Strangers

Three stories about Mexican immigration, showing us that there are two sides to the border fence, but many sides to the story. On this episode, we find some unlikely bedfellows among liberals and conservatives, even immigrants and the border patrol. These stories come to us from the wonderful shows, “State of the Re:Union” and “UnFictional.” Also check … Continue reading The People Next Door →

When you start to think your own child might have a propensity for violence, what do you do? Warning: this episode contains violent content. Do not listen with children. 

Ashley’s husband, Corey, is accused of the worst thing imaginable. What follows sends the family on an ever darkening journey, swinging between answers, hypotheses, emotions, and, ultimately, the truth. This story is not appropriate for children. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lea recounts the personal journey that led her to become an American citizen this summer. It starts in Sweden in 1945…

Have you ever had the fantasy that a chance encounter with a stranger could tell you who to be? Karin Gutman was working as an assistant when a senior advisor to a US Senator came out of the blue with an offer to change her life… This story first aired on Strangers in April, 2012.

A wanna-be artist finds himself in a dual-life dilemma. Can you be the next Bukowski and the king of high-end skin care — at the same time? When push comes to aftershave, which do you choose? Brian Finkelstein tells this story, which originally aired on the first season of Strangers. Brian Finkelstein (@bsfinkestein) is an … Continue reading Blue Astringent Blues →

Three years after Tyler issued a dare for Matjames to return to Yellow Springs, and 26 years after he fled, Matjames finally makes the trip. For optimal enjoyment of this episode, please listen to the first story about Matjames and Tyler, “Flee, Flood, Float.”

This is a rebroadcast of a story we produced three years ago. It’s a story we’ve always really liked, and we’re sharing it with you this week because we’ll have an update on the story next week. So be sure to check this out and stay tuned for the follow-up.

Lea revisits her own love life. Two years ago, Lea produced “Love Hurts,” a series about her ill-fated adventures in online dating. Lea had been online dating for four years since she’d found herself single with an infant in her late 30s. The same week the first “Love Hurts” episode went live, Lea met a man, and a year ago, they posted an anniversary episode they'd recorded for the one-year anniversary of their meeting and of the Love Hurts series. Now they're back with a two-year anniversary update, and things don't turn out as planned. To say the least.  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 of those episodes is available here, the others are for paying subscribers only (who get access to the entire Strangers archive, ad-free). You can join for $5 at Leasplace.substack.com or Leasplace.supercast.com.  

Two stories from two stages of love about chance encounters, bold moves, tough luck, predictable fights, unlikely angels, and those unavoidable moments where you simply have to “sh*t or get off the pot.”

So you’re 37 and single….  On this third installment of our “Summer of Love” series, we explore the singles’ experience with two intimate stories from the lovely podcast “Not by Accident” by Sophie Harper.

Fayaz asked Jo to marry him after they’d spent just one week in the same place. Here’s how that worked out. This story is the second installment in our Summer of Love series, but as it unfolds it becomes about more than just love.

Welcome to our new series, “Summer of Love,” inspired by this quote from a Danish newspaper: “For decades women seem to have been asking themselves the following questions: How do I get a man? How do I hold on to him? How do I put up with him? How do I get rid of him? How … Continue reading As Far As You Can Get →

Born in a coven of lesbian witches in a Haight-Ashbury commune after the fall of Saigon, young Joshua Safran soon hit the open road with his single mother, Claudia, and things only got stranger from there. A word of warning: this story contains some disturbing moments. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One day when her daughter was 1 month old, Nanna Balslev took the elevator to the top floor of one of the tallest buildings in Copenhagen. It was the darkest day of her life.  Warning: this episode contains references to suicide and depression. If you or someone you know is strugglign with suicidal thoughts, call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 998 in the U.S.   

Wanna go to Europe? Got no cash? Why not stow away?

We feature the story of Joe Loya’s bank robbing career by producer Ben Adair of the podcast “First Time Last Time,” along with a follow-up conversation between Lea and Joe about the dumbest sh*t he’s pulled as a bank robber. Check out the “First Time Last Time” podcast, which has the simple but wonderful premise that … Continue reading Dumb Sh*t We Do #2: Rob Banks →

Melia Mills was working as a lobby-greeter at a hotel, when one day Dave Chapelle came to stay…This is the first in our April mini-series “Dumb Sh*t We Do.”

Annie Bradley was raised to believe that women shouldn’t have opinions or make decisions. But what happens when her life depends on a radical split-second decision?

Do altruists make us uncomfortable? Hell freakin’ yeah. Or so it seems. One of the most generous people we’ve ever profiled became the center of a social media storm. Lea called up some of the harshest critics to find out, eh, WHY?