diff --git a/src/bindings/lua/leanlua_state.cpp b/src/bindings/lua/leanlua_state.cpp
index dafde5199..12936e4d2 100644
--- a/src/bindings/lua/leanlua_state.cpp
+++ b/src/bindings/lua/leanlua_state.cpp
@@ -340,18 +340,123 @@ static void open_state(lua_State * L) {
     SET_GLOBAL_FUN(state_pred, "is_State");
 }
 
+// TODO(Leo): allow the user to change it?
+#define SMALL_DELAY 10 // in ms
+std::chrono::milliseconds g_small_delay(SMALL_DELAY);
+
+/**
+   \brief Channel for communicating with thread objects in the Lua API
+*/
+class data_channel {
+    // We use a lua_State to implement the channel. This is quite hackish,
+    // but it is a convenient storage for Lua objects sent from one state to
+    // another.
+    leanlua_state           m_channel;
+    int                     m_ini;
+    std::mutex              m_mutex;
+    std::condition_variable m_cv;
+public:
+    data_channel() {
+        lua_State * channel = m_channel.m_ptr->m_state;
+        m_ini = lua_gettop(channel);
+    }
+
+    /**
+       \brief Copy elements from positions [first, last] from src stack
+       to the channel.
+    */
+    void write(lua_State * src, int first, int last) {
+        // write the object on the top of the stack of src to the table
+        // on m_channel.
+        if (last < first)
+            return;
+        std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lock(m_mutex);
+        lua_State * channel = m_channel.m_ptr->m_state;
+        bool was_empty = lua_gettop(channel) == m_ini;
+        copy_values(src, first, last, channel);
+        if (was_empty)
+            m_cv.notify_one();
+    }
+
+    /**
+       \brief Retrieve one element from the channel. It will block
+       the execution of \c tgt if the channel is empty.
+    */
+    int read(lua_State * tgt, int i) {
+        std::unique_lock<std::mutex> lock(m_mutex);
+        lua_State * channel = m_channel.m_ptr->m_state;
+        if (i > 0) {
+            // i is the position of the timeout argument
+            std::chrono::milliseconds dura(luaL_checkinteger(tgt, i));
+            if (lua_gettop(channel) == m_ini)
+                m_cv.wait_for(lock, dura);
+            if (lua_gettop(channel) == m_ini) {
+                // timeout...
+                lua_pushboolean(tgt, false);
+                lua_pushnil(tgt);
+                return 2;
+            } else {
+                lua_pushboolean(tgt, true);
+                copy_values(channel, m_ini + 1, m_ini + 1, tgt);
+                lua_remove(channel, m_ini + 1);
+                return 2;
+            }
+        } else {
+            while (lua_gettop(channel) == m_ini) {
+                check_interrupted();
+                m_cv.wait_for(lock, g_small_delay);
+            }
+            copy_values(channel, m_ini + 1, m_ini + 1, tgt);
+            lua_remove(channel, m_ini + 1);
+            return 1;
+        }
+    }
+};
+
+/**
+   \brief We want the channels to be lazily created.
+*/
+class data_channel_ref {
+    std::unique_ptr<data_channel> m_channel;
+    std::mutex                    m_mutex;
+public:
+    data_channel & get() {
+        std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lock(m_mutex);
+        if (!m_channel)
+            m_channel.reset(new data_channel());
+        lean_assert(m_channel);
+        return *m_channel;
+    }
+};
+
+data_channel_ref g_in_channel;
+data_channel_ref g_out_channel;
+
+int channel_read(lua_State * L) {
+    return g_in_channel.get().read(L, lua_gettop(L));
+}
+
+int channel_write(lua_State * L) {
+    g_out_channel.get().write(L, 1, lua_gettop(L));
+    return 0;
+}
+
 class leanlua_thread {
-    leanlua_state        m_state;
-    int                  m_sz_before;
-    bool                 m_error;
-    std::string          m_error_msg;
-    interruptible_thread m_thread;
+    leanlua_state                   m_state;
+    int                             m_sz_before;
+    bool                            m_error;
+    std::string                     m_error_msg;
+    interruptible_thread            m_thread;
+    std::atomic<data_channel_ref *> m_in_channel_addr;
+    std::atomic<data_channel_ref *> m_out_channel_addr;
 public:
     leanlua_thread(leanlua_state const & st, int sz_before, int num_args):
         m_state(st),
         m_sz_before(sz_before),
         m_error(false),
         m_thread([=]() {
+                m_in_channel_addr.store(&g_in_channel);
+                m_out_channel_addr.store(&g_out_channel);
                 auto S = m_state.m_ptr;
                 std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lock(S->m_mutex);
                 int result = lua_pcall(S->m_state, num_args, LUA_MULTRET, 0);
@@ -382,9 +487,34 @@ public:
         return sz_after - m_sz_before;
     }
 
