Alone At Lunch

This week we are joined by Lisa Genova! Acclaimed as the Oliver Sacks of fiction and the Michael Crichton of brain science, Lisa Genova is the New York Times bestselling author of Still Alice , Left Neglected , Love Anthony , Inside the O’Briens , and Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting . Her new novel is More Or Less Maddy . Still Alice was adapted into an Oscar–winning film...

This week we are joined by Reagan Allen! Reagan Allen is a Brooklyn-based comedian and actor, originally hailing from Little Rock, Arkansas. She’s performed all over the world, from NYC comedy clubs and improv theaters, to festivals in the UK, and the Vail Comedy Festival where she met Emily earlier this year! Her debut musical comedy hour ‘Intelligent Bisexual Woman’ premiered at the 2024 Glasgow...

This week we are joined by Erin Bennett! Erin Bennett is a Los Angeles-based actress whose passion for storytelling makes her a natural fit for audiobooks. Winner of multiple Earphones and Audie nominations, many of her over 500 titles have made AudioFile’s “Best Audiobooks” lists. Erin is one of the most versatile, genre-hopping narrators in the business, and according to Audible, is a "pied pipe...

This week we are joined by Rebecca Fishbein! Rebecca Fishbein is the author of Floral Estrangements and Good Things Happen to People You Hate. She has also written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, Teen Vogue, and The Cut, among others. Make sure to check her out! In this conversation, Rebecca shares her experiences of growing up in New York City, discussing the unique challenges and jo...

This week we are joined by Jessica Saul! Jessica is an LA based actress, comedian, and content creator hailing from South Florida. Jessica‘s unhinged internet videos have garnered millions of views on Tik Tok on Instagram as well as caused concern for her mental health. Her short film, Clementine which she wrote and starred in, showcased at 12 film festivals across the country, snagging nomination...

This week we are joined by Leah Bonnema! Leah Bonnema is a stand-up comedian, actor and writer who has been seen on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Chris Gethard Presents, Oculus & AXS TV’s Gotham Comedy Live. She is the cohost of the popular podcast, Were You Raised By Wolves?! , and author of a romcom-esque novel, The Holiday Breakdown , which received a shout out on Katie Couric’s cite. Mak...

This week we are joined by Jenn Bouchard! Jenn Bouchard is the award-winning author of the novels First Course, Considering Us, and several short stories. She is a graduate of Bates College and Tufts University. An avid cook, Jenn volunteers for good causes and is a devoted Red Sox fan. A high school social studies teacher of twenty-five years, she lives with her family in the Boston suburbs. In t...

This week we are joined by Dr. Sara Glass! Sara Glass, PhD, LCSW is a therapist, writer, and speaker who helps members of the queer community and individuals who have survived trauma to live bold, honest, and proud lives. She lives in Manhattan, New York. Make sure to follow @drsaraglass on social platforms! This week, Sarah Glass discusses her journey of navigating multiple roles as a therapist,...

This week we are joined by Ashley Herring Blake! Ashley Herring Blake is an award-winning author and teacher. She loves coffee, cats, melancholy songs, and happy books. She is the author of six novels for young adult and middle grade readers, as well as the Bright Falls adults romance novels and the holiday romance, Make the Season Bright . She lives on a very tiny island off the coast of Georgia...

This week we are joined by Ruth Chan! Ruth Chan is an illustrator/author of comics and children’s books. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Cup of Jo, and with publishers HarperCollins, Macmillan, Simon & Schuster, Disney-Hyperion, and Abrams. Prior to illustrating full time, she spent a decade working with youth and families in underserved communities. UPROOTED is her first graphic...

This week we are joined by Katie Novotny! Katie Novotny is a standup comedian who has been an official artist at Limestone Comedy Festival, Vail Comedy Festival, Amsterdam’s Boom Chicago Comedy Festival, HBO’s Women in Comedy Festival, and many more. She’s currently a co-host of Good Follow , a women’s sports show on the DraftKings network where she gets to bring her love of sports and comedy to o...

This week we are joined by Dewey Lovett! Dewey Lovett is the author of the hilarious novel, Drinksgiving , which debuted October 15, 2024! She’s a comedian around LA and New York, and sometimes in between. As a comedian, she’s known for her combination of a sweet voice and dark humor. In 2022, Dewey published the short story collection, Scary Stories (But Not Too Scary) . More of her funny writing...

This week we are joined by Sean Flanagan! Sean is a stand up comedian who makes crowds laugh with his wry take on coming out late in life, being a gay military spouse, and a fish out of water at home and abroad. He helped open Tokyo Comedy Bar and was a regular headliner there and at US military bases around the country. Sean is also a winner of the nationwide Best Medicine Brigade's standup compe...

