Interviewing strangers over a meal since 2008 (as featured in the Washington Post)
JR “Nexus” Russ is living up to his name. Christened Nexus on his first trip to the Burning Man festival, JR — an artist in Washington, DC — finds his professional and personal life increasingly at a nexus. He’s heavily involved in the city’s arts scene, but equally passionate about…
Hello! Is it Margarita Pracatan you’re looking for? The Cuban singing sensation — and the third stranger I met for dinner — is celebrating with a greatest hits show September 15 and 29 at the Laurie Beechman Theatre in New York City. Both shows start at 7pm and are just…
Want to call character Stephen Tobolowsky your improv teacher? Now’s your chance. Stephen — perhaps best known as insurance salesman Ned Ryerson (bing!) from Groundhog Day — is hosting a class at Kalmeson & Kalmenson in Burbank, California, starting this Sunday July 17 and running through August 28. In October…
Eleanor Clift is a famous liberal reporter, perhaps best known to many American television viewers as one of the pundits on the weekly political talk show The McLaughlin Group. Although she’s still busy reporting these days writing for The Daily Beast, she took a few hours out of her schedule…
New Orleans-based voodoo priestess “Bloody” Mary Millan is heading to California. From August 10th through 17th, Mary — my 21st dining companion — will be visiting San Francisco, Oakland and Santa Cruz. She’s appearing at festivals, book signings, a paranormal conference and more. She’s also available for private voodoo consultations….
New Orleans-based t-shirt company Storyville is getting political. The company, run by couple Josh and Natalie Harvey, has just launched a new range of t-shirts and tank tops (for adults and children) with the logo “Build Wetlands, Not Walls.” In an email announcing the new design, Storyville said, “With some…
…but here’s a somewhat new site design for Dining With Strangers. After launching the site in late 2008 the layout has pretty much stayed the same the entire time. Now, thanks to the joys of WordPress and the free themes available, I’m able to make it look a little nicer….
The events in Orlando have touched me deeply. In the eight years that I’ve been doing this website, I’ve met many people (90 as of today), and several of them are gay. I’m proud to have met them all. Last week’s tragedy makes it more important than ever that the…
Apologies for the lack of updates. More interviews are in the works, so stay tuned. In the meantime, here’s an update on a stranger I met last year. Martin Dahinden, Ambassador of Switzerland to the United States — and the 82nd stranger I’ve met for dinner — was interviewed recently…
Cheryl Kagan would love a private life — but that’s not possible right now. That’s because she’s the Maryland state senator for district 17, covering Gaithersburg and Rockville. As she told me during a dinner interview, it’s a non-stop job that involves a very public life. That makes it difficult…