Strangers

So did this transplant happen? Is Lea going to give away a kidney? Tune into this third instalment of Elizabeth and Mary to find out.

This is the second installment in our series about Elizabeth and Mary. On this episode, we play some of the strong reactions we received from listeners to the first installment, and dive deeper into why Elizabeth decided to give a kidney to a stranger, and who she really is…

Would you give a kidney to a stranger? Inspired by a previous episode of Strangers, Elizabeth decided to do just that. This is Part 1 of the story that ensued.

Four years ago, we met Becca, a virgin in her 30s who waxed genitals for a living. On this episode we play her original story, along with an update about what Becca has been up to since then…

Two of our favorite Strangers stories of all time in one radio hour. Featuring the stories 'Henry & Jane' (with Henry & Jane Evans) and 'Falling Slowly' with Lyena Strelkoff.  

A stereotypical, Whole-Foods-shopping, NPR-listening liberal finds herself in an alliance of Republicans.

Sometimes you get in a rut as a creative professional, wondering if you’ll ever be a professional, creatively, or if you’ll be forever stuck in some dead-end day job that’s designed to pay the bills but barely does. And then you might fantasize that some big change, or chance encounter, or fabulous coincidence is going … Continue reading A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Woman →

One day when Susan was five, her father came home and nailed her bunk bed shut. That was the beginning of a long strange journey.

In the Strangers community, we’ve lost one of our own: Jenni Rowell, 33, has passed away. In this episode, with the help of her family and friends, we rejoice in her life and everything she gave us, and we mourn what we have lost. We also reveal some happy news that she got to enjoy … Continue reading Jenni, Remembered →

What exactly does a sex surrogate do? Meet Kendra Holliday to find out. Warning: This episode contains explicit sexual refrences and is not suitable for children.  

One year ago today, July 31st, Lea went to interview Robert, a guy she’d dated, about why he’d turned her down. That became the first of a series of episodes called “Love Hurts,” where Lea investigated why she was having trouble finding love again in the four years since she found herself pregnant and alone.  The original Love Hurts series had four epsiodesm 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 only paying subscribers (who also get access to the entire Strangers archive, ad-free). Join for $5 at Leasplace.substack.com or Leasplace.supercast.com and support my work! 

John Corcoran graduated from high school and college and then spent 17 years as a high school teacher without knowing how to read or write. How on earth did he pull that off? And why? This is his story. A different version of this story was originally presented on Strangers in early 2012. Get the … Continue reading The Teacher Who Couldn’t Read →

A new – and improved! – version of an old Strangers story: A Mormon boy grows up to become “International Mr. Leather,” which is the “Miss Universe” equivalent of the leather fetish world, and he’s forced to acknowledge some surprising parallels between his childhood church and the kinky gay, male leather world… Get the full … Continue reading American Mormon — International Mr. Leather →

In 2014 Patrick and Steve received a surprise delivery…and it was a newborn, whaa! A story ensued, which became the episode Two Men and a Baby. Now, a year later we check in to see how things are going. 

This is the second installment in our series about Adrian Wagner, who at 25 is losing his eyesight, and who is in a race to try to locate his birth parents in time to qualify for upcoming clinical trials, which might cure his condition but require genetic testing of both parents. And that is just … Continue reading Adrian’s Race 2 →

This is a story of mothers, love, regrets and redemption, and of secrets from many years passed that cast long shadows in our lives. It’s about how Deborah Jiang-Stein came to be pulled over by two highway patrolmen at 19 years-old, with a trunk load of dope, a .38 revolver and a 10” switch blade…and … Continue reading Unconditional →

April is the cruellest month. At least it can be. If you are depressed or heartbroken, there is nothing worse than the thaw and the blossoms and the girls in short dresses and the lovers on park benches licking melting ice cream off each other’s faces and fingers. It makes your heart ache more because … Continue reading The Cruellest Month? →

Adrian is 25 and losing his eyesight. He’s in a race against time. He’s also in a battle between humility and pride. When is it stubborn, perhaps even foolhardy, not to make concessions to one’s disability? When is it the only way out? And where do you find wisdom to know the difference? Get the … Continue reading Adrian’s Race →

We revisit Jenni Rowell from the episode “Life, Interrupted” to see where things stand, and learn some sh*t about life.

A booker for TV court shows shares highs and lows from the merry-go-round of daytime justice, from a triumphant moment with a little person male stripper called Cornpop to the days when she just has to take off her headset and cry under her desk. With Sharon Houston.