Today’s episode features “The Haunting of the Congress Plaza Hotel” written by Fiona-Good Sirota and narrated by Jake Demcisak. The article explores the spooky history of the Congress Plaza Hotel in Chicago. The hotel has a colorful history that includes serial killers, homicides, suicides, presidents and mafia activity.

Today’s episode features “Master of the Ping Pong Speakeasy” written by Kamy Smelser and narrated by Jack Leimkuehler. Ardy Taveerasert is the head coach and director of Chi-Slam, a Ping-Pong club in Chicago. We hear from students of Taveerasert and other club members who talk about honing their craft at the ping pong speakeasy.

This episode voices the article “Keeping Exotic Animals as Pets” written by Amina Sergazina and narrated by Reyna Parayno. We hear the stories of hedgehog breeders and reptile enthusiasts. The article describes some of the difficulties of caring for exotic animals and offers advice and warnings for those interested. 

Today’s episode features “Femme Fatales” written by Fiona-Good Sirota and narrated by Sumana Syed. The True Crime genre has exploded in popularity in the past few decades. This article explores the rise in the genre throughout movies, television, music, podcasts, and more.

This episode voices the article “Decolonizing Spirituality” written by Camryn Cutinello and narrated by Sam Carlson. Malia Valentine meets with Indigenous communities across the country, helping them protect their land and sacred sites. The article explores some harmful outcomes resulting from cultural appropriation such as the potential endangerment of the white sage plant.

This episode voices the article “Three Brothers, Two Lovebirds, and a Van” written by Faith Malinowski and narrated by Baxter Spark. We hear the story of a couple who met through a shared love for adventure and became the first customers of Van Life Chicago. What's more, we learn how the rise of “van life” led three brothers to a unique business opportunity.

“You have this vision of this person going and camping on a cliff overlooking the ocean. That hasn’t really happened yet”—Doug Cigliana

This article is from Echo Magazine June 23, 2022. Check out the magazine here!

Today’s episode features “Master of the Ping Pong Speakeasy” written by Kamy Smelser and narrated by Matan Fireman. Ardy Taveerasert is the head coach and director of Chi-Slam, a Ping-Pong club in Chicago. We hear from students of Taveerasert and other club members who talk about honing their craft at the ping pong speakeasy.

“Ping pong is not fun. I describe ping pong like a martial art”—Ardy Taveerasert

This article is from Echo Magazine June 23, 2022. Check out the magazine here!

Today’s episode features Echo Magazine article “The Knead to Know” written by Faith Malinowski. This article follows ‘The Food Guy’, Steve Dolinsky, as he creates his show and provides insight into the production of his weekly food segment for NBC Chicago. Steve shares some personal stories of his favorite foods, stories of taking his kids to dim sum restaurants, and the secret to reviewing pizza.

“It took my mom until I was a senior in high school to allow me to bring Domino’s pepperoni pizza into the house” —Steve Dolinsky

This article is from Echo Magazine June 23, 2022. Check out the magazine here!

This episode features Echo Magazine article “How magician Paige Thompson flirts with ‘death’ in her illusionary stage performances” written by Kamy Smelser. This article describes some of Paige Thompson’s most dangerous magic tricks while giving insight into her thoughts and fears about performing. Paige shares her frustrations regarding treatment of women in the magician’s profession.

“I wasn’t an escape artist in any way. I just had to figure it out and be like, ‘I want this to look good. I want it to look real’” - Paige Thompson

This article is from Echo Magazine June 23, 2022. Check out the magazine here!

This episode voices the article “Keeping Exotic Animals as Pets” written by Amina Sergazina and narrated by Shane Cloherty. We hear the stories of hedgehog breeders and reptile enthusiasts. The article describes some of the difficulties of caring for exotic animals and offers advice and warnings for those interested. 

“They are cute and cuddly on Instagram, but a lot of what you’re seeing is misinterpreted” —Jenna Perlick

This article is from Echo Magazine June 23, 2022. Check out the magazine here!