STORIES by Lea Thau
STORIES by Lea Thau is a storytelling podcast from Peabody Award-winning producer Lea Thau, who previously headed The Moth and Strangers. The show features the entire back catalogue of Strangers alongside new work, all available ad-free on Patreon and Substack. Listeners can join as free or paid members to access full episodes and be part of the community.
Episodes
Summer of Strangers: Franky Carrillo: Life
Franky Carrillo was 16 when he received a double life sentence for a crime he had nothing to do with. This is his story. It's one of the most beloved Strangers stories of all time, and it will be the first of three episodes about Franky Carrillo's life, including a brand new one.If you want to see pictures that go with today’s story, check out these free posts on Substack and Patreon, where you ca
14 Years Later: And Justice for All?
Last week we posted Sharon Houston's hilarious and beloved old Strangers story And Justice for All? and this week we're following up with Sharon to see what she's up to now....which turned out to be a lot of different things.If you’d like to see photos that go with today’s episode, you can find them in these free posts on Substack and Patreon, where you can also sign up for our free newsletter. If
Summer of Strangers: And Justice for All?
Welcome back to our Summer of Strangers. Today's story is an old Strangers episode with Sharon Houston, and next week we'll do a follow-up with her. If you want to see photos that go with today’s episode, you can find them in these posts on Patreon or Substack, where you can also join our free community and sign up for our newsletter. If you’d like to support our work, consider becoming a pay
10 Years Later – The Son, The Goddess & Leopoldo
Thank you for all the love we’ve received about Joshua Safran’s story from last week. This episode is a follow-up with Joshua about his life now.It's quite different from the original episode, because it's more of a conversation and less of a story, and because a lot has changed in 10 years – in Joshua's life, and the U.S., and the world. Big thanks to Joshua Safran. He is the author of the m
Summer of Strangers: The Son, The Goddess & Leopoldo
Joshua Safran was born in a coven of lesbian witches in a Haight-Ashbury commune. After the fall of Saigon, young Joshua Safran hit the open road with his mother, and things only got stranger from there. This story is a rerun from 2016. Next week, we’ll run a follow-up with Joshua.A word of warning: This episode contains moments you may find disturbing. Please use discretion and avoid listening ar
Summer of Strangers: Unconditional
This is a story of mothers, love, regret, and redemption, and of secrets from many years past that cast long shadows into our lives. It’s about how Deborah Jiang-Stein came to be pulled over by two highway patrolmen at 19 years-old, with a trunkload of dope, a .38 revolver, and a 10” switch blade. That was only the beginning of her long journey towards what she was looking for. This story is
Something Old, Something New, Something Light, Something True
In this episode, we wrap up The Hopeful Locals and preview our SUMMER of STRANGERS with a Strangers story that has been offline since 2014.The SUMMER of STRANGERS officially kicks off July 15.Comment on Patreon, Substack,Facebook or Instagram as to which Strangers stories you most want us to rerun or follow up on!Or leave a review wherever you’re listening right now to let us know! To whet yo
The Hopeful Locals #7: John
This is Episode 7 of the Hopeful Locals, but this installment can also stand alone. Today you’re going to meet John Doyle, and I’m going to let him tell most of the story, because I like the way he tells it. John has had an interesting life, and he tells his story in the same warm, frank, meandering way that he seems to approach most things. He lives and works in the town of Crow Agency, and
The Hopeful Locals #6: Cowboy Country
As L.A. burns behind me, I drive deeper into cowboy country through Wyoming to Montana, trying to untangle the many contradictions of the country I call home.This is Episode 6 of The Hopeful Locals, and it is in loving memory of Crawford White Eagle.This series is made with suppport from our sponsors Tink Media and Podcast The Newsletter, and from our paying subscribers on Patreon and Substack.Big
The Hopeful Locals #5: Visionaries of The Wind River, Part 2
The hope holds strong in this second episode about people working for change on the Wind River Reservation.It is brought to you by Tink Media, Podcast The Newsletter, and our supporters on Patreon and Substack. Huge thanks to the visionaries of this episode: Jackie White, Kelly Pingree, and Erika Warren-Yarber. Please visit The Wind River Sage Fund, which was established by The Wind River Dev
The Hopeful Locals #4: Visionaries of the Wind River, Part 1
This is Episode 4 of The Hopeful Locals (Episode 7 if you’re a paying subscriber and get bonus episodes!). You’re getting this episode ad-free because the people in it deserve not to be interrupted by ads, I feel. If you agree with that and would like to support my work, you can join us at 'STORIES by Lea Thau' on Patreon and Substack, where you’ll find all my new work and the entire Stranger
The Hopeful Locals #3: Erika
This is Episode 3 of The Hopeful Locals for free subscribers (Episode 6 for paying subscribers). Our storyteller today is Erika Warren-Yarber. She’s the COO of the Wind River Development Fund and the Wind River Sage Fund. Please consider supporting their work.And please consider supporting my work by becoming a paying subscriber on Patreon or Substack. Thanks to the Just Transition Fund
The Hopeful Locals #2: On the Road Again
This is Episode 2 of my series, The Hopeful Locals. It’s a direct continuation of Episode 1, so if you haven’t heard that, I’d go start there.Huge thanks to my husband, Paul Dreux Smith, for making the music and mixing this episode, to my Associate Producer, Vix Jensen, for her help with the story, the production, the logistics – all of it – and to my Project Editor, Christina Thyssen, for always
The Hopeful Locals #1: A Portrait of the Artist as a Middle-Aged Woman
This is the prologue to my new series, The Hopeful Locals, and I hope you’ll enjoy it. The story continues on Friday. Huge thanks to Dengue Fever, Paul’s band, for letting me use the recording from their live show at The Chapel. They have two very special shows coming up on May 15 and 16 at Gold Diggers in LA, a more intimate club than they normally play, and you can also find them in other c
Introducing 'STORIES by Lea Thau'
Hi friends, I’m back! New episodes start dropping Tuesday! Also, heads-up: I’ll be changing the name of this podcast from Strangers to STORIES by Lea Thau on Monday. That hurts a little, I know – for me too – but I promise it’s not the end of Strangers. The plan is for STORIES by Lea Thau to be an umbrella for all my work, including Strangers, and I want to do a new season of that show n
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