Finding Favorites with Leah Jones

How Evonne Marzouk wrote her first novel

Evonne Marzouk, an author and environmentalist in the DC suburbs, joined me this week to talk about how she wrote her first novel The Prophetess. Her novel was an example of "having an idea and bringing it into the world," which is one of her favorite things.
Show Links
Follow Evonne and The Prophetess online
Evonne on Twitter and Instagram
The Prophetess on Facebook
Buy a copy of the book
Additional Links
Canfei Nesharim
Living Inspired by Akiva Tatz
When I Die, Take My Panties by Jennifer Coken
Study with Brandy Agerbeck
ROI Community
David Jerger

Maria Carson explores Discworld with Cheery Littlebottom

Maria Carson, a Jewish scholar in Pittsburgh, takes us on an exploration of Terry Pratchett's fantasy series known as Discworld. More specifically, Maria shares why she loves the character Cheery Littlebottom more than anyone else in the expansive universe.
Show Links and Notes
Terry Pratchett's Discworld
Cheery Littlebottom bio
Guards Guards   
Wyrd Sisters
Going Postal
Feet of Clay
Thud
The Fifth Elephant
The Watch on BBC (an explainer)
Jasper Fforde and the Thursday Next series
Cairo Geniza
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker

Kevin T. Porter loves Bruce Springsteen

Kevin T. Porter, host of the Good Christian Fun, Gilmore Guys and Inside Voices, makes podcasts about things he's interested in, but he loves Bruce Springsteen. We talk about how he experienced love at first note watching a PBS pledge drive, the kindness of fellow Bruce fans, and how there is a Bruce for every season. And yes, we also talk about the Jeep commercial.
Follow Kevin T. Porter on
Instagram
Twitter
KevinBakin cookies for LA County folks
Show Links (there are so many)
The mindmap and blog post that I talk about
Kevin on Don't Get Me Started talking about Bruce
Out in the Street - Kevin's love at first sight video
Seeger Sessions playlist
Rolling Stone top 500 - Born to Run is #21
Roy Orbison and Friends playlist
New York Serenade
Open All Night
Jamie Loftus on Andy' Richter's 3 Questions talking about her Lolita Podcast
The Queerness of Bruce Springsteen
Trouble in the Heartland - the concert after Reagan's election
141 - removed music from episode and republished
Kevin T Porter  0:00  Hi, my name is Kevin T. Porter, and my favorite thing is Bruce Springsteen. He's a singer-songwriter. He's kind of old now, but he has some good songs, and I like him a lot.
Announcer  0:14  Welcome to the Finding Favorites podcast, where we explore your favorite things without using an algorithm. Here's your host, Leah Jones. 
transcript follows

Eyal chases the runner's laughter

Eyal Halamish, host of The Future City podcast, loves a lot of things, but ultimately we decided to talk about running. He's run marathons, completed triathlons and has some remorse for bullying the runners when he was on his high school soccer team.
I also deliver the eulogy that I wrote for my Uncle Jimmy who was buried yesterday.
 
Follow Eyal on Instagram
Facebook for The Future City podcast
Show Links
BimBam Yitro commentary
Subscription Compost in Chicago
Magic Candle Company
Tough Mudder
Runner's Laugh
Mask Recommendations
Rothy's
Tom Bihn
Sublime
Seal Face (Hello Tokyo)
 
 

Jasmine loves your dog

Jasmine Davila, host of Miss Spoken and writer, is my go to cat sitter and the go to cat sitter of most of my friends. We sat down to talk about "other people's pets" that she loves. Cats and dogs. Dogs and cats. I happen to know she also loves otters, but we didn't talk about them.
Follow Jasmine on Twitter and Instagram
#MeowyPoppins is a good way to meet a lot of Jasmine's favorite cats
Follow these pets on Instagram
The Dogist
Simon Sits
Shadow
Millie the Wunder Dog
Haddie the Pirate Dog
Mr. Willis the Cat
Popeye the Foodie
Shout out to Mike Murphy on YouTube. I went looking for an Audition tutorial tonight and his video was very helpful. About 10 seconds in, his voice unlocked some dusty memories. He was the bartender at the restaurant in Durango, Colorado, where I got my cat Spidey.

