I'll Follow You

Show notes are available at ⁠QueenofPeaches.com⁠. Today I am delighted to be in conversation with two organizers from the Critical Thinking Witch Collective, Alex Wrekk and Maya Amatvult. Alex and Maya were kind enough to join me in my digital studio to talk about the work they’re doing with the Crit Witches, specifically in the lead-up to the annual Con that’ll be happening this September 27th, 28th, and 29th. The upcoming Con is entitled “Perception (and Perspective) Check! Life Through a Seeker's Len.” Tickets are on sale now.

Show notes are available at QueenofPeaches.com. I just wanted to pop in here quickly and let all you lovely listeners know that you’re not going to be seeing any fresh episodes in your feed for a short while so that I can turn my attention to some other creative projects that I’ve had simmering on the back burner. And honestly, I just want to give my podcasting muscles a proper rest, rather than inadvertently burning myself out, so that I’m refreshed and ready to rock with a fresh batch of episodes for you sooner rather than later. Thank you for joining me on the journey through this third season of I’ll Follow You. I’m looking forward to sharing more with you again very soon.

Show notes are available at QueenofPeaches.com. Today I am simply delighted to be in conversation with Jeanette Elaine Dubois. Jeanette is a member of the Motion Picture Editors Guild and has 25 years of experience cutting a wide variety of projects for film and television. She’s worked on the Emmy Award-winning shows Super Soul Sessions with Oprah Winfrey and Artbound on PBS, as well as Emmy-nominated documentaries including The Day My God Died. Recently she’s worked for Steve Harvey’s Steve on Watch and has just completed editing her second season of Married to Real Estate starring Egypt Sherrod on HGTV and MAX. Elaine is also often called upon for voiceover work, and has written, produced, directed, and edited her own short films as well. At the end of 2019, Jeanette self-published her first book, the memoir Things My Father Never Knew He Taught Me: Seven Lessons from a Life, which is available on Amazon now. And be on the look for the audiobook version to be released on Audible later on in 2024.

Show notes are available at QueenofPeaches.com. This week I am absolutely thrilled to share my conversation with the writer Michael O’Donnell. Michael is the author of the novel Above the Fire. Published by Blackstone Publishing in December 2023, Above the Fire crystallizes the relationship between a father and son as they survive a winter of isolation. The book has received starred reviews from Booklist and Shelf Awareness, and the audiobook edition recently won the AudioFile Earphones Award. Michael’s nonfiction writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and other publications. He has been a member of the National Book Critics Circle since 2005. An attorney by profession, he clerked for Judge Ann Claire Williams of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and now practices law in Chicago. He earned his bachelor’s degree with distinction from Indiana University in 2001 and his law degree magna cum laude from Boston College in 2004.

Show notes are available at QueenofPeaches.com. This week I am absolutely thrilled to be in conversation with Hayley J. Croom of Paintbox Soapworks. Queer, witchy, feminist, and leftist-owned since 2009, Paintbox Soapworks is devoted to making small batch soaps, skincare, and bath products in unique and irreverent scents. It’s a one-person show, and each product is made by hand using vegan friendly, coconut-free custom formulas with no SLS, parabens, or phthalates. Their goal is to get you clean and smelling amazing, and to work a little magic with every blend they make to transform and transport you.

Show notes are available at QueenofPeaches.com. For this first episode of 2024, I’m really excited to share my conversation with Hollywood costume supervisor Sara Walbridge. Sara is a graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul University in Chicago and has been steadily working in Hollywood for over 20 years. Some of her best known TV projects include Love and Death, Barry, GLOW, and True Blood, and her film credits include Don’t Look Up, Space Jam: A New Legacy, Vice, and Beautiful Boy. In our chat today, she gives me the lowdown on how costume supervising is like solving a puzzle; how the immediate aftermath of 9/11 inadvertently shaped the trajectory of her career; why if you don’t notice the costumes in a movie or TV show, that actually means they’ve been executed really well; what the most pressing concerns about AI are for costume departments; the kinds of questions that get tossed around in the group chat of the so-called Costume Mafia; why working as a costume supervisor is secretly kind of a blue-collar job; and why she nerds out about making scale maps of changing tents for huge groups of extras. Plus, since we’re well into awards season now, Sara highlights some of her favorite costuming moments from the year gone by that she hopes will be recognized by voters. For my Letterboxd users out there, I’ve created a list featuring all the films we talk about in this episode. Links to that and other show notes will be available on my blog QueenofPeaches.com.

Show notes are available at QueenofPeaches.com. Rather than release a normal interview episode today, I thought I’d just put a little audio trinket in your stocking, so to speak. I’d like to read a short selection from a book called "Atargatis," which is by the English writer, lecturer, hypnotherapist, and Reiki Master Paul Weston. Featuring original musical accompaniment by Brian Cremins.

Show notes are available at QueenofPeaches.com. Today I’m incredibly psyched to share with you my conversation with science writer and medical intuitive Allison Clark. Allison is a heart-centered, holistically-minded healer who takes into consideration all aspects of a person—not just their body and not just their soul. Her approach is an alchemy of years of training, scientific research, and personal mind, body, and spirit work. She’s studied clairvoyant and energy healing techniques for well over a decade and has learned from experts including Cyndi Dale, Kelly Meehan, Bruce Lipton, and Robert Moss. She also graduated with honors from the Open University of Catalonia with a master’s degree in nutrition with a focus on clinical nutrition and nutrigenomics and is also triple-certified as a functional nutritionist, a culinary nutrition expert, and a holistic health coach. Her current mission as a healer is to help women learn to trust their intuition and embrace their unique spirit so that they can live a fulfilled life.

Show notes are available at ⁠QueenofPeaches.com⁠. I’m delighted to be in conversation with visual artist and graphic designer Sadie Teper. Sadie is the founder and owner of Twentysome Design. Twentysome is a lady-powered feminist stationery and gift brand. Sadie’s design background enables her to create bright and colorful hand-lettered designs that empower and inspire others to spread the message of positive change while still encompassing cheeky wit and feminist fun. We talk about the origin of her brand name; how the text on her first greeting cards was really just an extension of her own inner monologue; how her art classes in college taught her how to not take personal criticism too seriously; the reason why the stationery industry isn’t particularly cutthroat; and the big difference between someone suggesting a topic for a card and someone suggesting the exact wording for a card.

Show notes are available at QueenofPeaches.com. Today on I'll Follow You, I am super excited to bring you my conversation with the author and editor Jerome Pohlen. Jerry has written 23 books for both adults and children, including Oddball Illinois (which is the flagship title of the larger Oddball travel book series), The Apollo Missions for Kids, Albert Einstein and Relativity for Kids, Gay & Lesbian History for Kids, and Chicago Baby, as well as articles and op-eds for the Los Angeles Times, Advocate, and the Chicago Reader. Since 2001, he has worked for publishing house Chicago Review Press where, as an acquisitions editor, he signs up adult nonfiction in categories including US history, LGBTQIA, nature, popular science, and DIY, along with children’s nonfiction and activity books. Our wide-ranging chat is roughly broken up into three distinct sections: we talk about his work as a writer, his father’s work as an engineer on both the Apollo and Viking space missions, and Jerry’s run for Congress as a Green Party candidate in Illinois in 2008.