Alone At Lunch

This week we are joined by Yosha Gunasekera. Yosha Gunasekera is a Sri Lankan-American attorney who represents people who have spent decades behind bars for crimes they did not commit. She teaches a course at Princeton University focused on wrongful conviction and exoneration. Yosha is a former Manhattan public defender and has written and spoken extensively on the criminal legal system. Check her out at www.yoshagunasekera.com

In t...

This week we are joined by Maria J. Morillo. Maria J. Morillo is a born and raised Venezuelan ESL teacher, translator, and author of love stories featuring Venezuelan women getting absolutely everything they’ve always wanted. When she’s not writing, you can find her leading the choir at her local church. She currently lives in Maturin, Venezuela, with her family. Her debut novel is The Ex-Perimento. 

In this episode, Maria J. Morill...

This week we are joined by Ashley Bennett. Ashley is a small-town paranormal and monster romance author from Baltimore, Maryland. She writes stories that are equal parts spice and swoon. When she’s not writing, you can find her reading webtoons, playing cozy video games, and taking care of her houseful of rescue animals.

In this episode, Ashley shares her journey from being a veterinary technician to a successful author in the monst...

This week we are joined by Virginia Kantra. New York Times bestselling author Virginia Kantra is a big believer in the power of stories—the ones we grow up with and the ones we tell ourselves. She has written over thirty novels about strong women, messy families, and the journey to find yourself. Her books have received numerous awards as well as starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist and praise in People and USA Today...

This week we are joined by Ihea Inyama. Ihea is a NYC-based comedian, writer, and actor from Ewing, New Jersey. He's a house team writer for UCB's Maude Night, and is a co-creator and star of the web series i’m so happy for you!!!!!!. He has been awarded stand-up comedy residencies at Broadway and Greenwich Village Comedy clubs, co-hosts the variety comedy show Mind the Gap!, and regularly performs stand-up around NYC.

In this episo...

This week we are joined by Jessica Levin. Jessica is an NYC based comedian. The daughter of a sanitation worker, with longshoreman genes, she has a blue collar mentality with white color taste. She released her first comedy special, Party Body, on YouTube in November 2025.

In this engaging episode, Jessica discusses the importance of saying yes to opportunities, reflects on her childhood and family background, her transition from th...

This week we are joined by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka. Emily and Austin met and fell in love in high school. Austin went on to graduate from Harvard, while Emily graduated from Princeton. Together, they are the authors of multiple novels including The Roughest Draft and Reese's YA Bookclub Pick Heiress Takes All. They are also two-thirds of USA Today bestselling author E.B. Asher. Now married, they live in Los Angel...

This week we are joined by Lucy Sandwick. Lucy Sandwick is a comic and sketch writer based in NYC. She's been a semi finalist in the NY Queer Comedy Festival and Comedy Mob Festival, and her videos have garnered millions of views across TikTok, Instagram, and her enemies' group chats. Follow her @lucysandwick!

In this episode, Lucy shares her experiences growing up with brothers and how it influenced her career in comedy. She discus...

This week we are joined by Rachel Van Dyken. Rachel Van Dyken the #1 New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA TODAY bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she's not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching guilty-pleasure TV. Her new romantasy FALLEN GODS from Red Tower Books is out now.

In this episode, Rachel discusses her diverse writing career, whi...

This week we are joined by Ivi Demi! Ivi is a Brooklyn comic originally from Albania. He was voted the Best House Comic at the Laugh Index Theatre in DC for 2020 and 2021. He has performed at the DC Improv, DC Comedy Loft, Gotham, Comic Strip, the Riot Comedy Festival, and the Burbank Comedy Festival, where he was selected to the Best of the Fest for 2021. You can see him producing and performing in shows for Don’t Tell Comedy acro...

This week we are joined by Laura Griffin. Laura Griffin is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty books and novellas. Her books have been translated into fourteen languages. Laura is a two-time RITA® Award winner as well as the recipient of the Daphne du Maurier Award. Laura got her start in journalism before venturing into the world of writing fiction. She lives in Austin, Texas, where she is worki...

This week we are joined by Zaib Pirani! Zaib is a stand-up comedian in New York City, who makes jokes about his life; especially about growing up in a family of previously-undocumented Indian-Muslims in Sugar Land, Texas.

In this episode, Zaib shares his journey from Texas to New York, exploring his experiences with religion, community, and comedy. He discusses the challenges of fitting into traditional religious communities and how...

This week we are joined by Alex Falcone! Alex Falcone is a comedian and writer living in Los Angeles. He’s appeared in several episodes of Portlandia, performed standup on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and his videos have racked up over 300 million views online. He’s also the author of a best selling young-adult romance novel, Unwrap My Heart: or It's Time For Mummies. Despite these modest accomplishments, he’s somehow remain...

This week we are joined by Jamie Harrow! Jamie Harrow was born and raised at the Jersey Shore. She is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Villanova University and lives in New Jersey with her family. Her debut novel, One on One, was published by Dutton in 2024. Fun at Parties, her second novel, is available now.

In this episode, Jamie Harrow discusses the importance of embracing non-linear career paths and the valuable lessons lear...

This week we are joined by Anika Fajardo! Anika Fajardo is an award-winning writer born in Colombia and raised in Minnesota. Her debut novel for adult readers is The Many Mothers of Dolores Moore. She is also the author of the middle-grade books What If a Fish and Meet Me Halfway, as well as the memoir Magical Realism for Non-Believers.

In this episode, Anika Fajardo shares her journey from growing up in Minnesota to exploring her C...

This week we are joined by Kristi DeMeester! Kristi is the author of Dark Sisters, Such a Pretty Smile, which was selected as a Georgia Author of the Year finalist, and Beneath. Her short fiction has appeared in publications such as The Dark, Black Static, multiple volumes of The Year’s Best Horror, Year’s Best Weird Fiction, and in her short fiction collection Everything That’s Underneath. She lives, writes, and makes horror-theme...

This week we are joined by Jilberto Soto! Jilberto is a first-generation Mexican American comedian who produces and runs two standout comedy shows: Purple Park Comedy, which spotlights rising POC and female comics, and Mariposas Comedy, an all-queer showcase. Jilberto is also the host of I Hope This Ages Well, a podcast where he interviews fascinating seniors in NYC, and co-hosts Together We’re Straight with Liz Glazer. He has open...

This week we are joined by Caroline Palmer! From 2014 to 2019, Caroline Palmer was the director of editorial, video, and social media at Amazon Fashion. Prior to her tenure at Amazon, she spent seven years as the editor of Vogue.com. Her work has appeared in various publications, including The New York Times, Life, Seventeen magazine, and Vogue. She lives in Montclair, New Jersey, with her husband and three children. WORKHORSE is h...

This week we are joined by Kelly Taylor! Kelly is an NYC based comedian. Check out Kelly on instagram @hellothisiskelly and check out her podcast I Feel Fat Today on instagram @ifeelfattoday & subscribe to the show on Youtube.

In this episode, Kelly Taylor shares her experiences growing up in New Jersey, navigating college life, and the impact of family dynamics on her personal growth. The discussion touches on the challenges of adu...