night Movie Podcast and the Korman trio The Bagel Report Jackie and Laurie Show Deep Dive - Jessica St Claire My own podcasts - Candy Chat Chicago, Finding Favorites and guesting on podcasts TV Love is BLind season 2 The Circle season 2 (or was it 3?) Chocolate School Ghosts (CBS and BBC) Murdoch Mysteries Grand Crew Minx - very excited Movies Steroid Saturdays - brunch, movie Action - big budget movies Dune x 2 Spiderman Homecoming Jackass x 2 The King’s Man Fast 9 Apps Tik Tok Match 3 games with generous infinite lives Caring Bridge Anticipating trips The return (and rescheduled) live shows Kyle Kinane at Thalia Hall Hadestown and Frozen Lyric Opera HDTGM in LA Doughboys in Boston, Chicago Letter Kenny Live Israel in July Recommending Wallys on 1-55 in Pontiac Random Cancer recommendations Ice socks and ice mittens for neuropathy A medical recliner for recovering from major surgery Rock that Treatment gift boxes Israeli Gift Box A great dress - Fringe and Co Grubhub, Amazon gift cards Single serving food deliveries Aquaphor Cozy clothes - sunday sleeper pants from old navy Being as private or public as you want Making silly swag for my helpers Accepting help (wheelchairs, garbage, meals)

Steve Higgins, an award-winning English professor at Lewis and Clark and your favorite poetry professor on Tik Tok, has loved The Nightmare Before Christmas for 30 years. We talk about merchandise, music and lessons for aliens in the Tim Burton classic. Follow Steve on Twitter and Tik Tok where he does one minute poetry lessons. Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Links Peacemaker Righteous Gemstones Ghosts - CBS and BBC Beforeigners The Nightmare Before Christmas Corpse Bride Burger King Watches Original Trailer Sally's Song How to light hanukkah candles Donate to HIAS or JDC Steve 0:00 Hello, my name is Steve Higgins. And my favorite thing is "Nightmare Before Christmas." Transcript follows ----more---- Announcer 0:06 Welcome to the Findings Favorites podcast where we explore your favorite things without using an algorithm. Here's your host, Leah Jones. Leah Jones 0:19 Hello, and welcome back to Finding Favorites. I'm your host, Leah Jones. It is Sunday, March 13th. Thank you for staying with me when I went missing last weekend. I am now two weeks into my three weeks of radiation for breast cancer. And a friend described it as -- every radiation treatment is the equivalent at the day at the beach, when it comes to how dehydrated you get and the naps you take. And boy, have I been napping. Also, we returned to the office at work. And I really missed seeing people, so I've been going back to the office trying to binge some in-person experiences in case the next variant comes through. So, I have been super tired from all the extra walking. I've been using a cane, because I got really weak after chemotherapy. I'm on some steroid inhalers which are helping my lungs -- my lungs took a big hit from chemotherapy, my strength. While I was never vomiting, chemo did me in, and then radiation has made me a sleepy, sleepy, Leah. When it came to trying to edit last weekend, on top of some technical issues -- the service I used to record interviews didn't sync properly, so you might hear some goofs during this episode, because I switched to a new format -- it just didn't download correctly, but I got most of what we needed. Leah Jones 2:10 I've been doing a lot of napping, also have been paying close attention to the war in Ukraine. And efforts to get refugees moved out of Ukraine into border countries and from border countries into Western Europe or to North America or to Israel. Two places that are getting my money, my donations, are JDC, which is known as "The Joint" -- they're doing a lot of great on the ground work. There's a lot of mutual aid groups that different friends of mine have been working in, so sometimes I'm Venmo-ing someone, but also HIAS does a lot of good work in this area, as well. I'll put some links in the show notes, if you're looking to make donations to support refugees that they're trying to get out of Ukraine. Leah Jones 3:07 This interview is with Steve Higgins -- you met Steve in season one of Finding Favorites. He came to talk about "Doctor Who." This week, we are talking about "The Nightmare Before Christmas," which is coming up on its 30th anniversary. So, Disney, when you're looking for someone to bring to your 30th anniversary stuff, Steve Higgins is your guy. With all that said, it has been the time change and while I napped a lot, I slept a lot today and yesterday, I think I need to go back to bed. So wear your mask, wash your hands, get your booster, and keep enjoying your favorite things. Leah Jones 4:08 Welcome to Finding Favorites. I'm your host, Leah Jones. And this is the podcast where we learn about people's favorite things and get recommendations without using an algorithm. This week, I am joined by Steve Higgins, as you should remember from our "Doctor Who" episode. He's a professor at Lewis and Clark University in the St. Louis area and also does comic books and is part of the comic book, drinking and drawing community down there, as well. And, over the pandemic, started doing these very cool Tiktok introductions to poetry -- one minute poetry, three minute poetry. You had a couple go viral. Steve, how are you doing today? Steve 4:59 I'm doing great. Yeah, it was very strange. I did one on "Dust of Snow" by Robert Frost. And, it really did kind of explode, and it got me a few thousand more followers than I had before; not that I'm a huge TikTok influencer or anything. I'm almost at 4,000 followers, so it's not like I have millions or anything but hey, I got a fan base; I'll count it. Leah Jones 5:32 And I feel like you also had some celebrity comment, not just TikTok celebrities, but real celebrities were commenting and reposting. Steve 5:42 That's correct. I had Alyssa Milano, because someone who started following me also reached out to me to be part of an initiative that she was doing to support the ERA a while back, as well. So yeah, it was very strange. Talk about a short poem on Tiktok, and get attention from your eight-ye

California-based author Jayne Martin's favorite place is Paris, France, and we settled in to talk about the bread, the Eiffel Tower and people watching. Jayne's newest book, The Daddy Chronicles, is available for pre-order and will launch on March 15, 2022. Follow Jayne Martin online and pre-order The Daddy Chronicles The Daddy Chronicles: Memoir of a fatherless daughter Jayne Martin's website Facebook Twitter @Jayne_Martin Instagram @jayne.martin.writer Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Show Notes Jennifer Weiner advice for writers Tik Tok Horse Rescue Meg Pokrass (flash fiction retreats) Shakespeare and Company bookstore in Paris Alelie filming locations Picasso Museum in Paris MBMBAM Amelie bit Paris Pet Cemetary Health benefits of cobblestone streets Revolution and throwing cobblestones Immaculate Conception in Italy Kingston Trio sings MTA (Boston Song)

Esther Kustanowitz, co-host of The Bagel Report, is back with another one of her favorite things - finding Jewish moments in pop culture! We talk about what representation meant to her as a kid and how it has changed over the last 15 years as Jewish moments on TV increase. How TV has embraced dybbuks, golems and other Jewish lore Twitter: @estherk @thebagelreport @tvgonejewy IG: @estherkustanowitz @TBRthepod FB: The Bagel Report TVGoneJewy The Bagel Report podcast, available wherever you get your podcasts Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Show Links Limmud Elevator episode was Facts of Life, not Different Strokes! Milky Way LA Stars of David The Wonder Years revamped Bar Mitzvah Better Things on FX Part one of Esther K's interview on Friday Night Movie Podcast Friday Night Movie Podcast part 2 The Bagel Report History of confirmation in the Reform movement

Author Sarah M Anderson, who also writes as Maggie Chase and Sally Sultzman, joined Leah this week to share the story of how she became a prolific published author. With well over 40 romance books available, Sarah shares recommendations for all types of romance genres, YA romance and cozy mysteries. Follow Sarah online SarahMAnderson.com/ Twitter @sarahmanderson1 Twitter @SallySultzman SallySultzman.com/ Maggie Chase on Amazon (very spicy) Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Show Links Most popular baby names of 1976 Bunnicula GP Gottlieb (cozy mysteries with recipes) The Cat Who Series Jamie Loftus, Lolita Podcast Harlequin Romance Authors https://www.crystalwrote.com/ https://www.oliviawaite.com/ https://oliviadade.com/ https://kjcharleswriter.com/ https://catsebastian.com/ https://www.meganframpton.com/ https://www.emeryleebooks.com/meet-cute-diary https://www.byleahjohnson.com/ https://karenbooth.net/ https://twitter.com/_AdeleBuck https://www.tashalharrison.com/ wrote the Say Yes duet https://www.mandacollins.com/ Updates on Leah's CaringBridge

Jess, a Wisconsin-based world-traveler, loves... well, she loves travel! In this episode, Jessica shares her story of how two week vacations turned into a three month trip and set the stage for her to travel abroad for one year and eight months. COVID may have brought her back to the States early, but it hasn't dampened her desire to share how to make long trips work. Follow Jessica, aka @bayjb, on Instagram Show Links The Professional Hobo How much does it cost to travel around the world? Budget travel around the world Trail Wallet Countries and locations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myanmar https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanzania https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tasmania https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taj_Mahal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zanzibar https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uluru https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bund https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Korea https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan No intro this week, because Leah is in Boston celebrating the end of chemotherapy and enjoying a break before radiation starts. Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Updates on Leah's CaringBridge

Adal Rifai, a legendary Chicago-based podcaster, loves Chicago restaurants and joined guest host Shai Korman to give recommendations. Adal is Chunt on Hello from the Magic Tavern, hosts Hey Riddle Riddle and Siblings Peculiar. Shai is joining us from the Friday Night Movie Podcast. Follow Adal Rifai online Hello from the Magic Tavern Instagram @adalrifai Twitter @adalrifai Chicago Food Tour Percolator June Bug Galit Au cheval burger Community on Milwaukee Chicago Diner Taste Of Lebanon JP Grazianos Alinia Girl and the Goat Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Updates on Leah's CaringBridge

Erika Valenciana, a Chicago-based filmmaker, loves making her own clothes. She joins guest host Amy Güth to talk about documentary films, sewing and more. Catch up with Erika in Mexico City in March for the premier of her documentary La Mitad del Mundo! Follow Erika on Instagram and online with Diverse Voices in Docs, Stowe Story Labs. Erika and Magdelena Hernandez "La Mitad del Mundo" documentary film is going to premiere at Lit Luz in March Amy is the host of Unconventional with Amy Güth and Crain's Daily Gist. She also produces cultural events at 5959 in Chicago. Follow Amy on Instagram for yoga writing prompts and subscribe to her weekly email newsletter. Show Notes "Brewer" and "Birder By The Lake" are both not yet available online, both are in-progress Anu Rana, producer of "Brewer" film Mitch Wenkus, cinematographer of "Birder by the Lake" film Professor Valerie Frizzle, PhD Threadbare TV Host wears same suit Barack Obama wore the same tuxedo for 8 years, nobody noticed Successful people wear the same clothes every day Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Updates on Leah's CaringBridge

Scott “ToyGuru” Neitlich knows and loves toys. If you look around your house, you might have some that he helped bring into the world. Guest host Shai Korman sat down with Scott to learn more about his career, philosophy and why he loves Arbor Day so much. Shai brings over the Friday Night Movie Podcast signature game Buy, Rent, Meh for some tough choices. Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Follow Shai AKA @pancake4table on Twitter and Instagram. Subscribe to Friday Night Movie Podcast Keep up with Scott "ToyGuru" Neitlich on YouTube, Twitter and Spector Creative Show Notes Interview with Scott about Masters of the Universe Staction Figures and Masters of the Universe Star Wars: The Power of the Force 1985 Toy Line Star Wars Vintage Collection New HeMan on Netflix He-Man Wikipedia Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Updates on Leah's CaringBridge

