I have a blank piece of notebook paper in front of me, and it’s numbered 1-100.
It’s the start of a list. A list of 100 people who inspire and interest me, people who embody my philosophy of living a life less bullshit.
Once the list is complete, I’m setting out to eat lunch with each of those 100 people between now and my 30th birthday (June 13, 2015). This is a project that will take me all over the country, and likely all over the world. It’s a project that will let me sit face to face with people I admire and hear their stories. Ask them questions. Figure out what advice they have for creating a life you can’t help falling in love with.
And here’s where you come in. I need help putting together this list. I need to know who you think I should meet, and why. I want to sit down with a wide variety of people – different ages, different backgrounds, different passions – and I’d love to hear who you think seems ballsy and inspirational and fun.
There are some definites on the list already, people like Jenny Lawson and Allie Brosh, Chris Guillebeau and Marie Forleo, Sloane Crosley and Gala Darling, Scott Jurek and Jessica Hische, Danielle LaPorte and Ree Drummond – but on my way from 1 to 100, I’m hoping you can answer this question:
If you were doing this project, who would you invite to lunch?
Posted in: 100 lunches
{ 71 comments… read them below or add one }
Penelope Trunk and Molly Mahar
The absolute definites on my list would be: Nicole Antoinette, Jenny Lawson, Linda Sharps, and Desmond Morris.
Other people I admire greatly: Natalie Portman, Angelina Jolie, and Lady Gaga.
You, Gretchen Rubin, Jessica Valenti, The Bloggess, Marisa de los Santos, SARK, Ani Difranco, Dar Williams, Helen Fisher, Jean Kilbourne, and my dear friends and remarkable women, Sarah Brylinsky and Theresa Kintz.
You are just awesome.
Like, where do you get this stuff?
Ira Glass would be on my list.
Amanda Palmer and Neil Gaiman would both be at the top of my list, and they’d be easy enough to knock off at the same time what with them being married and all, and Amanda would totally do it and convince Neil to. I should totally make one of these lists so I can have lunch with them.
Jenny-the-Bloggess would be there. As would Allie Brosh. Some webcomic people, though I can’t choose at the moment–I’d make sure to have one who did it as a full-time job and one who also worked full-time (Angela Melick, maybe?). I’d look for some serious academics in fields I find fascinating but would never go into. I’d look for people from my past who I always thought would do super awesome things, or who taught me to do super awesome things, and revisit them–high school history teacher’s in.
Oh, this is so much fun. I have to do it. I have to!
Tara Gentile, for the reasons I told you earlier, and because she kicks ass (which is basically what we discussed). I’d want to have lunch with some of the people on your list, plus Jess (howsweeteats.com), Deb (Smitten Kitchen), Erica O’Grady, Erika Napoletano, Hannah Hart (My Drunk Kitchen), Jon Stewart (aim high), and Alie & Georgia on the Cooking Channel.
Um, I want to do this…need some time to think about who to put on there, though. A lot of my heroes are dead authors & musicians, so it’d be hard to have lunch with them!
I’d second most of the people you & others have mentioned. & I’d also add Kris Carr, of Crazy, Sexy Life, she’s beyond inspiring.
does this have to be people we’ve never had lunch with before? If not, then I want to have lunch and hang out with Jenny (thebloggess) again (and as usual, we must be in the bathroom… to hang out, not to eat)
otherwise, for people i’ve never met before:
jamie tworkowski
Elsie (Flannigan) Larson from http://www.abeautifulmess.typepad.com
You, ideally. But I suppose eating lunch with yourself defeats the purpose?
If I was making this list, I’d make sure to look at everyone; not just people I’ve known the longest, or ones that have impacted me. I have people I’m fascinated with, people who have secrets and stories I want to know. Wally Rohlfson – went to church with my grandparents, parents, and myself. He and his powder blue suit have fascinated me for years, though we’ve never said a word. He’d be on my list.
