The Nerdologues meet a lot of cool people, but one of our coolest new friends of 2015 is Tanner Woodford, executive director of the Chicago Design Museum. Tanner contributed to a Your Stories a couple months ago and suggested doing a special recording as part of Chicago Design Week. The first part of that recording is what you've got now! Tanner curated the night and suggested the theme, "Discovery," and we got something really special out of it. This episode, enjoy: Cover Stories: Baby Cover Stories: Lose Yourself Claire Friedman: Art Major Tracie Hall: The Real Kwanzaa Philip Burton: Petroglyphs Joey Nakayama: Process Nerd Mike Joosse: Mall Dreams Cover Stories: Umbrella Thanks to Cards Against Humanity for sponsoring this episode and to the Chicago Podcast Coop for, well, everything! Your Stories is heading to Adler After Dark this month. Get your tickets and submit your own story pitch here! We're also giving our good friend/fellow podcaster Mark Colomb a send-off at our regular monthly July show. Details on that are here.

You ready to hear some more about how much we love the Chicago Podcast Coop? Or course you are! But isn't it also effective just to give you a bunch of podcasters telling great stories? Of course it is! This episode, we welcome a handful of other great Chicago creatives - both podcasters and not - to our stage to share whatever "sound idea" makes them think of. We've also got our friend Jim Snedeker back on guitar for a couple sweet numbers! Please enjoy: Cover Stories with Jim Snedeker: Feel Good Inc. Sean Kelley: The Opinions of Sheep Clint Worthington: What Happens in Vegas Charlie Madsen: Account Executive Max Temkin: Advertising James Gordon: Furniture Pickup Elizabeth Cambridge: Late-Night Habit Cover Stories with Jim Snedeker: Comfortably Numb Thanks to Iron Galaxy Studios for sponsoring this episode! ALSO: Sean Kelley co-stars in Improvised Star Trek. Clint Worthington co-hosts Alcohollywood. Max Temkin co-hosts Rewatch. Elizabeth Cambridge hosts Random Conversations. Listen to these! James Gordon's best-selling book can be found here! Our Kickstarter campaign, which you would be amazing to contribute to, is here! Let's get halfway there by the end of today! And here's info on Wednesday's special Your Stories show!

A lot of this month's Your Stories guests are part of the Chicago Podcast Coop, a really cool thing we've been talking about a bit for the last few months on the show. This episode you'll learn a little more about it and hear from some of its talent; we've also got old and new friends of the Nerdologues back to share their stories! You'll hear: Cover Stories: Karma Police Cover Stories: Teenagers Patrick O'Rourke: What I Learned from Podcasts Katie Utke: Cosplay Is Not Consent Shelby Mongan: Failure Arnie Niekamp: Never Better Than a Sound Effect Eric Barry: Escort Cover Stories: With a Little Help from My Friends Thanks to Maxistentialism for the sponsorship this episode! Seriously, it's a great zine and costs but $3/month to subscribe to! By the way, Patrick O'Rourke hosts Making New Friends. Arnie Niekamp hosts Hello from the Magic Tavern. Eric Barry hosts Full Disclosure. These are all awesome shows that you should check out! Here's the Nerdologues Kickstarter project I referenced in the show intro. If you like fun things, look over here! And here's info on the next Your Stories recording. It should be a special one! Finally, here is some photographic evidence of my favorite moment of the night. Thanks to Improvised Star Trek's Sean Kelley for capturing this!

Dwight Haesler has been on more consecutive episodes of Your Stories than literally anyone else, and yet to those who just listen to the podcast, he's a giant unknown. Won't you join us, then, as Your Stories celebrates the man behind the golden voice on his 30th birthday? This episode, enjoy: Kevin Reader and Chris Geiger: Where in the World? Eric Garneau: Sorrow Claire Friedman and Eric Garneau: Friendship Eric Garneau with Alex Cox: Disembodied Voice Chris Crotwell: Blurry Jon Lester: Enthusiasm Mary Beth Smith with Claire Friedman and Eric Garneau: Thirrty Andrew Bentley: Superlatives Shelby Mongan: Feud Lauren Rodriguez: Blanket Fort Joe Gennaro: Dwight Medley Cover Stories: Kiss from a Rose Cover Stories: Tribute As referenced by Chris Crotwell, here's Dwight's blurry documentation of the last few years. If you're in Chicago this Friday and want to go to a cool party to celebrate the launch of our first Kickstarter campaign, hey, we won't stop you! #DwightIsThirrty

In our second spotlight on pressing start featuring the fine folks behind Arcade Brewery, we get a little bawdy, a little violent, and a little historical. This episde, enjoy: Cover Stories: Chasing Pavements Cover Stories: More Than Words PJ McNulty: (Press Start) on Professional Relationships Roneesh Vashisht: (Press Start) on Preserving History Logan Dean: (Press Start) on Pinball Mike Gifford: (Press Start) on Pubic Grooming Don Hall: (Press Start) on Renaissance Faires Lance Curran: (Press Start) on Porn Stashes Cover Stories: The Middle Huge thanks, of course, to Arcade Brewery for coming out/giving us beer. Also, major thanks to the Chicago Podcast Coop! Their website now has a listing of all the wonderful podcasts that they help out. And let's not forget our sponsors for the episode, Iron Galaxy Studios. Their founder, Dave Lang, is even a friend of the show!