Vicki loves a garden in any country

Vicki Webb, a senior civil servant in London, has always loved to garden. We talk about gardens in literature, cooking tomatoes in pots and growing fruit trees in London.
Follow Vicki on Instagram From A Hackney Garden
Show Notes
Busy Lizzie flowers
Square Foot Gardening
Positive East (UK HIV Charity)
Wild Persimmons are purple
Persimmon seeds predict the winter
Chelsea Physics Garden
Weapons of Math Destruction
Gilbert Wilson Murals
A Moby Dick illustrated by Gilbert Wilson

Ezra Butler likes Andy Warhol but isn't a fan

Ezra Butler, a systems architect and artist based in Chicago, loves Andy Warhol for his art, philosophy and the life he lead. We sat down at my kitchen table to talk about all things Warhol and why it was so hard for Ezra to select just one favorite thing to talk about.
Follow Ezra Butler online
@EzraButler on Twitter, Instagram
@EzraButlerArt on Instagram
Atomic Einstein
Ezra Butler Art
Ezra Butler Consulting
Other Show Links
MashBash Tel Aviv 2008 video and the nametag that Ahuva made for us
Andy Warhol Retrospective at The Whitney
Campbell's Soup t-shirt
Andy Warhol shoes
Andy Warhol and the Jewish Museum
 

All-Time Favorite Cereals with Shai Korman

Shai Korman, host of Friday Night Podcast and Goldnerds, is back on the podcast for a very silly episode about cereal. Top ten favorites, honorable mentions, discontinued cereal and more.
Follow Shai online, he's Pancake4Table on Twitter and Instagram
Show Links
Obituary for Lucy Shair
Cap'n Crunch Controversy on CNN and the follow-up with Chrissy Teigen on TMZ
Frosted Mini Wheat Commercial
Rocky Road Commercial
Roaring Fork in Austin
Monster Cereals
A Tam Tams Stuffing recipe
Cotton Candy Twist from Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream (have it shipped to you)
The Dating Game segment on Thursdays with Huebel and Scheer
Drawsome - online Pictionary

Lucas Cao loves flipping balisong knives

Lucas Cao, president of Squid Industries, got so into flipping balisong knives (AKA butterfly knives) that he turned his hobby into a manufacturing company. Lucas walks me through the skills-based hobby of flipping and how his search for an affordable, quality knife turned into opening his own company to make the knives and trainers he wanted to see in the world.
Show Links
Squid Industries on Instagram and #balisongtrainer for videos
2017 Bali Buyers Guide with Ben Petersen and Lucas Cao
Speed Solving
How I Built This with Guy Raz
BladeHQ.com
Bladeshow Trade Shows
Balisong SubReddit
That one post on Reddit with a Squidtrainer
Deanza Community College
Vertical CNC Mill
Knives
Benchmade 51 Morpho
Bradley Kimura
Bradley Kimura XI
Full Squid Industries line-up of trainers, knives and accessories

Avett Brothers 101 with Jocelyn Geboy

Jocelyn Geboy, owner of Three Left Productions and concierge services in Chicago, loves the Avett Brothers. She tagged along to her first concert and now travels to three-night runs with other fans of the North Carolina-based band. (The uncut version of this interview is two full hours, so my apologies for the stories that got left on the floor of the podcast studio)
The first four albums to track down are Live Volume 3, Emotionalism, Mignonette, and Four Thieves Gone
Show Links
Follow Jocelyn on Twitter and Instagram
Hire Jocelyn at Three Left Productions
YouTube Playlist of songs and scenes from different Avett Brothers' concerts
A Custom of the Sea by Neil Hanson
May it Last: A portrait of the Avett Brothers
Press On Fund
St. Jude Children's Hospital
Spend NYE with the Avett Brothers
Crossover episode: Avett Brothers on Armchair Expert