Doniree, You, Ashley (WriteToReach), Rachel Parker (from Eat and Write), Miranda Koerner (from A Duck in Her Pond), Erika Sorocco (from Cafe Fashionista), Jamie, Rachel (from Da Paura), Ashley (Ashalah), Laurell K. Hamilton, President and First Lady Obama, Amy (from Just a Titch) and Nico (aka Nicopolitan), Angelina Jolie, Britney Spears, Jennifer Aniston, etc.
This sounds like it would make an EXCELLENT book! I’m thinking a little Chelsea Handler, a little Jenny Blake?
Agreed. This would be an awesome book.
Seconded!
I would want to meet Tina Fey and Susan Orlean.
Travis Wahl (contemporary dancer), Conan O’Brien, Jeremy Cowart (founder of Help Portrait), Pete Souza (White House official photographer), Jasmine Star, President Obama (and first lady of course!), and many more!
Gretchen Rubin, Maggie Mason, Dooce, and a variety of education writers.
Also, I’d like to vote that you add Jamie to this list, but instead of you going to Paris, you fly her here. Good idea, no?
The Dalai Lama, though that probably wouldn’t end up being actually possible, but still, he’d top a list for me. Miranda July. Haruki Murakami. Pema Chodron. Krishna Das. Stephen Fry. Richard Siken. Maira Kalman. David Sedaris. Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Marc Johns. Robert Thurman (he’s Uma’s dad, and he has so much to say that is worth hearing).
I will stop before I name everyone who does any kind of work I drool over, because that would be much too long of a comment. This was just off the top of my head, this moment, and that’s enough.
You know who I’d want to have lunch with? Frank from PostSecret. He’d have the most incredible stories.
What a cool idea! So far my list is my wife (best I let her know we have a date this Saturday!), and then Colin Wright of Exile Lifestyle, Brian Johnson (Philosopher Notes) and not just by default ‘cos she’s married to Brian, but also ‘cos she’s such a Goddess in her own right, Alexandra Jaye Johnson. And finally, because I think we all have one book that just “did it” for us, I’d have to take Stephen King for a burger to thank him in person for The Talisman.
Aziz Ansari, Thomas Friedman, Adele, Elmo (because my daughter would flip out).
I’d like to have lunch with Mike Monteiro and pick his brain.
Very interesting idea.
It’s pretty obnoxious is it that I immediately thought, “You know, I want to create things that make people want to have lunch with me,” right?
This is a genius idea. If I had a chance to eat lunch with Margaret Atwood, I would. Although I might need until 2015 to list all the questions I’d want to ask her.
I’d like to meet a lot of the people I follow on Twitter because I think they’re really cool.
But in terms of super famous people? Not many! I don’t admire a great deal many people. I’d love to meet Penelope Trunk and some artists I love in cinema: Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Quentin Tarantino definitely. Oh – and the girls of the Real L Word. HAH.
So I’ll be the oddball who throws in the random ones: probably Gretchen Rubin because we both loved her book (although she seems a little uptight), I think Elizabeth Kiester is pretty damn rad (google her – also be warned that you’d have to go to Cambodia). Possibly Paul Farmer or Greg Mortensen, but they both sound like busy men. You can always bribe these people with the work from home bread – I’m more than willing to vouch for it’s quality.
Miss you.
Agreed with Paul Farmer and Greg Mortensen!
I would invite you to lunch, but you really can’t invite yourself. How about me? LOL. Just kidding.
Ani DiFranco, a lot of bloggers, people from Twitter, lots lots more….
I mean, if I just effing go to BiSC next year, I could have lunch with bunch of people that would go on my list.
Elizabeth Wurtzel and Jen Lancaster. They are two of my favorite authors. (totally and completely different styles, but both brilliant in my opinion)
Love this idea, you already have some pretty impressive people on your list. Mine would have Augusten Burroughs, Dave Eggers and Lev Yilmaz on it.
Heart this idea from here to Sunday. There are a ton of great people already mentioned, but I would add Zooey Deschanel, Robert Raven Kraft (has run 8 miles every single day in Miami for like 35 years…totally badass), Julie Andrews, Beverly Cleary, John Besh, Ellen, Tom Hanks, and (this would technically be different for me since I have a different favorite food) the chef at the Jackalope, home of the world’s most amazing pulled pork sandwich apparently!