Vicki Güth is an avid gardener who loves growing her own food. She's also guest host Amy Güth's mother. This week they got on the phone to talk in depth about gardening and more. Amy is the host of Unconventional with Amy Güth and Crain's Daily Gist. She also produces cultural events at 5959 in Chicago. Follow Amy on Instagram for yoga writing prompts and subscribe to her weekly email newsletter. Show Notes Quarterboards.com Quarterboards and More on Etsy Quarterboards for a Cause Master Gardeners at the Chattanooga Zoo Food, Inc documentary What to plant with marigolds (companion planting) Roses Love Garlic and Carrots Love Tomatoes Dr. Earth natural garden products Wild Ones Native Plants org Crabtree Farms Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Updates on Leah's CaringBridge Transcipt follows ----more---- Vicki 0:00 Hello, my name is Vicki Guth, and my favorite thing is gardening. Announcer 0:04 Welcome to the Finding Favorites podcast where we explore your favorite things without using an algorithm. Here's your host, Leah Jones. Leah Jones 0:15 Hello, and welcome to Finding Favorites. I'm your regular host, Leah Jones. Welcome to the podcast, people who are new and coming to listen because of our host today, Amy Guth, or our guest, Vicki Guth. To give you a little bit of background and then let you know if you want to zip forward to the interview, I will be sharing some personal updates. This podcast is about hearing from people about their favorite things, how they found it, why it's important to them, what adventures it's taken them on. And I started it Memorial Day 2020 as a COVID hobby. No commute, no social events, what was I gonna do with my time? So, I started this podcast, and we talk to people about hobbies, art, artists, music, all sorts of great things. Leah Jones 1:06 This summer I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and I've been getting chemotherapy for the last couple months. January is my final month of chemotherapy. I'm getting very fatigued and so I asked two friends, Amy Guth of "The Unconventional with Amy Guth" podcast and Shai Korman from "Friday Night Movie" podcast, each to take two episodes, so I could be fatigued this month, so, thank you. This week, we've got Amy Guth, who like I said, you may know her from WGN radio, seen her byline in the Tribune and all over the internet. She is also now the host of "Unconventional with Amy Guth." Her podcast launched this year -- she has talked to Steve Gadlin, Arbus Joffrey, and Laura Kearney. She interviews people who have taken unconventional paths, who challenge conventional narratives and who have built unconventional lives. Welcome to those of you who know, Amy, or because you know, Vicki. It's really fun to interview people we've known our whole lives and talk to them about things maybe you didn't know. Leah Jones 2:18 Amy is talking to her mom, Vicki Guth, this week about growing her own food. The personal updates I give at the top are a little bit of a breast cancer treatment report. I am through three of my four cycles of chemotherapy, which means I have three weeks left, I nap a lot more, a lot more. The steroids work off faster, the fatigue starts sooner, and it's more intense. But other than that, I'm so interested in food, I've had to obviously cut out or limit dairy, cut out real fibrous raw veggies. And when I make the right choices, I feel good. When I don't make the right choices, I at least know they're choices I've made and not a new side effect. Leah Jones 3:08 This week, I had my second of four heart scans to make sure that the Herceptin isn't impacting my heart. So far, my heart looks fantastic. My port did get kind of clogged up this week, so they had to give me something called Activase, which is a medicine that people get after heart attacks, after certain types of strokes. But it's also how you clean a catheter, which is what the port is. So, after they did that, my port was working again. I've been grateful for this thing for keeping me away from an awful lot of bruises and tears looking for someone who can get a needle into my right arm. With that, I am going to go have some takeout brunch, then go see the Matrix movie. I made a tradition of seeing Saturday matinees while I go through chemo treatment and we pick things that have been out for three or four or five weeks, we pick the emptiest theatre, masks on, no snacks in the theater. It's how I take advantage of "steroid Saturday". And with that, wear your mask, wash your hands, stay safe, get that booster, or get that vaccine, and keep enjoying your favorite things. Amy 4:39 Hi there. I'm Amy Guth, and I'm thrilled to be hosting Finding Favorites for my long-time friend, Leah Jones. So as a broadcaster, I've interviewed a lot of people, but today I'm interviewing somebody that I've definitely known for a long time but that I've never really interviewed before, and that's my mom, Vicki Guth. Welcome. Vicki 4:55 Hey, ni

To close out 2021, I asked friends to send me voice memos about their favorite things in 2021. This clip show is made up of those voice memos covering all things personal, pop culture and professional. You've met most of the guests before and everyone is bringing a new favorite thing or an exciting update to their episode! Act 1 Shai and Lily from Friday Night Movie Podcast (Cats, Cereal) Monica Reida (Murdoch Mysteries) Steve Higgins (Doctor Who) Max Pacheco (The most complete Disney library) Act 2 Terry Gant, Third Coast Comics (League of Superheroes) Ry Jones Rachel Rocco Cataldo, Potenza Productions Veronica Arreola, Femist Agenda (Women's Sports) Amy Guth, Daily Gist Act 3 Scott Smith, host of Frunchroom (The West Wing) Jocelyn Geboy, cohost of Candy Chat Chicago (Avett Brothers, Candy) Keidra C, The Learned FanGirl (KPopDollstagram) Dave Coustan (trumpet) Ezra Butler, artist (Andy Warhol) Recommended stuff Pearson’s Salted Nut Roll Dopesick Ghostbusters Afterlife Succession AEW Wrestling Maid Working Moms I'm Sorry The Other Two Owl House, Disney+ Couer de Pirate album Formula 1 Racing Magic the Gathering Olde Style - Dmitry Samarov The Radical King - MLK Family Properties 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown Encanto Taylor Swift Sarah Dodge - bread in Atlanta Buying season tickets to see Women's Sports Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Updates on Leah's CaringBridge Transcript follows ----more---- Jocelyn 0:00 Am I saying this like -- Leah Jones 0:03 So, you'll introduce yourself -- Jocelyn 0:04 Okay -- Leah Jones 0:04 So, you're Jocelyn Geboy, you're the co-host of Candy Chat Chicago. You don't have to -- Jocelyn 0:14 Do I want to say why -- what episode? Leah Jones 0:18 No, like, what are *your* favorite things for 2021? Jocelyn 0:21 No, but do I have to like -- so people know what episode -- Leah Jones 0:24 No, I'll say that -- I'll do intros. Jocelyn 0:25 Got it. Okay! Announcer 0:30 Welcome to the Finding Favorites podcast where we explore your favorite things without using an algorithm. Here's your host, Leah Jones. Leah Jones 0:44 Hello, and welcome to Finding Favorites. I am your host, Leah Jones. And this is the podcast where we get recommendations from people without using an algorithm. This episode is very different than any I've ever done before. It is the final episode of 2021, but really the first episode of 2022, because I'm recording this on January 1st, 2022. I put out a call on social media and asked people to send me voicemails about their favorite things from the year and I got a lot of great answers, so this is a clip show. Leah Jones 1:25 Not one where I go and pull clips from old episodes of mine, but one where people sent in new clips, up to five minutes, of their favorite things from 2021. It's a really wide range of answers from some past guests, some people who have never been guests before. Some people who listen, friends and family, Chicago media folks. This is a very, very fun episode. I will be taking January off, but the podcast won't. I think I mentioned last week that Amy Guth and Shai Korman each agreed to take on two episodes in January, as I get into the final month of chemo. The effects of Taxol are cumulative, and I need more and more naps, which means I have less and less time to do interviews and edit. And, that I'm less coherent in those interviews. Leah Jones 1:57 So I thought, "Let's take a month off, ask some friends to support me with their tremendous interviewing skills." I know that they've got great people lined up. So starting next week, you'll hear from -- every other week -- from Shai, from Amy. And I'm really grateful to them for that. On the breast cancer front, I've now done eight weeks of my 12 weeks of Taxol. That means the next week when I go in, I will start my final -- no, I'll have four weeks left. So, I'll end cycle three next week, and then I'll have my final cycle. Each cycle is three weeks. Then hopefully I'll be celebrating by going to a Doughboys live show. Although, they've just had to start canceling some of their West Coast dates, because Omicron is not playing [around]. And ultimately, despite it having been my emotional carrot to get me through chemo, the safest bet might be to postpone those shows, or stay home. So we'll see. Leah Jones 3:48 As we get into people sharing their favorite things of the year -- some of my favorite things in 2021 -- learning how to accept help from friends and family. That's just been a big life lesson I had to learn after my diagnosis -- which is that you can't super-independent your way through a major diagnosis, even an easy one, even a stage one. I'm still going to be under treatment for a whole year, which is wild. I have had a lot of fun improving my podcast skills and starting my second podcast, Candy Chat Chicago. Leah Jones 4:28 This summer, my nephew moved to Chicago. And I really, really enjoyed getting to know him better and having him and his t

Rachel Swanson, a Chicago-based creativity coach and yoga instructor, takes us with her on her journey from "weird yoga" to trauma-informed yoga certification. We talk about post-partum depression, Kundalini yoga, body neutrality, and creative classrooms. This is a special Christmas Eve release (because you have a long drive ahead or a chill day without any new podcasts). Follow Rachel on Twitter and Instagram Show Notes Rachel Swanson Coaching Kundalini yoga Vinyasa yoga Trauma informed yoga “Whatever is accessible in your body today” @tiffanycroww on Tik Tok Abuse in kundalini yoga Feetup Jessamyn Stanley Virgie Tovar Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Updates on Leah's CaringBridge Rachel 0:00 Hello, my name is Rachel Swanson. And my favorite thing is doing embodied yoga practice. Announcer 0:08 Welcome to the Finding Favorites Podcast, where we explore your favorite things without using an algorithm. Here's your host, Leah Jones. Leah Jones 0:20 Welcome to Finding Favorites. This is the podcast where we learn about people's favorite things and we get recommendations without using an algorithm. Tonight, it's a late night. It's not late, it's just *dark* like it's super late. It is 8:30 on a Monday and I'm like it's midnight, we're cozy. I'm here tonight with Rachel Swanson. She's a creativity coach, she works on Creative Technology Solutions. She works with schools and businesses to develop high impact uses of technology and helps people be more creative, efficient, meaningful work. She does one-on-one coaching, creativity jams, visual storytelling. We were introduced by my friend Amy Guth, which means that Rachel is a good person from the get-go. Rachel, how are you doing tonight? Transcripts continue ----more---- Rachel 1:15 I am doing so well. I also am feeling the cold, dark, November weather, but I'm doing very well. Leah Jones 1:26 Yeah, I think -- did it snow today? Did snow for you, today? Rachel 1:30 I think it did. Leah Jones 1:32 I looked outside briefly and I was like, "Do I need to clean my glasses? Or is it snow?" Rachel 1:39 Yeah, it was a sad moment for me, but I'm adjusting slowly. Leah Jones 1:44 How was your fall then? Do you get into spooky season, are you a Halloween person? Rachel 1:50 So , I am a Halloween person, now. As a child, we weren't allowed to celebrate Halloween. So I'm making up for lost time by just going full-on for Halloween -- matching costumes for my family, really getting into all of the spookiness, the witchiness, you know, just the full pendulum swing from my upbringing. Leah Jones 2:15 What were your matching costumes this year? Rachel 2:16 This year, my two sons were Mario and Luigi, and my partner and I were the two sides of a Switch controller. Leah Jones 2:25 Oh my gosh, that's so clever. Rachel 2:30 We wanted to give the illusion that we were in control, even though that's rarely the rarely the case. Leah Jones 2:36 How old are your boys? Rachel 2:36 They're eight and two ... almost three. Leah Jones 2:42 Very fun ages. All I know is that we both know Amy, how do you know Amy? Rachel 2:50 So Amy and I met because we were doing yoga teacher training together. And I saw her in the room and she has such dynamic, wonderful energy. And I was like, "I need to know that woman." And we became friends over the course of our six months or so of weekend trainings. And, I was not wrong, she's one of my favorites, for sure. Leah Jones 3:16 Yeah, she is. She's a blast. We met doing comedy many years ago. Many, many years ago, we went to the same open mics. Rachel 3:26 I could see that. Yeah, that sounds like Amy. Leah Jones 3:29 And then we ran into each other at synagogue a few years later, and I was like, "Wait, don't I know you from the Tequila Roadhouse?" Rachel 3:35 [laughter] I wish that could be how everyone knows me. Leah Jones 3:44 Just from the Tequila Roadhouse, it was a wild, little bar in Old Town a million years ago. And do you teach yoga? Rachel 4:03 Yes, occasionally, but I really took the yoga class, because I wanted to become better at doing yoga. And I like to understand how things work. And I just loved yoga, which is exactly what I was planning to talk about tonight. So it's the perfect segue. But I decided that I wanted to stretch myself and get certified to be able to teach. Leah Jones 4:29 Interesting. Well, we'll just jump right into it. And if we circle back on other chit chat, it's great. Leah Jones 4:44 One of the things I like to know, are people's origin stories. So when did you take your first yoga class or when did it like cross your radar as something you might want to do? Rachel 4:57 So the honest truth is that I hated yoga for a really long time. took a couple of yoga classes at various studios, and it felt like a sort of thing that I should like, kind of like eating healthy. And you know, like doing the right thing. It also felt like something that was for other people, and not for me. As

