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
STORIES Presents: The Longest Shortest Time - Xyla vs. The FAA
Xyla Foxlin started flying as a teenager. By her twenties, she was piloting her own plane and building another from scratch. But when a private health crisis went public, she wound up in a battle with the FAA that could ground her for good.Today we're bringing you this fantastic story from the podcast The Longest Shortest Time with Hillary Frank, which you should go subscribe to. And please ch
STORIES presents: Proxy with Yowei Shaw – Caitlin Lost the Voice In Her Head
We're featuring a story from another podcast we love today: Proxy with Yowei Shaw. She investigates the strange, funny, and sometimes maddening emotional mysteries that shape our lives. I was really moved by this episode, called Caitlin Lost the Voice In Her Head, and I wanted to share it with you.For most of her life, Caitlin Myer had a narrator. A voice that told stories, shaped sentences, k
10 Years Later – Pabba's 32nd Year (i.e Pabba's 42nd Year)
Pabba is now in his 42nd year, and his story has a resolution! Tune in to hear how his conundrum got resolved. It's a good story:) And check out Pabba’s original story if you haven’t heard that yet. . If you want to see photos that go with this episode, you can visit our free posts on Substack and Patreon. If you want to support our work and unlock a ton more of it, you can also become a payin
Summer of Strangers: Pabba's 32nd Year
Imagine your parents controlled your online dating profile. That’s what happened to Pabba and this is his story. We first ran this story 10 years ago and next week we’ll have a brand new story with him. I can already reveal that a LOT has happened in the meantime.This two-parter with Pabba is curated by Lulu Miller from Radiolab and Terrestrials. In addition to Pabba's story, she's made a Spo
Summer of Strangers: Midnight in Mexico – Then & Now
A family tragedy sends the Corchados from Mexico to California, searching for greener pastures. Upon arrival, that’s hardly what they find, but some years later, a deal involving a 1978 Camaro sets the oldest son on a path to unlikely success.Today we revisit the story of renowned journalist and outstanding storyteller, Alfredo Corchado, with a present-day update at the end. If you’d like to
13 Years Later – Franky Carrillo #3: Still Franky
This is a brand new installment in the Franky Carrillo saga that I’m very excited to share with you. Franky is the same great storyteller he's always been, and he goes deeper than ever here. If you haven’t heard the first two episodes with Franky, which we shared last week and the week before, I would go listen to those first. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you’ll be better prepared for this c
Summer of Strangers: Franky Carrillo #2: Life Now – 2017
I hope you heard Franky’s story from last week, because it’s heartbreaking, and uplifting, and enraging, and inspiring, and it’s the foundation for today’s episode, which is Part 2 of his story. If you haven’t heard it yet, I'd go listen to last week’s episode first.This episode is nine years old, but on Monday I went to meet Franky for a present-day follow-up and I can’t wait to share that story
Summer of Strangers – Franky Carrillo #1 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
The Hopeful Locals: John
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 it’s small enough that the only directions he gave me to his office were to “drive throug
The Hopeful Locals: Visionaries of The Wind River, Part 2
The hope holds strong in this final episode about the people on the Wind River Reservation. It is brought to you by 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 Development Fund to manage their Recompete grant projects, and
The Hopeful Locals: Visionaries of the Wind River, Part 1
Today you're going to meet some members of the Wind River community and hear their stories. This episode is a continuation of last week's episode with Erika Warren-Yarber. If you missed that, you might be glad to hear it first, but you can also jump in right here.This is Episode 7 of The Hopeful Locals for my paying subscribers and it's the Episode 2 here on the free podcast. If you wo
The Hopeful Locals: Erika
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 for connecting me with Erika. I directed a storytelling show for their partner convening, and Erika was one
Falling Slowly
Strangers, at its core, is about the beauty and the struggle of human connection and what happens in those moments when we get closer to someone else, or, say, further removed from ourselves. Often that change is subtle and slow, but sometimes it is sudden and monumental. Here is Lyena Strelkoff. A version of this … Continue reading Falling Slowly → Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megapho
Love Hurts
While doing a story about online dating, Lea gets her heart broken (yet again). Get the full story here. The original Love Hurts series had four epsiodes, which were dowloaded millions of times and was the most popular series Lea has ever created. Only the first two of those episodes are available here (this one and the next one), the others are for paying subscribers only (who also get access to
Terry’s Treasure
Producer Lea Thau embarks on a strange online dating adventure. The entire back catalogue of Strangers can be found at STORIES by Lea Thau on Patreon and Substack, where you can also find my new work in its entirety, all of it ad-free. You can join as a free or paid member, so come be part of my community! Or follow my new work in my new public feed, STORIES by Lea Thau, which you can find whereve
Gay Talese: Committed Voyeur
Legendary non-fiction writer, Gay Talese, discusses his marriage, his work, and the scandals that have made waves in both. The entire back catalogue of Strangers can be found at STORIES by Lea Thau on Patreon and Substack, where you can also find my new work in its entirety, all of it ad-free. You can join as a free or paid member, so come be part of my community! Or follow my new work in my new p
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