Clayton Austin! He’s a photographer (claytonaustinlovestories.blog.com) and he has such a passion for life!! Love this idea!
i, personally, think you should have lunch with me but… i could be a little biased.
Leah Culver (and not just for the name)!
Stephanie Klein, because she’s my most favorite. ever. um. Kris Carr. Alexandra Franzen. Joanna from Cup of Jo. Wendy Perrin. Shira Lazar. Julia Allison. These are all chicks? ummm…..Soraya Darabi from Foodspotting. Rachelle Hruska, from Guest of a Guest. JANE PRATT from Jane Magazine, back in the day. apparently, I don’t do much thinking about entrepreneur dudes.
YES. JANE PRATT.
also, I just realized those are all online—-I have way more…we’ll talk Friday.
alkdjalkhcaljdalkdaldm
the writer of MODG (http://modgblog.com) and Chelsea Handler, but the Chelsea from like 2 years ago. And Beyonce.
Maya Angelou
Frank from Postsecret, Toby Turner, Rachel Bloom, The Gregory Brothers, Jenna Marbles, Julia Nunes, Amy Renee from KarminCovers, and Patti Lupone. Wow, I watch a lot of Youtube.
Love this idea! I hope you make it!
love this project idea!
and of course, i really want to hear about how it turns out.
Chelsea Handler, Craig Ferguson, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. Can you guess what time I typically watch tv?
Good luck with this awesome idea! I think it’s great!
Oh! And Kathy Griffin!!!
And Eddie Izzard!!!!
Oh wow. So many people. John and Hank Green, of course, though if I had to choose one it would be John; Maureen Johnson, Melissa Anelli, Alex Carpenter, Lauren Fairweather (although she’s played a show at my house before, and we both ate pizza, so maybe that counts?), Cate Matthews (cateematthews on YouTube–she’s amazingly intelligent and I’m shocked she’s not already one of the most well-known YouTubers in existence), probably Steven Moffat because he writes really freaking awesome Doctor Who episodes regularly, aaanndd my friend Micci because she’s awesome but we’ve never met in person and that NEEDS TO HAPPEN.
Also, JK Rowling, obviously, but that’s so far out of the realm of possibility that I try not to even allow myself to consider it.
From my Google Reader and list of Twitter favorites (and, oops, all women and mostly internety people too!): Penelope Trunk, Jane Pratt, Lena Chen, Rachel Kramer Bussel, Steph Auteri of Freelancedom.com, Molls (molls.tumblr.com), my friend Tammy Tibbetts who is SUPERWOMAN (and founder of She’s the First), Dooce, Lisa of SundryMourning.com, Em & Lo, Betty Dodson.
I would invite Jenny Lawson (obviously), you, Allie Brosh, Annah Rondon, Miss Yvonne, Kendra Holliday, Matt Damon, Joesph Gordon-Levitt and Noa Gavin and my mother’s friends Melina, Rose Mary and Tina.
Woah. Genius much? This is brilliant.
Katie already suggested the Green brothers but that was going to be my answer. You may get your chance in a week! They’re coming to LA! If not, hell, there’s travel.
Aside: I used to keep away from your blog because it would make me laugh too obnoxiously hard at work. But I work from home now! Stalking re-commence.
Well, I would invite Madeleine L’Engle, but, uh…she’s dead. So, I guess I’ll just have to make do with her books.
But, if I were thinking of a fully live person, I’d probably say…Jennifer Donnelly. She wrote probably my favorite book in the world – A Northern Light – and she’s one of my favorite writers. I would also invite a few former English professors. Coincidentally, I’m going to meet one for coffee next month. Look! I’m already getting started! 
My list would include Jen (my wife – who is my biggest inspiration. Okay, so we have lunch together every day but STILL!), Kerri W. (from your wishcake,) Jasmine Becket-Griffith because she’s an amazing work from home fairy and mythological artist, Johnny Depp (not because he’s hott and all that shiz, but because he pours his heart into his work,) SEVERAL amazing artists from devinatART like B1nd1, Rina-Cat, Kinkeh and many others. One of my best bloggy friends, Clair and well, many many other lovely people!