The magnificent Arcade Brewery's in the house this month for a great batch of stories inspired by the theme "Press Start" (mostly). From bands to brewers to Jedis, you'll hear about the genesis of many things over the next couple episodes. We recommend pairing your podcast listening with a delightful Dubbeltime Ale, unless you're under 21 or driving or something. Then don't do that. If you're at work, eh, whatever. We won't tell. This episode, enjoy: Cover Stories: Creep Cover Stories: Ironic Jeremy Kanne: (Press Start) on High-School Crushes Chris Tourre: (Press Start) on Partnerships Vanessa Walilko: (Press Start) on 100%ing Orion Couling: (Press Start) on Becoming a Jedi Lily Be: (Press Start) on Storytelling Katie Johnston-Smith: Mad Thanks so much to Arcade Brewery for a really cool night. Also, thanks to our sponsor for the eipsode, Jackbox Games, and to the Chicago Podcast Coop for being rad. If you want to support the CPC, come to our next Your Stories event, where they're the special guest!

We just recorded our second Your Stories at Cards Against Humanity's theater last night, and man, it's such a fantastic new home. Here's the second part of our episode breaking in that theater, appropriately featuring guests from Cards Against Humanity itself plus a wonderful selection of local comedians and storytellers! This episode, enjoy: Cover Stories: When I Am the President of the United States, I will create the Department of \_\_\_\_ Alex Cox: Boogers Bill Nielsen: What I Brought Back from Mexico Ashley Keenan: Genuine Human Connection Brad Einstein: Apples to Apples Max Temkin: The Biggest, Blackest Dick Cover Stories: Unfathomable Stupidity Thanks again to the Chicago Podcast Coop and our sponsors for this episode, Basecamp! And, obviously, thanks to Cards Against Humanity for being such great landlords and friends!

This month, Your Stories moves into its new digs, the Cards Against Humanity theater, for a fun episode inspired by and featuring our landlords! Most of the stories and songs you'll hear this month were inspired by black or white cards found in everyone's favorite party game for horrible people. This episode, enjoy: Cover Stories: \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ Henry Birdseye: A Fart Matthew Hoffman: Awkward Debbie Banos: Seeing Grandma Naked Kevin Budnik: What Are Your Parents Hiding from You? Andrew Bentley: Inflating Sean Hannity with Helium and Watching Him Float Away Tanner Woodford: Two Midgets Shitting into a Bucket Cover Stories: Being Blind and Deaf and Having No Limbs Thanks to our sponsors for this episode, Iron Galaxy Studios! We love you, Dave Lang! And of course thanks to the Chicago Podcast Coop for being awesome. If you enjoy Your Stories, come to the next one! Hell, maybe even share something.

We're back again with our second March bonus episode recorded at the magnificent Dinosaur Coffee in Silver Lake. Los Angeles was incredibly kind to us, and we had a great time making these episodes. Now it's on you to enjoy them! This episode, we've got: Cover Stories: Because the Night Kristin Clifford: Six Months Job-Free Eric Roth: The Year That "Nerd" Broke Maggie Clancy: Kids in LA Gary Lucy: What Happened to All the Organ Grinders? DC Pierson: Life Keeps Revising Cover Stories: Everybody Wants to Rule the World Huge thanks to our sponsors this episode, Cards Against Humanity! Also thanks to the Chicago Podcast Coop for your support and being amazing! If you want to keep up with our guests, you can visit these places! Kristin's website Eric's comedy page (I'm pretty into his RPG Show). Maggie's blog - and Cover Me, a great music blog where we worked together! (Maggie also wrote about being on our show here) Gary's excellent podcast, The Ketchup DC's tumblr, where you can follow his latest work And please, be cool and back this project from Nerdologues founder Kevin Reader and friend/great artist Kevin Budnik: The Secret History of Chicago, a (Graphic Novel) Coloring Book!

The beginning of February seemed like a good time for the Nerds to escape Chicago, especially after the fifth biggest snowstorm in the city's history (true!). Fortunately, sunny Los Angeles welcomed us with open arms and packed houses, like the one at this Your Stories show we recorded at Dinosaur Coffee in Silver Lake. We asked a bunch of our friends/very talented people to speak on the show, and they didn't disappoint. You're gonna hear a couple really great episodes in the next two weeks; it was seriously so great to go 2/3 of the way across the country and be able to put on something like this. Thanks everyone who was involved! This episode, enjoy: Cover Stories: My Name Is Jonas Cover Stories: The Walker Mary Beth Smith: Not a Story About a Stolen Bike Nikki Pierce: Vengenace of the Birthing Gods Pedro & Ramiro Castro: A Learning Cliff / Pitch to Bob Odenkirk Ever Mainard: Galilee Medical and Dental Center Emma Fitzpatrick: Dirty Bird Cover Stories: Slave to the Grind If you're in Chicago tonight, check out this Donors Choose event at the Cards Against Humanity office! We'll be doing comedy there and money raised goes to CPS teachers! Thanks to our sponsor for the episode, Gapers Block, a great source for Chicago news! And thanks to the Chicago Podcast Coop for all the support. Here are some of the cool things our speakers this episode are up to: Pedro & Ramiro's Big Dog Eat Child YouTube channel Ever's Shit Show and The Last Book Review Emma's new movie Bloodsucking Bastards and her band The Mots Nouveaux (whose name I mispronounced on the episode because I am uncultured)