Cameron MacKenzie, a Virginia-based professor and author, loves to use dream interpretation to teach his students how to understand poetry. We talked about Freudian and Jungian interpretation, Joseph interpretating the Pharaoh's dreams, and Black Elk Speaks. Cameron's new book River Weather: Stories is now available through Alternating Current Press. Keep up with Cameron MacKenzie on Facebook and on his website Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Show Links Kevin T. Porter's Sorkin supercuts: First, Second and Third. Alice Munro (Nobel Prize winning author) The Red Book by Carl Jung Freud Dream Interpretation Irma's Injection Black Elk Speaks Transcript follows ----more---- Leah Jones 0:00 So the last thing I need from you before we stop recording is to record the bumper -- where you just say, "Hi, my name is blank. And my favorite thing is blank, but you fill in the blanks." Announcer 0:13 Welcome to the Finding Favorites podcast where we explore your favorite things without using an algorithm. Here's your host, Leah Jones. Leah Jones 0:25 Hello, and welcome to Finding Favorites. I'm your host, Leah Jones, and this is the podcast where we learn about people's favorite things and we get recommendations without using an algorithm. It is Saturday the 18th, this podcast will be going out both on time *and* a week late. As you already heard from the intro, we're missing our usual bumper. This week, I have Cameron Mackenzie on -- he's an author. His new book, "River Weather: Stories," launched a couple of weeks ago, and this episode was meant to coincide with his book release. Unfortunately, I switched from using Zoom as my recording software to something called Riverside, and our audio was filled with problems. Leah Jones 1:19 We had this amazing conversation, and random phrases -- random two to six second bits of his side of the interview got doubled and tripled. But nothing on my interview got doubled. So editing this interview was very difficult. And now that I'm six weeks into chemotherapy, I just simply have less time and energy for doing complicated mental tasks. So this episode had to sit for a week while I thought about literally how to do the math of making this work. So I believe I've pulled it together as best as I can, this episode with author Cameron Mackenzie. Leah Jones 2:09 In my personal life updates, like I said, this week marked the halfway point of my chemotherapy. If you're new to the podcast, this summer, I was diagnosed with breast cancer; all known breast cancer's out of my body after a successful surgery and lymph node biopsy, but I'm doing chemotherapy. So, I'm halfway through my treatment of Taxol which means -- losing my hair, my taste buds are kind of getting hollowed out in a weird way. The circle of what is bland is increasing for me, and that is very strange. I did go back today to Pilates. I take one-on-one lessons, or training, at a studio down the road from here, and I love Pilates. It's one of the exercises I found as an adult that I love the most. I love the stretches of it, and I love the small, concentrated movements that really engage your core muscles and your hip flexors. So I have some kind of euphoria from doing Pilates again. Leah Jones 3:32 I actually had expected to be totally exhausted, and I'm not, so that feels really good. In this cancer treatment that I'm in, you know the chemo's just the first 12 weeks of the treatment. I have a year of antibody treatment. So once the chemo ends, and I do radiation, at some point I get a CPAP machine, so I'll get some better sleep. It's really been a lot of just showing up for appointments. I have had people say they're really impressed by my attitude in this. I just have a very much -- I show up for the meetings, I stay hydrated, I put Aquaphor in my nose before I go to bed, so I don't get bloody noses, because the Taxol really dries you out. Leah Jones 4:36 I just heard today that maybe Claritin helps every day because it helps with inflammation that Taxol starts. I'm starting to get my chemo farts under control -- I don't remember I've been on the podcast since I talked about that. But a friend in The Doughscord last night said, "Well, chemo is essentially like exfoliating your GI tract." It's really messing with my gut flora. I'm really trying to take it easier on dairy, because chemo farting has turned me into Beavis and Butthead -- both of them. I am disgusting. And I'm talking about it because nobody does. How is it that nobody talks about ...? Leah Jones 5:25 Cancer man, it's so dumb. It's like the most generic diagnosis. I think that's the other thing I've learned -- that to say you have a breast cancer diagnosis, is to say practically nothing. It's like in a movie, when somebody walks up to the counter, "Hey, bartender, I'll have a beer." What does that mean? When I say I was diagnosed with breast cancer, it doesn't tell you anything. It doesn't tell you what type of ce

Hailey Dezort, a Chicago-based book publicist, is here to share her love of fountain pens. We talk about stationary stores, pen conventions, pen after dark sessions, and where to get special inks. We also chat about her newfound love of comic books! Follow Hailey on Youtube and Instagram: Chi Comic Girl YouTube, Chi Comic Girl Instagram and Ephemeral Lines on Instagram Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Show Links Pilsen Community Books Open Books Chicago Green Theater Alliance Kaweco Classic Sport Chicago Pen Show Mont Blanc Marilyn Monroe Muses DC Pen Show 2018 Recap (to get a feel for pen shows) Cosmo Air Light notebook Midori Atlas Stationers in Chicago Pelikan Souveran M405 Platinum Preppy Egyptomania - Mont Blanc Norsemen Fountain Pen Hospital in NYC Lamy Safari Fountain Pens Goulet Pens Hailey 0:00 Hi, my name is Hailey. And my favorite thing is fountain pens. Announcer 0:05 Welcome to the finding favorites Podcast where we explore your favorite things without using an algorithm. Here's your host, Leah Jones. ----more---- Leah Jones 0:17 Hello and welcome to Finding Favorites. It is late on Sunday, December 5 11pm. The eighth and final night of Hanukkah, and I spent the almost the entire day sleeping. Not entirely true. got up this morning had a wonderful breakfast with my friend Jonathan, who was in town, dropped him off at the airport, came back and then sat down for a few minutes and slept for four hours. Why you ask? Well, let's see. Friday I started my second round of chemo. So as I've learned a round of chemo was three weeks. So I'm four weeks and now to my 12 weeks of chemo. Started my second round. So second round of four rounds. A lot of math a lot of fractions with chemo. FULL TRANSCRIPT FOLLOWS PAGE BREAK ----more---- Leah Jones 1:10 Last night, a dear group of friends Ezra, Sarah Beth, Amy, Jonathan, Mike, Rocco all helped host the annual latke party, my annual Hanukkah party that I've been doing, I don't know 10 or 15 years, not 15. Not quite 15. But I've been having this party on the Saturday night of Hanukkah for over a decade. It's one of my most favorite traditions. It's like an open house. I cook latkes all night. Leah Jones 1:40 And in January of this year, I send out magnetic I ordered magnetic "save the dates" and started sending them out so we'd all have something to look forward to. And then I got diagnosed with breast cancer and I was so sad that like I had jinxed myself by sending out invitations too early for this party. was so sad. And my friends were just like absolutely not the party's not canceled. And Ezra who is my upstairs neighbor, hosted like did Amy and Sarah Beth and Rocco cooked all day, my neighbor Mike made cocktails. We had two fire pits in the backyard. So we had fire, smores, magic fire, glow sticks. You know if there's something we've learned during COVID It's that we can socialize outdoors a lot more of the year than we ever have. So a double firepit backyard party in December is pretty rockin. I wore my new fancy dress from fringe and CO a "Tik Tokmade me buy it" dress. I shaved my head this week, my hair started to fall out. And I got to talk to a lot of people last night. But while I'm physically still feeling pretty good. I had a really had a hard time like just talking to people last night finding the words I describe my brain as being like peppermint. What I meant was Swiss cheese. So I came inside to change my clothes before the party was over and kind of fell asleep. My recliner. And then I slept all day to day, and thus the late edit and late release. I'm going to update the show notes tomorrow. Leah Jones 3:38 I have so many great notes for this episode with Hailey talking about fountain pens. But what I'm going to do is just get this posted the audio posted tonight, and all the links up tomorrow. So I'm talking to Hailey DeZort. She's a book publicist here in Chicago, we talked about fountain pens, we talked about comic books, and you are going to have a new hobby to try at the end of this conversation with Hailey. So wear masks, wash your hands, get that booster shot if you're eligible. Well, I think we're all eligible now. Kids are getting their shots, their vaccines. grownups are getting their boosters. It's good. And I'll just keep marching through this chemo stuff. Thank you to everyone who has helped me again with meals with chores, the organizing with visits I really feel well taken care of by all my hospital husbands regardless of gender and regardless of whether or not you actually have gone with me to the hospital. So keep enjoying your favorite things. Leah Jones 5:02 Hello, and welcome to finding favorites. I'm your host, Leah Jones in this as the podcast where we learn about people's favorite things, and we get recommendations without using an algorithm. Today, it is a Gloomy Sunday morning in Chicago. And so I am really thrilled to be to be able to have a nice conversation, bring some