Me! Me!
Seriously, what a great idea! If I had to invite people to lunch it would be Tori Amos, Stephen Fry, Anna Wintour, Rufus Wainwright, Dooce, Sarah from Yes and Yes, Mighty Girl, Gala Darling, Margaret Atwood and Caitlin Moran. And that’s just the ones I’d think of off the top of my head.
Wow. Just wow. I hope you’re going to chronicle your lunches. I can’t wait to hear all about it. So exciting.
I’d want to meet Jon Stewart …
Oh and David Sedaris if you can manage it.
You, Molly, Jenny Blake, Hank and John Green (but they count separately), Leah from Thx Thx Thx. Possibly Nicole Hill Gerulat or her sister Natalie Hill, though I think Nicole would go less on the religious side (they’re Mormon and very open about it, I have no problem with that, but I don’t believe that religion is ever the sole reason for successes, I think you have to take action yourself too).
Lots more, but those are the ones off the top of my head.
a little late to the game, but seriously love this idea. it is just so you and so awesome and i cannot wait to hear about this once you get started.
as for if i was doing this i’d say: maya angelou, james mcbride and hannah hart for starters.
Great idea! Yes to Sarah from Yes and Yes, and Kat from Not That Kind of Girl. Also, Malcolm Gladwell and my 7th grade teacher, Mr. K. Annie Lennox and Melinda Gates and Natalie Goldberg, the writer. Steve Jobs and Michael Jordan. Annnnd now you’ve inspired me to make a list of my own.
Brilliant idea! Love love love it. My list has like, 3 people on it: Marie Forleo (nicely done), my friend Livi and Elizabeth Gilbert. But I saw someone else write Gretchen Rubin and now SHE’S on my list
Can’t wait to see this project come to life!
Damn. I didn’t make the cut……
Holy shit. This is possibly the most awesome idea I’ve ever heard. And the suggestions people are giving you? Killer. My list would include Kris Carr, Brene Brown, the guys of 37 Signals, Richard Branson, and Jay-Z.
Dyana Valentine is awesome!!!! dyanavalentine.com.. Watch this video of hers to get an idea of her awesomeness! http://dyanavalentine.com/2011/you-will-survive/
So is Alexandra Franzen!!
I love the people on your list!! Why don’t we make this a universal meme
Thanks for sharing!
You should invite me to lunch. I shouldn’t count as part of your 100. We should do it over Skype. I should chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes & gravy, purple hull peas, corn on the cob, fried okra, and cornbread. Black berry cobbler for dessert, duh. You should have something equally as delicious and we should try to make each other spit our drink all over our monitor for a half hour, tops.
Ah! I knew I loved you! June 13th is my birthday as well. Hooray for Geminis!
Madonna
That guy who dances around the world…Matt something… From the “where the hell is Matt?” videos!
For me it would definitely be:
Tara Wagner – from The Organic Sister
Jenn – from Roots of She
Michelle Ward – from the When I grow up coach
Lori Deshene – from the tiny buddha
Kaileen Elise – from Kaileen Elise
(Without adding those that you already have on your list)
PS. I was born on the 14th of June – “Go Geminis”
Have fun!
Storm Large!
Great List. I would add @lkr Laura Roeder who is partners with Marie Forleo she is awesome too. Lewis Howes I’m seeing him a lot in that circle. I am inspired to do a list like this too. I am working on a similar project for my blog too. I am also inspired by all the minimalist bloggers out there as well and the Tim Ferris’s of the world too.
You forgot Javier Bardem! He can be your “I’ve had a lot of thought-provoking lunches and now I just want to stare at you” lunch.
Meghan Rowland
I’d suggest Deb from Smitten Kitchen and if it were me, I’d also want to have lunch with Brandi Carlile, one of my favorite singers.
I would add:
Grace Boyle of Small Hands, Big Ideas @gracekboyle
Evan Walden @itsevanwalden
and I am sure there are so many more~ This is very inspiring!
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