This week we are joined by Amy Cakes! Amy Cakes (she/they) is a multi-disciplinary creative and producer who has worked primarily in fashion, hospitality, and experiential events. Amy lives in New York City with two cats, Gazpacho & Ceviche. Make sure to check her out ! In this episode, we discuss growing up between California, New Mexico, and Germany, having funky parents, appreciating nature, pa...

This week we are joined by Kaycee Conlee! Kaycee Conlee is a standup comedian, actor, and writer described as “refreshingly authentic, hilariously relatable, and brilliantly witty.” Kaycee has worked on “The Tonight Show” and “Ellen” and brings a dynamic stage presence and infectious energy. She has a natural charisma that draws audiences in and her unique blend of observational humor and personal...

This week we are joined by Micky Shiloah! Micky Shiloah is an actor and creator best known for his social media series Anthony & Diane (which has helped him grow his following to over 160K across platforms) and his musical-comedy song "I'm Gay" . No stranger to the live stage, he's performed in venues ranging from Off-Broadway to Radio City Music Hall. In Los Angeles he's performed in productions...

This week we are joined by Justin Herman! Justin Herman is a stand up comic who's performed at clubs, theaters and s**thole dive bars (why did he put that one last?) all over the world. He's performed at the 2018 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the 2018 Melbourne Comedy Festival and he's been seen on Late Night with Seth Meyers, TruTV, Travel Channel, Discovery ID and SiriusXM. Justin has also directed...

This week we are joined by Jean Meltzer! Jean has the unique distinction of being the world’s only Emmy-award winning, chronically-ill and disabled, rabbinical-school drop-out. She is the author of the internationally bestselling book The Matzah Ball , Mr. Perfect on Paper , and Kissing Kosher , and the recipient of several writing honors including Amazon Best Romance, Apple Best Book of October,...

This week we are joined by Helen Laser! Helen is an Audie Award Finalist and multiple Audiofile Earphones Award winner. Her commercials have aired on TV, radio, and online/social media, including commercials for Tide, Advil, Annie's Homegrown, Dunkin Donuts, IHOP, and many more! Helen narrates for Audible Studios, Penguin Random House, Hachette, Simon and Schuster, Deyan, Podium, Tantor, Harper, M...

This week we are joined by Tagan Shepard! Tagan Shepard (she/her) is the author of eleven books of sapphic fiction, including the 2019 Goldie winner Bird on a Wire . When not writing about extraordinary women loving other extraordinary women, she can be found playing video games, renovating the fixer-upper house her wife convinced her to buy, or sitting in DC metro traffic. She lives in Northern V...

This week we are joined by Peng Shepherd! Peng Shepherd is the nationally bestselling, award-winning author of All This and More , The Cartographers , and The Book of M . Her novels have been acclaimed as a “Best Book of the Year” by the Washington Post, a “Best Book of the Summer” by the Today Show and NPR, and featured in the New York Times, the LA Times, and on Good Morning America, as well as...

This week we are joined by Ryan Erwin! Ryan Erwin is a comedian who travels the country performing for colleges, corporate events, cruises and comedy clubs. He has been featured on DryBar Comedy with his first special ( Vertical Claps ) debuting in 2019 and his second special (The Shape of Wear) was released in April 2024. Make sure to check him out! In this episode, we discuss growing up in Utah...

This week we are joined by Natalie Naudus! “A fave among audiobook listeners” (Buzzfeed), Natalie Naudus is one of the most beloved audiobook narrators working today. She has won an Audie award and nine Earphones awards, and maintains a robust social media following. She lives with her family on a mountain in Virginia. Gay the Pray Away is her debut novel. In this episode, we discuss growing up in...

This week we are joined by James L. Sutter! James L. Sutter is a cocreator of the bestselling Pathfinder and Starfinder roleplaying games. He's the author of the queer young adult romance novels Darkhearts and The Ghost of Us , as well as the fantasy novels Death's Heretic and Th e Redemption Engine . His short stories have appeared in Nightmare, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction , the #...

This week we are joined by Betty Corrello! Betty Corrello is a writer, comedian, and proud Philadelphian. She is the author of Summertime Punchline (2024) and 32 Days in May ( Spring 2025). Despite her hardened exterior, Betty is biologically 95% marshmallow. Her greatest passion is writing stories where opposites attract, but love is chosen. When she’s not writing, she can be found fretting about...