Taylore Nicholl, host of the podcast Extra... Ordinary, loves the podcast Armchair Expert and is here with an introduction to the popular interview show hosted by Dax Shepard. Taylore talks about how she started with an interview with Mae Whitman (one of Dax's co-stars on Parenthood) and eventually found herself in a green room at the Ellen Show with Dax! We talk about childhood trauma, finding father figures through podcasting, the important research around ACES, and Taylore's love of all things theater, drama and Ben Platt. (Happy birthday, Taylore!) Show Links Extra... Ordinary Podcast @TayloreNicholl on Instagram and Twitter Armchair Expert: Nadine Burke Harris The ArmCherry Companion Arm Cherry Direct and Arm Cherry Direct linktree Newcomers Transcript follows ----more---- Taylore 0:00 Hi, I'm Taylore Mullins, and my favorite thing is "Armchair Expert." Announcer 0:04 Welcome to the Finding Favorites podcast where we explore your favorite things without using an algorithm. Here's your host, Leah Jones. Leah Jones 0:17 Hello, and welcome back to Finding Favorites. I'm your host, Leah Jones. It is Sunday -- I always have to look up the date -- November 28th. It is also the first night of Hanukkah. It's the last day of Thanksgiving, the long Thanksgiving weekend, for those of us who had a four-day weekend. It's also the end of my first cycle of chemotherapy. One of the things I learned this week is that for me, a cycle of chemotherapy is three weeks long. So when somebody had said to me, "Typically in the second cycle is when you start losing your hair," I thought, "Oh, second week, my hair is really holding on strong," giving me a strange sense of invincibility. Also, my hair looks particularly good for being three weeks into my chemotherapy treatment. But the nurses told me to expect to see the hair loss in the next couple of weeks. During the second cycle is when your follicles start to let go. Leah Jones 1:26 Overall, I've still been feeling pretty good in chemotherapy. My worst days right now are Mondays, Tuesdays after the steroids wear off, but we've worked out my Benadryl levels. Last week, I had terrible Restless Leg Syndrome triggered by Benadryl. This week, I didn't have that. But the weekend, what I lovingly now call "Steroid Saturday," it's a real high-octane day. But I was able to get some sleep last night because my sleep has been a little wonky. Had a really nice Thanksgiving. I'm also a couple weeks out from my COVID booster, which feels good; I'm really grateful I was able to get that. My mom came up for Thanksgiving, my neighbor, Ezra, my nephew, Andy, we ordered in from two different restaurants. And our dining room table was like a Venn diagram of gluten-free, vegan, and neither gluten-free nor vegan. So, like Jack Spratt and his wife, everybody was able to eat at least a third of the dishes served at Thanksgiving. Leah Jones 2:49 Then tonight, for the first night of Hanukkah, my friend, Nadia and her son Zeke came by and we lit the first candle. And next weekend, I'll have people over for my annual Hanukkah party, but it won't actually be in my apartment -- it'll be in my yard. My dear friends are helping me host that -- all of these adjustments for a holiday season as I become more immunocompromised. I don't know, chemotherapy's weird, man, cancer is weird. That's my answer. This week's episode, we recorded many weeks ago. I really I got quite a backlog because I was so afraid of how I would feel once chemo started. But it's perfect because this week I'm talking to Taylore Nicholl -- Taylor Mullins. She's the host of the "Extraordinary" podcast, which is currently on hiatus, but will be back. Leah Jones 3:53 And yesterday was her birthday -- Happy birthday, Taylor. Taylor is on this week talking to me about the podcast "Armchair Expert," Dax Shepard's podcast, one that I've mentioned many times before. In the hopes of getting my friend, Jocelyn, to listen to the podcast, I started a little Facebook fan group that then grew to 7,000 wonderful people. There's now a Discord server that kind of spun off of it; things are sort of moving off of Facebook a little bit. But Taylor and I got to know each other in that Facebook group. She famously met Dax Shepard on an episode of "Ellen." He gave her a car, then her podcast was always recorded in her car, a link to the video there. Leah Jones 4:45 The Armchair Expert community, and also Dax Shepard, have all been very generous and kind with well-wishes and generous gifts since I've been diagnosed with cancer. So, even though I have taken a step back from that community, they have really continued to hold me in their thoughts, and I really am grateful to that online community. I have found podcast communities to be some of the best online spaces. Between Armchair Expert, How Did This Get Made, and Doughboys -- those are the three podcast corners of the internet where I hang out, and obviously also the Finding Favorites community. Leah Jones 5:3

Patty Morrissey, a New York-based coach and master Kon Mari consultant, loves to go thrifting on Long Island. She grew up thrifting and garage sale-ing with her grandparents and still goes to the same shops today. She's also a Kon Mari consulant and coach who knows a thing or two about how to help people find what sparks joy. (In fact, she's in my house helping me organize during the pandemic thaw). Keep up with Patty on Instagram as @pattymorrissey and @clearcultivate, then head over to her website to learn about Cultivate Club for 2022 Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Show Links Wild Chicago Mac N Cheese Productions Holiday House Rosie's Vintage Store Disney Bound Fringe Co Caftan Transcript Follows ----more---- Patty 0:01 Hi, my name is Patty Morrissey and my favorite thing is shopping at thrift stores. Announcer 0:26 Welcome to the Finding Favorites podcast where we explore your favorite things without using an algorithm. Here's your host, Leah Jones. Leah Jones 0:29 Hello, and welcome to Finding Favorites. It's Sunday, November 21st. And then a hilarious, strange, wonderful world that I live in. I recorded this week's episode on Monday night with my dear friend, Patti Morrissey. In it, we joked about her coming to Chicago to help me organize. She texted me later and said, "What if I come on Saturday?" So Patty came to town yesterday, and has been helping me organize my house to get ready for the rest of chemo, getting my life set up, kind of a good reset as I head into the next 10 weeks of chemotherapy. Leah Jones 1:06 It's been very funny this evening to step away from a friend to edit a conversation you had with that friend earlier in the week. Taking time out of precious in-person hours to do a digital task related to being with that same friend. So I will keep this introduction short, and let you enjoy Patti Morrissey and I talking about thrifting, and all the work that she does as both KonMari consultant and the owner of Clear and Cultivate, the Cultivate club, though there will be links to everything. She's based in New York, but the internet means she can be everywhere. And airplanes mean she can also be everywhere. Leah Jones 1:53 I'm really grateful, again, to the support of my friends and my family this week, second week of chemotherapy. I got acupuncture, I slept for four hours, I came home and got a lot of energy from the steroids. So, I went to the car wash on Friday night, which is a normal thing to do after chemotherapy, I don't know. I still have my hair; I'm anticipating it coming out this week. So take care of yourselves, have a great Thanksgiving. If you got a 20 pound bird, take it out of the freezer. You got to start thawing now, if you're going to be able to cook it safely on Thursday. Wear your mask, wash your hands, and keep enjoying your favorite things. Leah Jones 2:56 Hello, and welcome to Finding Favorites. I'm your host, Leah Jones. And this is the podcast where we learn about people's favorite things and we get recommendations without using an algorithm. I am joined tonight by my dear friend, Patti Morrissey. Patti is the founder and head coach of Clear and Cultivate. They facilitate fresh starts -- they have the Cultivate Club, declutter parties, training and coaching. I brag about Patty for a lot of things -- there's so many things. But I do appreciate the shine I get when I'm like, "Patti, she's Marie Kondo's go-to in the U.S." That's very fun to say. You're one of the very first certified Marie Kondo consultants in the United States and you have spoken -- there have been times when she hasn't been able to speak and they're like, "Patti, why don't you come to Hong Kong and give this presentation?" But, you do so much more than that, and I'm thrilled to have you here tonight. Patti, how are you doing? Patty 4:03 I'm good. I'm good. I had a great Monday, reorganizing my basement, practicing what I preach, just hanging out. What was your Monday? Leah Jones 4:17 My Monday -- it was very nap-oriented -- it wasn't my goal. I got up, I took a shower, I got to my computer, I got through my morning meetings. And I was like, "I'll just rest my eyes for a moment." And then I rested my eyes in my recliner, and then I moved to my bed to rest my eyes for a couple more hours. So, now I have truly a lot of energy because I am well-rested. Patty 4:49 Oh, good, good. Well, one of the things, one of the primary questions in my coaching programs, especially in Cultivate Club, is we're always asking ourselves "What's true right now?" It's kind of living improvisationally. Because improv does not go very well when you have a scene in your head you want to play out, you have to take the moment as it comes. By asking ourselves constantly, "What's true right now in this season of my life?" But what's true right now for me in this moment -- "I'm tired, I don't have the energy I thought I was going to have, I'm going to lay down and rest and see w

Mahyar Amouzegar, a New Orleans-based author and academic, joins us this week to talk about reading, writing and Zombie movies. Mahyar shares the story of immigrating to the United States shortly before the revolution in Iran, how he gets to know the characters in his books and what he would do in a Zombie apocalypse. His newest book The Hubris of an Empty Hand is available on November 18th. Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Show Notes Dawn of the Dead Night of the Living Dead Shawn of the Dead The Cured The Walking Dead Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel Daniel Suarez - Daemon and Freedom Jasper Fforde Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason The Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans Mahyar 0:00 Hello, my name is Mahyar Amouzagar, my favorite thing is to read, write, and watch zombie movies. Announcer 0:07 Welcome to the Finding Favorites podcast, where we explore your favorite things without using an algorithm. Here's your host, Leah Jones. Leah Jones 0:19 Hello, and welcome to Finding Favorites. I'm your host, Leah Jones. And it is Sunday, November 14th. It is booster day in the Jones household. I got up early this morning, went to Jewel for my scheduled Pfizer booster and got my booster. And then mid-edit, made a mistake of sitting down in my recliner, and took a Pfizer booster nap. But I'm so happy to have the booster. Now, I'll admit, it could have also been a post-chemo nap. Friday afternoon was my first treatment of chemo. I got Taxol for my breast cancer, or it's my breast cancer treatment. And they pump you full of steroids every time you get an infusion. So, I definitely know that steroids are kind of winding down at the same time that the COVID booster is hitting my immune system. So, maybe I didn't plan that great. But the best time to get the booster is the time you got the booster. Leah Jones 1:30 I wrote all about my experience of getting chemo on my Caringbridge account. So, I will just link to that in the show notes. Instead of going into it in audio form, as well. Already tired of telling the story of the first infusion, because it was a long, boring day until it was not boring. And then, it was a very exciting four minutes. And then, the day wrapped up pretty soon thereafter. But I'm here -- I'm feeling pretty good. It is pitch-dark out already. The time change last weekend really threw me for a loop, but I'm doing well. I'm really grateful for the incredible gifts of my community taking care of me since I got this diagnosis in June, and had surgeries in September and October, and now 12 weeks of chemo one down, 11 weeks to go in this part of the treatment. Leah Jones 2:33 A question I've had is why chemo, if it was just stage one and they got all of it in the lumpectomy? And because of the combination of being estrogen reactive and HER-2 positive, though progesterone negative, the combination of markers in my cancer said the research currently says that chemo really helps stop it from reoccurring in the next five years. Northwestern has done the research; they've tried to do this one with surgery and radiation only. And that is not effective enough for my medical oncologist, and I would rather just have one bummer a year of cancer treatment now, than just do a lumpectomy and radiation and cross my fingers. That's why I chose to go ahead with chemotherapy. I know it's not the choice that everyone would make, but that is kind of where my risk tolerance is. Leah Jones 3:45 So today, I have Mahyar Amouzegar on He is an author, professor, Provost, truly a man of the world. He grew up in Tehran and Iran, immigrated to the United States as a teenager in the 70s, right before the the revolution, and spent a few years in New Zealand. His daughters live there now, and now he lives in New Orleans. We are talking about his new book coming out in December and zombie movies, and it's a delightful conversation. I'm envious of the folks on campus in New Orleans who get to either have taken classes with him, or get to be on faculty with him. Leah Jones 4:32 His book comes out December 4th. Yyou can pre-order it now from Bookshop, that is what I've done. I was reading the PDF and I am excited to get my hands on the paperback and start reading in a couple of weeks. So, enjoy this interview with Mahyar and please wear your mask, wash your hands, get your COVID booster, and get those kids vaccinated. What an exciting time to have access to vaccines. And with that, enjoy this conversation. Leah Jones 5:21 Hello, and welcome to Finding Favorites. I'm your host, Leah Jones. And this is the podcast where we learn about people's favorite things, and we get recommendations without using an algorithm. Today I am joined by Mahyar. Amouzegar. He is the Provost of the University of North New Orleans. He is an Iranian-American writer, who lives both in the United States and New Zealand, which I'm very curious about. He's the author of three previous novels, "Dinn

Coincidence is neutral, serendipity has a good outcome. Joan Schweighardt, a New Mexico-based author, joined Leah to talk about her love of serendipity and how allowing serendipity to play out led to her trilogy of novels. The River trilogy is set between the worlds of Hoboken, New Jersey and the jungles of South America during the rubber boom of the the early 1900s, the third book River Aria is now available. Follow Joan online on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Show Notes Balloon Fiesta Colorado Green Chili Pachamama Charles Goodyear and rubber vulcanization The Three Princes of Serendip Chance and chance alone... Paterson Human Library project “Chance and chance alone has a message for us. Everything that occurs out of necessity, everything expected, repeated day in and day out, is mute. Only chance can speak to us.” ― Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being Transcript follows ----more---- Joan 0:00 Hi, my name is Joan Schweighardt, and my favorite thing is serendipity. Announcer 0:05 Welcome to the Finding Favorites podcast where we explore your favorite things without using an algorithm. Here's your host, Leah Jones. Leah Jones 0:18 Hello, and welcome to Finding Favorites. It is Sunday, November 7th. I was so excited to come on this week. Oh, I'm your host, Leah Jones. I was really excited; I thought it was going to come on today and tell you I got my booster shot. Because I thought I was scheduled to have it at 3pm today, and then I double-check my email, and it's not until next weekend. So, that was a surprise, and I might just try and go in this week and do a walk-in somewhere because I really need to get it settled before chemotherapy starts on Friday. This weekend, one of my dear soul sisters came to Chicago for the weekend to help me organize my life ahead of chemotherapy. If you're new to the podcast, I was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer this summer. I have had a lumpectomy. Many, many many biopsies, breast reduction, which is technically Oncoplasty, because it's plastic surgery connected to cancer. Leah Jones 1:26 Now I am healed enough from that to start chemotherapy. So, I started on 12 weeks of Taxol on Friday, the 12th. A friend came up this weekend, and we bought a new cozy chair, new cozy sweatpants, pillows. I made my chemo bag my friend, William Pacholski - he did my episode about Great Comet. He sent me this really funny tote bag that says, "Chemo shit." So, we made my "chemo shit" bag, and my "chemo shit" backup box of over the counter medicines, prescription medicines, throat lozenges, Queasy Pops -- all these wonderful things that my friends have sent me. Leah Jones 2:21 This week, my coworker sent me a box called "Rock The Treatment," which is an amazing organization I'd never heard of before, that sent this very cool, *very* cool box of Tetris-level -- packed with skincare, Queasy Pops, cozy socks, coloring books, colored pencils -- with all these wonderful items. So I'm really, again grateful to friends who are, and family, who are taking care of me and making sure that this all goes well. Leah Jones 2:56 I don't know, the sun is going down, it's 4:30 in the afternoon. Daylight Saving Time either started or ended this morning, "Spring Forward, Fall Back," I don't understand how it goes. I still don't. I've lived in states that changed their time since I've been 18, and I don't understand it. This week, we're talking with author Joan Schweighardt. She is an author of the "River" series. The third book in the trilogy is out, and we are talking about a lot of things -- but mainly about serendipity. The concept of serendipity, where it has played in our lives. It's a really lovely conversation. I hope that you pick up a copy of her books and learn about this -- it's this amazing historical novel set at the peak of the rubber trade. So, enjoy this conversation with Joan Schweighardt. Get your booster, get vaccinated, wash your hands, wear a mask and keep enjoying your favorite things. Leah Jones 4:24 Hello, and welcome to Finding Favorites. I'm your host, Leah Jones. And this is the podcast where we learn about people's favorite things and get recommendations without using an algorithm. This fall, this winter, we continue to talk to authors who are having book launches. We've talked to memoirists, we've talked to novelists, and today, we are talking -- *I* am talking -- I'm really excited to be on Zoom today with Joan Schweighardt. Joan is based in New Mexico, she has published I believe nine books, but novels, memoirs, children's books. She's here today to celebrate her trilogy, the "River" trilogy, which we're going to talk about a little bit, but Joan, how are you doing this afternoon? Joan 5:11 I'm doing great. Thank you so much -- it's great to be here. Leah Jones 5:11 It's great to be here with you. Now, you are in the beautiful state of New Mexico, right? Joan 5:16 Yes, I am. Al

Alexis P. Morgan, my neighborhood village witch, joined me to talk about how she kept being called to learn magic and sorcery. We talk about the differences between hoodoo and voodoo, her Tarot card collection, and her primary community service - The Juno Jar. The winter Juno Jar is available starting on November 1, 2021, on a sliding scale. Happy Birthday Alexis! Thank you to Dave Coustan for editing this week's episode. Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Show Notes The Sorcerer's Secrets: Strategies in Practical Magick by Jason Miller Mojo Workin': The Old African American Hoodoo System by Katrina Hazzard-Donald Tell My Horse: Voodoo and Life in Haiti and Jamaica by Zora Neale Hurston Hera's Compassion painted by Christy Tortland Alexis 0:00 Hello, my name is Alexis P. Morgan, and my favorite thing is magic. Announcer 0:06 Welcome to the Finding Favorites podcast, where we explore your favorite things without using an algorithm. Here's your host, Leah Jones. Leah Jones 0:18 Hello, and welcome to Finding Favorites. I'm your host, Leah Jones. And it is Sunday, October 31st. It's Halloween! And boy, does Chicago have perfect weather for Halloween. This weekend has been a super fun weekend; my twin sister came up, and we're helping my nephew move into his very first Chicago apartment. And then we did a fire pit and told spooky stories and drank hot cider and ate Halloween candy. And now, I'm just watching the sky get brighter, and looking forward to a really another nice fall day. Leah Jones 1:01 This week, I got my chemo port, which is a device that sits right under my skin to help with IVs and chemo infusion for the next year. 12 weeks of chemo, but they keep it in for a while for other treatments and other possibilities. So, that is a weird, very weird sensation. But it's healing, and I'm getting more mobility back every day. Leah Jones 1:29 This week, on Finding Favorites, we have Alexis Morgan. Alexis is my neighborhood sorceress. She works in magic -- it also happens to be her birthday. Happy birthday, Alexis. I didn't necessarily plan that when we recorded this episode, but it's kind of fun. So, I hope you're having a *wonderful* birthday and that this year is outstanding. Leah Jones 1:54 We talk a lot about how she got called into doing magic and the differences between Hoodoo and Voodoo initiation rites. We also talk about Juno Jar, which is a service that she offers, that starts -- sign-ups go up tomorrow, for this wealth-building service --listen to her describe it. There'll be a link in the show notes to her website with all the information. And I hope that you have a wonderful Halloween and I definitely want to see pictures of your cute -- all the costumes. I want to see all the costumes. You can follow me on social media @chicagoleah on Twitter and TikTok, @chileah on Instagram. Finding Favorites you can find @findingfavspod on Twitter and Instagram. Wear your mask, wash your hands, and keep enjoying your favorite things. Leah Jones 3:11 Hello, and welcome to Finding Favorites. The podcast where we get recommendations from people without using an algorithm. Tonight, I am here with Alexis P. Morgan. Alexis is my neighborhood sorceress. She is a creative; they do collage, works in radical luxury, just one of the most fascinating people that I am connected with in the hellhole, blazing dumpster fire that is Facebook. And we were introduced indirectly by one of the most dumpster fire-y people on the internet that I've ever sat in a conference room with. Alexis, how are you doing this evening? Alexis 4:05 I'm fantastic. I still think about that like incident a lot. Am I allowed to name names? Leah Jones 4:12 You are allowed to name names, yes. Alexis 4:17 As I was saying earlier, like Gary is -- meeting you was the only good thing that came out of ripping Gary Vaynerchuk a new asshole. [laughter] Leah Jones 4:32 Alexis had had a -- online interaction -- ripping a new asshole of Gary Vaynerchuk, and then kind of put out a call saying, "Does anybody know," you kind of said to the people you are connected with, "Does anyone know anything about this guy?" And a mutual of ours, Sydney, tagged me in. And I was like, "What do you need to know? I've been in a conference room with him before, I have opinions, what would be helpful to know?" You all had planned a dinner to meet in-person/to talk in-person. And then he either no-showed or canceled last minute and you had bought a really great dress for it. Alexis 5:21 I did! That dress was spectacular and wildly inappropriate for --- [laughter] -- I was about to show up with cat pasties with a -- [laughter] -- it would have been, it just would have been not cute, not cute at all. What actually ended up happening was is, he sent his little minion to cancel on me, because the heat died down for a little bit. And I said to my assistant at the time, "Just wait, if it kicks back up, he'll be back." And lo and behold, i

Darrin Doyle, a Michigan-based author and English professor, loves when he can head into the recording studio with friends or collaborate using Garage Band from home. We talk about his newest novel The Beast in Aisle 34, the bands his been in over the years and what it might be like to record with Pink Floyd. Follow Darrin Doyle on Twitter and Facebook And bookmark his website. Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Show Notes Central Michigan University 20x2 Chicago GLACURH Region King Tammy King Tammy on BandCamp Loop D Loop Daryl and the Beans Several Species Of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together In A Cave And Grooving With A Pict Producing Billie Eilish at home Kramer at Noise New Jersey Darrin 0:00 Hello, my name is Darrin Doyle. And my favorite thing is recording music. Announcer 0:06 Welcome to the Finding Favorites podcast where we explore your favorite things without using an algorithm. Here's your host, Leah Jones. ----more---- Leah Jones 0:18 Hello, and welcome to Finding Favorites. It's Sunday, October 24. It's sunny in Chicago. There's the nice sounds of fall ball being played outside of my apartment. Maybe it's rugby. I haven't looked outside yet. This has been a good week, I got back to work started healing up from my oncoplasty. That happened last week. So I'm definitely feeling better, spending more time awake than asleep. So I think that's a good thing, and got good, all good marks from my plastic surgeon so far. This was a nice week without -- it's kind of like my only week without doctor's appointments until the end of January. So I really enjoyed that as well. This week on the podcast, we have author Darrin Doyle. He's a professor, and his new novel is called "The Beast in Aisle 34." ----more---- Leah Jones 1:15 It is available now. We have a really fun conversation about recording studios and we listen to a little Pink Floyd. So if you need to go into your archives and pull out some Pink Floyd records know that we've got a little Pink Floyd chat coming up, not the main focus ... but despite having grown up across the hallway from my brother who loved Pink Floyd and played it through our shared heating vent const antly, he pulls up a song that I didn't know about. Looking to the week ahead, I am trying to get my COVID booster. I'm allowed to get it now. But it's just a little difficult to figure out if I'm supposed to schedule it or do a walk-in or whatever. So I'm working on getting my COVID booster. I got my flu shot last week. And then this week, I get my port put in so that chemo can start in about two weeks, which is a pretty -- taken a long time to get here and so I am happy to finally be at this point. So, enjoy this conversation with Darren Doyle. Thank you to Dave Coustan for editing this week. And wash your hands, wear a mask, and keep enjoying your favorite things. Leah Jones 2:45 Hello, and welcome to Finding Favorites. I'm your host, Leah Jones. And this is the podcast where we learn about people's favorite things and we get recommendations without using an algorithm. This evening, I am joined by Darrin Doyle. Darrin is an author and professor, he teaches at Central Michigan University. And he's joining us tonight from the great state of Michigan but I don't know where on the mitten he is. Darrin, how are you doing tonight? Darrin 3:14 I am doing great. Thank you. Leah Jones 3:16 I mean, it was a big assumption that you are actually in Michigan tonight. So -- Darrin 3:20 Oh no, that's true. Not too much of a stretch. I'm right dead center of the mitten if you hold your right hand. Okay, point to like the absolute center. That's about where I am. Give or take a few miles. Leah Jones 3:34 That's like a good place for a Central Michigan University. Darrin 3:37 Exactly. Thus the name. Yeah. Leah Jones 3:39 Yes. Great. How was your fall? Are your students coming back on campus? Darrin 3:45 Yeah, everybody's back. Um, you know, almost all the classes are face to face. And, we know, everybody wears masks and yeah, so far knock on wood. It's going well; I'm so happy to have students back in the classroom. I'll tell you that. That's so much better. Leah Jones 4:05 So now your bio ends with "He knows what skeletons do." Are you a biology professor, or are you a writing professor? Darrin 4:16 I am a writing professor. Okay. I can tell you where that came from, if you want. Leah Jones 4:21 Please do. I feel like it's a cultural reference that -- it's revealing that I don't know it. Darrin 4:27 It's more of an inside joke. I have two sons. And they were pretty young, maybe one of them was about five and the other was like three and my older son or my youngest son said to my older one, "You know everything." And he said, "I don't know everything, I don't know what Japanese things say." And then my my youngest one said, "But you know what skeletons do." [laughter] I don't know what he meant by that. But it was such a great phrase, I had to st

Monica Reida, a Wisconsin-based journalist, loves the Murdoch Mysteries. She became a fan of Canadian TV at Michigan State (Go Green, Go White!) when it was included in the residence hall's basic cable package. We talk about copyright laws and intellectual property of podcasts, the Murdoch Mysteries, and Canadian news options. Keep up with Monica on Twitter, Instagram, Alma and other online publications. Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Show Notes Broadway Shows Come From Away Hamilton Dear Evan Hansen Fun Home Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 Falsettos Everything Else Gideon the 9th Monica's legal arguments about podcasts Taking Ivy Seriously by Matthew David Brozik Slings and Arrows In the company of women (episode of Murdoch Mysteries) The final curtain Midwest Architecture Journeys CBC's Rosemary Barton dances on the grave of the far right People's Party CBC The National on YouTube Instagram account for "Murdoch Mysteries" costume designer "Murdoch Mysteries" Instagram account, which usually announces international air dates:

Trish McDonald, a Florida-based author, has done a lot of research about nutrition and longevity, which she shared with Leah this week. We also talk about her RV-lifestyle, tiny homes, and publishing her first book at the age of 77. Paper Bags is now available in digital and paperback through Woodhall Press Follow Trish online @TrishMc_Writer on Twitter and @TrishMc305 on Instagram Paper Bags: After thirty-four years of marriage, Kat McNeil flees to a campground in the Florida Keys where she falls for a ramblin' man who's elusive, unavailable, and secretive. Desperate to understand why he avoids her, she becomes a stalker. This deviant behavior unearths a stunning revelation shaking her to the core. Will she run away from something she doesn't understand, or will she embark on a journey of self-discovery and sexual awakening? Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts(five stars please) Show Notes Work Camping Jobs Gut Balance Revolution Kombucha at home and Keifer at home 17 Years for evidence to become accepted as standard care Line dancing for beginners and seniors Werewolf of London Caringbridge for Leah's cancer stuff

Elizabeth B. Splaine, a Rhode Island-based author, joins us ahead of her Tuesday, October 5th, release date for her novel Swan Song. We talk about her winding paths to performing opera, publishing four novels, and what it means to get inside someone's head. Her historical novel takes places in Germany during Hitler's reign and tells the story of an opera diva who learns that she is Jewish during the Holocaust as she's swept up in a romance with a man eventually known as William Stuart-Houston (Hitler's nephew). CW: concentration camp, Holocaust, suicide Follow Elizabeth B. Splaine on Instagram as @elizbsplaine and Facebook Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Show Notes Rhode Island Philharmonic School of Music Rhody Box featuring Swan Song Brundibár opera Theresienstadt Concentration Camp Ibram X Kendi L'esprit de escalier Online 5959 Event on November 16, 2021

Mike Keren, an author and clinical psychologist based in the Poconos, loves cooking shows that teach you something and haven't turned cooking into sport. We talk about Julia Child, the Galloping Gourmet and the Canadian show Wall of Chefs. Mike's first memoir will be published on October 5th and we also talk about caretaking, the AIDS epidemic, COVID and family recipes. Keep up with Mike online on MikeKeren.com, @MikeKeren4 on Twitter In “Four Funerals, No Marriage: A Memoir”, author Mike Keren is plunged into a caregiving journey when his loving but difficult parents come to visit and both end up hospitalized over the course of one weekend. Keren had only recently left a career as a psychologist to pursue the world of high finance driven by his perceptions of how difficult it was becoming to deliver quality service in the current profit-driven health care environment. He, along with his life-partner, Tom, had been caregiving Tom’s mom who was undergoing chemotherapy for ovarian cancer. Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts(five stars please) Show Notes Graphic Medicine Taking Turns The Galloping Gourmet The French Chef (Julia Child) Jacques Pépin Top Chef Masters Wall of Chefs The Big Family Cooking Showdown with Nadiya Hussain Mock Chestnut Torte (passover flourless chocolate cake) Banana Jam Homecooking Podcast Transcript Follows ----more---- Mike Keren 0:00 Hi, my name is Mike Keren, and my favorite thing is cooking shows. Announcer 0:04 Welcome to the Finding Favorites podcast, where we explore your favorite things without using an algorithm. Here's your host, Leah Jones. Leah Jones 0:16 Hello, and welcome to Finding Favorites. I'm your host, Leah Jones. It's Sunday, September 26th, pretty late in the day, because I just have been busy and not busy. This afternoon, I had brunch with friends and a Sukkot, it's the middle of the holiday Sukkot, which is a Jewish -- one of our many fall holidays, which involves a lot of nice picnics and Sukkahs, which is a type of outdoor temporary dwelling. Mostly, I've just been getting ready for tomorrow, which is the big day -- tomorrow is my lumpectomy and sentinel node biopsy. So, the breast cancer will be scooped out tomorrow. I have a lot of unknowns, about how much they'll need to take. But, I trust my surgeon, I trust the team at Northwestern. I was diagnosed three months ago on June 24th, so, I am very relieved to have arrived here. Leah Jones 1:25 This week on the podcast, I have author Mike Keren. We're talking about cooking shows and his new memoir that comes out next weekend. You can catch him at The Book Cellar. The book "Four Funerals, No Marriage: A Memoir," comes out on next weekend, October 5th, and he's having an event in Summit, New Jersey. It's a closed event, as you'll hear us talk about, for COVID safety. But on October 7th, 7:00 pm Central Time on Zoom, he is participating in a caregiving panel with the Book Cellar, that is really exciting. Ben Tanzer, who's a publicist and podcaster, is going to be moderating the panel. I will link to the information on his website. Leah Jones 2:16 Today, I did have to cancel an interview that was supposed to happen today. So hopefully, I will have one for you next weekend. We've had a lot of -- our power has been going in and out -- I don't know if it's in Ravenswood, or if it's in my apartment. But I didn't trust that I would have power for a full hour to be able to record an interview this morning, because last night, the power went out like five times -- it's a little spooky. But, it's not the highest thing on my list of things to deal with. So, I hope that you will enjoy this conversation with Mike. I will report back next week about how the old lumpectomy went. I'll get pathology results at the end of the week. They'll re-stage if they need to. I'm just really grateful for friends and family who have been checking in on me, helping me get ready for all this. Keep enjoying your favorite things, wear your mask, and wash your hands. Leah Jones 3:35 Hello, and welcome to Finding Favorites. I'm your host, Leah Jones. And this is the podcast where we learn about people's favorite things and get recommendations without using an algorithm. Our fall of author favorites continues. Today, I'm with Mike Keren. He is a clinical psychologist on the East Coast, and his new memoir called, "Four Funerals, No Marriage: A Memoir," will be released on October 5th. Mike, how are you doing this afternoon? Mike Keren 4:05 I'm doing really well, Leah, thanks for asking. Leah Jones 4:07 We were talking before I hit record, that you split your time between New Jersey and in the Poconos in Pennsylvania. What are the some of the things you like to do in the Poconos? Mike Keren 4:20 I love to sit, turn on my fireplace, and watch TV. Walk with my dogs, cook, have friends in, entertain. Not too often, but just enough to keep up the mandatory social connection and stuff. Leah Jones 4:39 I've b

Dawn Hogan, also known as DW Hogan, is a Hunstville-based author and publishing her first novel on October 5th. We talk about women's access to healthcare, homes for unwed mothers that were common the United States in the 1950-70s, and her family's love affair with Lego sets. CW: Leah and Dawn talk about coerced adoption, access to abortion, access to birth control and modern searches for biological parents. Unbroken Bonds by DW Hogan is available on October 5, 2020, in print and digital. Follow @DawnHoganAuthor on Instagram and Facebook Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts(five stars please) Show Notes Visit NASA in Huntsville, Alabama Concerned United Birth Parents Inside a home for unwed mothers Wake Up Little Susie: Single Pregnancy and Race before Roe V Wade The Girls Who Went Away Birthright Film LEGO bookshop LEGO chess set LEGO Design software LEGO Friends LEGO and gendered toys Debbie Patrick cross-stitch patterns NANOWRIMO Transcript follows ----more---- Dawn 0:00 Hi, my name is Dawn Hogan, I'm an author, and my favorite thing is Legos. Announcer 0:07 Welcome to the Finding Favorites podcast, where we explore your favorite things without using an algorithm. Here's your host, Leah Jones. Leah Jones 0:19 Hello, and welcome to Finding Favorites. I am your host, Leah Jones, and this is the podcast where we learn about people's favorite things and get recommendations without using an algorithm. This week, we are continuing a fall of meeting with authors and celebrating their book launches. And today, I have Dawn Hogan with me. Dawn's first novel is being released in about a month. So today, you will go and pre-order it, and get ready to receive it in October. Her book is called "Unbroken Bonds," and it traces the life-long consequences of the naive indiscretions which thrust countless young women into ruined lives, the effects of which are still felt today. And it is about the stories of adoption, we will talk more about as we get into it. Dawn, how are you doing tonight? Dawn 1:14 I'm doing wonderful. How are you, Leah? Leah Jones 1:16 I'm good. I'm so happy to be talking to you. Dawn 1:18 Me, too. Leah Jones 1:20 Now, we're really gonna get into the book at the end. But do you want to fix -- I was reading part of the synopsis off your website, is there anything you'd like to on one foot -- a quick explanation of the book? Dawn 1:33 It's about four teenage girls that meet in a home for unwed mothers in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1957. And through that experience, they bond into a life-long friendship, which, during that time, they're keeping the secrets of how they know each other, because it was a really shameful thing. As their lives go along, and attitudes change, and times change, and it's not such a shameful thing to be an unwed mother. And eventually, something bad happens, and they have to decide if they're going to keep their secrets or look for the children they were forced to give away. Leah Jones 2:32 That sounds like a really, I'm excited to to get my hands on it this fall. Dawn 2:38 Well, it's so much about female friendship, as well. Which, women know that those close female friendships are the best; they are your support group. So it's a lot about female friendship as well. Leah Jones 3:01 Oh, outstanding. Outstanding. Now, Dawn before I hit record, you said you were a Chicago girl; that you grew up here before you moved. Where in the Chicagoland area did you grow up? Dawn 3:17 I was born in Chicago, and then when I was about six, my parents moved out to Streamwood. Then when I was 14, we moved back into the city into the Old Irving Park area. So, I went to Schurz high school -- graduated from Schurz. It was pretty cool, being a teenager growing up in the city, because we could get on a bus or train and go anywhere we wanted. Of course, Cub games were a lot cheaper, back then. Leah Jones 3:57 You could you go without spending your entire year's allowance on one seat. Dawn 4:03 But, Water Tower Place to go to the movies or Marshall Field's. After I graduated from high school, I got a job at a law firm downtown. So, that was riding the train in my gym shoes, and then putting my heels on when I got to work. Leah Jones 4:26 Very, very Melanie Griffith "Working Girl." Dawn 4:30 Well, I was a clerk in a law firm, but that was pretty exciting. I moved away from there when I was about 19, and I haven't lived there since. Leah Jones 4:46 We lost you!! Dawn 4:49 Now I'm down in Alabama, in Huntsville, Alabama. I've been here since 1987, so I've lived here longer than anywhere I've ever lived. Leah Jones 5:04 Is Huntsville where Auburn is? Dawn 5:07 No. Huntsville is the Rocket City. It's where on was. This is Silicon Valley of the South. So, we've got Boeing. We've got NASA. We've got huge tech companies. It has now just reached the biggest city, population wise, in Alabama, this year. So, a lot of good things. Leah Jones 5:41 What's it like being in a

Lee Matthew Goldberg, a New York-based author, is ready to pack his bags and leave the country as soon as it's safe. Lee is a prolific author and his eight book Stalker Stalked will be published on Friday, September 17th. Lee hopes to celebrate publication and finishing his draft of the third book in his YA trilogy with travel, travel and more travel. We talk about early trips abroad, travel itineraries and post-COVID travel dreams. SPOILER ALERT: We talk about White Lotus in depth and spoil everything about it. In Stalker Stalked, Lexi Mazur is a depressed, alcoholic, pill-popper whose only joy has become her reality TV shows, often fantasizing that the people on TV are a part of her world. After her boyfriend Steve leaves her, she fixates on the show Socialites and its star Magnolia Artois, following every facet of the girl’s life on social media in the hopes of befriending and becoming more like her. Keep up with Lee Matthew Goldberg online on his website, Twitter and Instagram. Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts(five stars please) Show Notes Pass Over Play Find Lee's books on Bookshop Aviva Drescher throws her leg Barge Lady Cruises 20x2 Chicago Heathers The Voyeurs Michael Mohan We Summon the Darkness TPAN Ride for Life St. Baldrick's Applied Asthetics

Jen Michalski, a California-based author, joins us this week to talk about abandoned sanitoriums and state hospitals that can be found east of the Mississippi. Jen has a new novel out through NineStar Press called You'll Be Fine available on Kindle and paperback. Keep up with Jen online @MichalskiJen on Twitter and editor of the JMWW weekly digital journal Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts(five stars please) Show Notes Dzanc Books St. Mary's College (land acknowledgement and slavery history) Rosewood Center drone tour Rosewood Center's scandal (adoption to slavery) WBEZ story about Chicago's Tuberculosis sanitorium Atlas Obscura Chicago's TB Sanitorium Kirkbride planned institutions The Institute (movie) Danvers State Hospital Session 9 (movie) Danvers in pop culture Housing First public policy Ted Med talk San Jose abandoned asylum Funko Hollywood

Greg Lindberg, co-host of Fresh Questions, Air, shares a Hoosier pride with Leah and loves the ABC TGIF anchor show - Full House. Not to be confused with the reboot, Fuller House. We talk about how Bob Saget got the role of Danny Tanner, the confusing layout of the San Francisco painted lady the family called home, and about working as a corn detassler. Follow @EmCeeGreg on Twitter Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts(five stars please) Show Notes Indiana Beach Margo and the Nuclear So & So's Kurt Vonnegut Library James Dean and Jim Davis Full House Fuller House The Secret Admirer The first Danny Tanner How did Bob Saget get Full House Leah's breast cancer stuff is on Caring Bridge.

Kevin Smokler, a San Francisco-based author and filmmaker, loves used vinyl and is here to walk us through how to create a music curriculum at your local record store. You can catch his documentary Vinyl Nation at film festivals across the country or hear the Pointer Sisters wafting out of his windows in the Bay Area. Follow Kevin, aka @weegee, on Twitter and @smokler Instagram Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts(five stars please) Show Notes Kevin Smokler website Vinyl Nation documentary Bike Aid The Vinyl Exam podcast, episode about Headstone & Friends History of Columbia House 2 Live Crew vs Tipper Gore Reckless Records Amoeba Records Dusty Groove Rattleback Records Laurie's Planet of Sound Tone Vendor

Jo McCawley, a Chicago-based ad tech rockstar, has been on a journey to love her body and joins Leah to talk about falling in love with her fat body after years of dieting and body shaming. We talk about body positivity, body neutrality, the pervasiveness of shame in our culture - particularly for women. Trigger warning: Dieting, birth trauma, preeclampsia, medical fatphobia Follow Jo on Instagram for memes and ice cream recommendations @the_ethical_sloth Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts (five stars please) Show Notes Girls Rock Chicago Hello, I'm Fat by Lindy West Fearing the Black Body by Sabrina Strings #Very Fat Very Brave by Nicole Byers What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat by Aubrey Gordon Maintenance Phase podcast Day Breaker (sober, morning dance parties) Preeclampsia information Tall camping stool for walking tours Fatness, Motherhood and the medical profession Jennifer Lee (2020) “You will face discrimination”: Fatness, motherhood, and the medical profession, Fat Studies, 9:1, 1-16, DOI: 10.1080/21604851.2019.1595289 Menopause: A Comic Treatment won the Eisner Award for best comic anthology of 2020! Leah has a story included, illustrated by Cathy Leamy, about going to mikvah before her hysterectomy

Nick Krefting, a musician and physics teachers, has loved The Beatles since he was 9 years old. We walk through his introduction to the band, favorite books, favorites albums, documentaries that he taped from TV and how Paul deserves celebration as an artist. Listen to Nick's music on Spotify or check out his podcast (on hiatus) How Have You Never Show Notes The Beatles: A Private View by Robert Freeman Forest Gump: The Soundtrack The Compleat Beatles The Red Album The Beatles Anthology (TV) Revolution in the Head by Ian McDonald Screw it, We're Just Gonna Talk about The Beatles podcast Chaos and Creation in the Backyard (Paul McCartney solo) Song recommendations Old Brown Shoe Here, There, and Everywhere Baby, You're A Rich Man

Kristen Carreon, host of HWY to Hell: A Supernatural Podcast, is our guide to the world of Dramione Fan Fiction. What? Stories written about an alternate universe (AU) where Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger fall in love. Whether is enemies to lovers in an office romance or an AU return to Hogwarts for year 8, Kristen tells us where to go for the best stories. Listen to Kristen on HWY to Hell and follow ETL Echo Audio Books on Instagram @etl.echo.audiobooks Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts (five stars please) Show Links Mugglenet.com San Antonio Puffy Tacos 10 places to get puffy tacos Isolation by Bex-Chan Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde Jason Mantzoukas on Dickinson as a bee Eisner winner for best anthology of 2020. Menopause: A Comic Treatment Recommendations For unrequited love and secret feelings in a co-worker environment, read the Rights and Wrongs Series by lovebitca8 comprised of The Right Thing To Do, All the Wrong Things, and The Auction (dark AU version of the two). Part 1, The Right Thing To Do, can be found here: https://archiveofourown.org/chapters/25724661?show_comments=true or through the audiobook shared above. The Right Thing To Do - Chapter 1 - LovesBitca8 - Harry Po... For a dark Voldemort-wins AU involving slavery and Death Eater Draco, read Manacled by senlinyu: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14454174/chapters/33390198 Manacled - Chapter 1 - senlinyu - Harry Potter - J. K. Row... For a light, hilarious historical rom-com involving a co-worker time travel scenario, read Love and Historical Accidentals by Pacific Rimbaud: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21496525/chapters/51233119 Love and Other Historical Accidents - Chapter 1 - PacificR... For a slow-burn romance that's more focused on deep character study and grief healing, read Measure of a Man by inadaze22: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26523892/chapters/64648648

Jess Krefting, podcaster (on a break) and BookTok creator, has some books for you to read. We go through her current pile of library books and talk about what's important to her raising a young reader. We also talk about ADHD, hyperfocus on different craft projects, the Doughboys and more. Follow Jess as @Reading_with_E on Instagram and TikTok or listen to the archives of How Have You Never?! Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts (five stars please) Books! Books! Books! Rick Riordin Presents (fantasy chapter books with POC writers and characters) The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe The Wonderful Wizard of Oz A Wrinkle In Time Quintet It Feels Good to be Yourself Plenty of Hugs When Aiden became a brother All About Families The Watsons Go to Birmingham Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls 100 Immigrant Women who changed the world When We Are Kind Rainbow Boy Eyes that Kiss in the Corners A Way with Wild Things ABCs of Black History Sugar in Milk

Beth Villafranca, a Massachusetts-based home healthcare provider, spends her days driving across southeastern Massachusetts and listens to podcasts as she travels from client to client. Today she shares her favorite podcast genre - true crime podcasts that don't exploit the victim's family. We talk about the Doughboys, Weird Al, Hamilton and more. Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts (five stars please) Show Links Turks Seafood Doughboys KFC2 with hosts of True Crime and Cocktails The Good Place the Podcast Who Does a Podcast Hamilcast Blue Man Group on Jay Leno, 1992 Buckingham Blues by Weird Al William Pacholski loves The Great Comet True Crime Podcasts Serial To Live and Die in LA The Piketon Massacre True Crime and Cocktails Teachers Pet and Night Driver hosted by Hedley Thomas Someone Knows Something This is Criminal Dirty John

Jocelyn Geboy, a Chicago-based writer, storyteller and Tik Tok creator, loves getting people talking about candy. She's found that asking people "red vines or twizzlers" can start the group down an hour-long winding road of nostalgia and light conversation. People might get wound up, but they won't get angry or have an existential crisis. Follow Jocelyn online - she's @smussyolay on Tik Tok, Twitter and Instagram Show Links Whozeewhatzit vs Watchamacallit Licorice Tubes Reese's Take5 Charleston Chew The mammogram is included in the Affordable Care Act and should be covered by your health insurance. Go get one.

Saul Colt, the smartest man in the world and founder of Idea Integration Company, loves cooking videos and hunting collectibles. In this episode we talk about his COVID cooking inspirations and his favorite flea markets and shops for finding nostalgic collectibles. Funko Pops, Pee Wee Playhouse items, custom sneakers or Be@rbricks - Saul wants to see it all. Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts (five stars please) Follow @SaulColt on Instagram and Twitter. Listen to his podcast We Now Join the Program Already in Progress. Show Links Famoso in Toronto Canter's Deli The Griddle Cafe Claire Saffitz Dessert Person Sam The Cooking Guy Frank and Son Show Bodega in Boston Big Fun Toy Store in Cleveland Dave's Quality Meats in NYC Red Sovine - Teddy Bear and Large Marge Ecentrik 1 Jollibee Funko Pop

Max Pacheco, amateur Disney historian, Twitch streamer and podcast actor, claims that he has the most obscure Disney digital collection in the world and challenges other Disney collectors to prove him wrong. Leah and Max talk about his hunt for copies of 30 Disney movies from the 70s and 80s that seem lost to time. Show Links Sporadic Phantom Jess Lambert: Every Disney Movie Ever Max and Jess talk about The Whiz Kid and the Mystery of Riverton Max is looking for... The Track of the African Bongo Trail of Danger Shadow of Fear The Secret of Lost Valley Strange Companions U.S. Marshalls: Waco and Reinhardt, AKA Line of Duty (UK) Meet the Munceys FOUND: The Absent Minded Professor: Trading Places Just Perfect FOUND: Spies (1993) On loan from the director of Spies FOUND: The Barefoot Executive (remake, 1995) Ladies and the Champ ETA Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts (five stars please) Menopause: A Comic Treatment (Eisner nominated) The Wrong Mans Kurt Russell is a Disney legend Blank Check Podcast Halloween is Grinch Night

Cinnamon Cooper, a Chicago-based writer and crafter, is known among our friends for being an excellent host. In this episode she talks about how she learned to host dinner parties, soup nights and her epic Halloween bash. She is the author of the Everything Cast Iron Cookbook, which is still in print and an outstanding guide to cooking with cast iron. Includes a clip from Brandy Agerbeck's episode and a voice memo from Jacqui Cheng Follow Cinnamon online @cinnachick on Twitter and Instagram and buy her bags at Poise.cc Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts (five stars please) Show links HuffenCooper Halloween 2010 photos and 2012 Photos The Jiffy Pope Jacqui and Jenni - the year with two Bjorks The Card Sharks got Smarter (Ramsin Canon) and me as NasCarmen Miranda Cinnamon's legendary Tomato Soup recipe Six Toed cats in Key West What is Juneteenth? Hungry Cat Daily Jewish-ish Podcast Cinnamon 0:00 Hi, my name is Cinnamon Cooper and my favorite thing is throwing Halloween parties. Transcript Follows ----more---- Announcer 0:04 Welcome to the Finding Favorites podcast where we explore your favorite things without using an algorithm. Here's your host, Leah Jones. Leah Jones 0:14 Hello, and welcome back to Fiinding Favorites. I'm your host, Leah Jones. And this is the official start of year two, season two of Finding Favorites. I am pretty excited to be heading into the second year of this podcast. I don't think I expected when I started that I would -- one, that we would be in the COVID shutdown for sooo long. And two, that I would have it in me to look at year two and and say "Yeah, I'm ready to record some more." Leah Jones 0:49 It is Father's Day in the U.S. So, happy Father's Day to the dads out there, the stepdads, the uncles, the people who are father figures. And also recognizing that Father's Day can be a difficult day for others. I am preparing to drive cross-country to meet my dad in New York to collect some of his sculptures that have been in storage for a few years. So, next week, I will be driving cross-country, stopping in Michigan to go to a memorial for our dear friend Lucy, who passed away during COVID from breast cancer. Leah Jones 1:30 Then continuing on to New York, where my dad and I will have pastramic -- pastramic?? We'll have pastrami, we'll have some steaks, we will maybe go to the Guggenheim. And we will fill a car with sculptures and I will drive back to the Midwest. So, I'm looking forward to that. This last week, you can find me -- I was a guest on the podcast "Hungry Cat Daily," which is a podcast about Garfield. I'll link to that in the show notes. And next week, I will be a podcast on my friend Maria, who you remember from the Cheery Littlebottom episode, she started a new podcast called "Jewish-ish: A Weekly Parsha Chat Show." So, I will be on for the episode about Parsha Pinchas. So, I was recording that this morning, which is why this is coming to you a little bit late. Leah Jones 2:21 I dug into the archives a bit. You'll hear a clip from Brandy Agerbeck's episode on Harold and Maude, a special clip from Jacquie Chang, all about this Halloween party. I know that I've talked about it on other podcast episodes. But because I don't do transcripts, which I must start doing in year two, I can't easily search for mentions of the Halloween party. So even though I know that other people have been to that party, and we've talked about it, I couldn't find the clips quickly enough. So, I have two clips from two wonderful folks in my life. Leah Jones 3:02 This week's episode is with Cinnamon Cooper. She is a cookbook author, a purveyor of handmade purses and bags. And she is also the co-host of a party I look forward to every year, the Huffencooper Halloween party. And she's here to give us lots of tips and tricks about hosting dinner parties, big parties, costume parties, and thinking about re-entry and building our in-person communities again. So I hope that you continue to stay safe, that you are able to reconnect with your loved ones. Have a good week, enjoy your favorite things. Leah Jones 3:58 Hello, and welcome to Finding Favorites. I'm your host, Leah Jones, and this is the podcast where we learn about people's favorite things and get recommendations without using an algorithm. It is year two -- season two starts today. And I am so pleased to have with me today Cinnamon Cooper. Cinnamon is the owner/purveyor/stitcher/designer of Poise, her handbag company, and she is the author of the "Cast Iron Cookbook" and really a girl-about-town, girl-about-the Internet. Anyone in Chicago who uses the internet knows Cinnamon. Cinnamon, how are you doing today? Cinnamon 4:42 I'm doing wonderfully on this Juneteenth holiday. Leah Jones 4:46 Yes, it's Juneteenth. As of yesterday, a federal holiday -- two days ago, yesterday. Cinnamon 4:52 Yeah, yeah. 16 hours ago -- federal holiday. Hopefully, it is just the first start in recognizing all of our Afr

Dave Coustan, an Atlanta-based podcast producer and marketing strategist, picked up trumpet for the first time at the age of 39... because why not? We talk about what made him start playing trumpet as an adult, a 5-hour lesson in Portland from David Monette, and how he became a podcast producer at I Heart Radio. Follow Dave, aka @Extraface, on Instagram, Twitter and subscribe to Three Banana Thursday Folllow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Show Links Atlanta Local Food Initiative Hrishikesh Hirway on Inside Voices with Kevin T. Porter Stuff You Missed in History Class with Tracy Wilson Stuff You Should Know Wendy L. Klein, Berklee College of Music (Dave's childhood flute teacher) Brass Instrument Workshop Joe Gransden Monette Trumpets Dave Monette on Craft In America Dan Harmon Story Cycle XOXO Fest in Portland Dave's 2008 SXSW business card

Kyle Loder, co-host of A New Low and Who Does a Podcast, has played the tabletop war game Warhammer 40K for most of his life and he is very excited that game stores and tournaments are re-opening this summer. We talk about what's next for his Hamilton podcast (Who Does a Podcast), the life of Warhammer 40K consultants (which he is not), and how to pack for a Warhammer tourney. Follow rate and review Finding Favories - @findingfavspod on Twitter and Instagram Listen to Kyle on A New Low, Who Does a Podcast and dig into the archives of Your Parents Basement Show Links Warhammer 40,000 by Games Workshop Doughboys Warmachine Malifaux Flames of War Dropzone Commander

Jasmine Davila, curator of Miss Spoken, is back on Finding Favorites to talk about all things bacon, eggs and pancakes. Yes, with indoor dining returning, we're just talking about brunch. Current favorite orders, closed diners of our 20s, brunch while traveling and brunch that makes for anxious dreams. Follow @Jasmined on twitter and instagram Follow @FindingFavsPod on Twitter and Instagram Brunch spots that are still open BJ's Market on 87th and Stony Island SVEA Durango Diner Pauline's Durango Bagel V&A cafeteria Sant Ambroues Closed, but not forgotten Leo's Lunchroom Riverside Cafe Overeasy Le Sabre Alverne Ball's author profile on Amazon. He has a new graphic novel out about Black Wall Street that is a timeline read on the 100 anniversary of the massacre in Oklahoma.

Robert Persinger, co-host of Gentlemen Overlords and associate producer of Doughboys, introduces us to the world of reaction videos, explains how to listen to a "watch along" recording, and shares some of his favorite content creators in this genre. We also talk about cats, Empress Gin, theme parks and the comfort of a rewatch. Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Follow Robert (AKA The Drop King) online Twitter Gentlemen Overlords Doughboys Show Links Awkward Ashleigh Alanda Parker Popcorn in Bed Brandon Likes Movies Twins are the new Trend Robert on Fresh Questions? Air talking about Reaction Videos Seattle Japanese Garden Newcomers Rise of Skywalker Watchalong 2001 Space Odyssey at Music Box Theater Scaredy Cats Horror Show The Friendship Onion Podcast the Ride The Sloppy Boys Why Won't You Date Me Chicago Live Show with Nick, Mitch and Gabrus High & Mighty The Gravitron still exists Empress Gin Understanding parasocial relationships As a bonus, the blog post that ultimately led to this podcast.

Adam Salzer is a podcaster, Twitch streamer and wrestling announcer based in New Hampshire. We talk about his love of professional wrestling, the difference between staged and fake, and how he got into podcasting and Twitch streaming. He also starts to build his dream league and introduces Leah to some new vocabulary. Follow Adam Salzer online as The Salzer Effect on Twitter and Twitch His podcasts are hosted on the Rundown Wrestling Network and include AEW Rundown, Title Subject to Change, Spot of NXT, The NitroMania Podcast Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Show Links LonelyGirl15 It's not K-Fabe, it's kayfabe: Legendary announcer Rich Palladino Legendary WOW meme Leeroy Jenkins explained Finn Bálor Stone Cold Steve Austin Freddie Prinze Jr was a WWE writer

Entreprenuer and author Elisa Camahort Page is here this week to talk about lessons she learned from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and how to deal with problematic creators. We talk about poolside chats at BlogHer 2006 in San Jose, Elisa's book Road Map for Revolutionaries, and the pop culture keeping us company. Follow Elisa online @ElisaC on Twitter, The Week-Ish Newsletter, and listen to her on The Op Ed Page Buy Road Map for Revolutionaries for from an independent bookstore and get excited about local politics Follow the @findingfavspod on Twitter and Instagram Show links Buffy the Vampire Slayer BlogHer 2006 food blogger round-up post and a brief podcast with Lisa Stone My Octopus Teacher Joss Whedon threatened Gal Gadot's career Abuse on the Justice League set Joss Whedon's abusive behavior on Buffy Answering the Call and New Politics Leadership Academy James Talarico (Texas Rep)

Michele Weldon, a Chicago-based author and journalist, loves to paint and sketch. She joined me from her art-filled home to talk about the joy she has found in oil painting, pastel sketching and not turning a beloved hobby into a side-hustle. Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Follow @MicheleWeldon on Twitter Show Links Michele Weldon's website Act Like You're Having a Good Time (and additional books by Michele) Op Ed Project En plein air Continuing studies at School of the Art Institute of Chicago 92Y pastels classes Jason Diamond writes about Routines

Last weekend, I got on Zoom with Aaron Gadiel and realized that if I edited fast - you could learn about the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in time to tune in to Jazz Festing in Place on WWOZ. Aaron Gadiel, creative coach and principal of Gadiel Group, has loved Jazz Fest since he went for the first time in 1997. We talk about how to get a Jazz Fest mentor, what weekend to go, and escaping FOMO in the Crescent City. Follow @findingfavspod on Instagram and Twitter. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts Catch up with Aaron Gadiel on LinkedIn Show Links HowAhYah Shirts Fashion of Jazz Fest Creative Sage Cottage in Union Pier Acorn Theater in Three Oaks Jazz Festing in Place on WWOZ Galactic & Tipitinas Bruce Springsteen at Jazz Fest

Caroline Conner, better known as Wine Dine Caroline, is a wine educator based in Leon, France, who loves wine and fantasy books. We dive into how she started her career in the wine trade (spoiler alert - she won the 2009 Varsity Blind Wine Competition between Oxford and Cambridge). Get your Bookshop.org shopping cart ready, because she's got books for you to read. Learn about wine with Caroline (take her online courses, hire her for a private tasting on Zoom) and start with her Food and Wine Pairing Guide. Find Caroline on Instagram and YouTube Follow Finding Favorites on Twitter and Instagram Show Links Varsity Blind Wine Challenge and Wikipedia list of winners Masters of Wine Damn Fine Bookstore in Leon, France Books and Authors to Read Once and Future Witches - Alix E Harrow Priory of the Orange Tree - Samantha Shannon V.E. Schwab Sabaa Tahir - Ember in the Ashes Trilogy N.K. Jemisin - The Broken Earth Trilogy Hugo Awards His Dark Materials - Phillip Pullman Normal People - Sally Rooney Uprooted - Naomi Novik Robin Hobbs - Realm of the Elderlings KJ Parker - Engineer Trilogy Grishaverse - Leigh Barduga