-    int request_interrupt(lua_State * src) {
-        lua_pushboolean(src, m_thread.request_interrupt());
-        return 1;
+    void request_interrupt() {
+        while (!m_thread.request_interrupt()) {
+            check_interrupted();
+            std::this_thread::sleep_for(g_small_delay);
+        }
+    }
+
+    void write(lua_State * src, int first, int last) {
+        while (!m_in_channel_addr) {
+            check_interrupted();
+            std::this_thread::sleep_for(g_small_delay);
+        }
+        data_channel & in = m_in_channel_addr.load()->get();
+        in.write(src, first, last);
+    }
+
+    int read(lua_State * src) {
+        if (!m_out_channel_addr) {
+            check_interrupted();
+            std::this_thread::sleep_for(g_small_delay);
+        }
+        data_channel & out = m_out_channel_addr.load()->get();
+        int nargs = lua_gettop(src);
+        return out.read(src, nargs == 1 ? 0 : 2);
+    }
+
+    bool started() {
+        return m_in_channel_addr && m_out_channel_addr;
     }
 };
 
@@ -432,10 +562,21 @@ static int thread_pred(lua_State * L) {
     return 1;
 }
 
-static int thread_interrupt(lua_State * L) {
-    return to_thread(L, 1).request_interrupt(L);
+static int thread_write(lua_State * L) {
+    to_thread(L, 1).write(L, 2, lua_gettop(L));
+    return 0;
 }
 
+static int thread_read(lua_State * L) {
+    return to_thread(L, 1).read(L);
+}
+
+static int thread_interrupt(lua_State * L) {
+    to_thread(L, 1).request_interrupt();
+    return 0;
+}
+
+
 int thread_wait(lua_State * L) {
     return to_thread(L, 1).wait(L);
 }
@@ -444,6 +585,8 @@ static const struct luaL_Reg thread_m[] = {
     {"__gc",      thread_gc},
     {"wait",      safe_function<thread_wait>},
     {"interrupt", safe_function<thread_interrupt>},
+    {"write",     safe_function<thread_write>},
+    {"read",      safe_function<thread_read>},
     {0, 0}
 };
 
@@ -471,5 +614,7 @@ static int sleep(lua_State * L) {
 static void open_interrupt(lua_State * L) {
     SET_GLOBAL_FUN(check_interrupted, "check_interrupted");
     SET_GLOBAL_FUN(sleep,             "sleep");
+    SET_GLOBAL_FUN(channel_read,      "read");
+    SET_GLOBAL_FUN(channel_write,     "write");
 }
 }
diff --git a/src/bindings/lua/leanlua_state.h b/src/bindings/lua/leanlua_state.h
index a9640112c..baba72e59 100644
--- a/src/bindings/lua/leanlua_state.h
+++ b/src/bindings/lua/leanlua_state.h
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ class leanlua_state {
     struct imp;
     std::shared_ptr<imp> m_ptr;
     friend class leanlua_thread;
+    friend class data_channel;
     friend int state_dostring(lua_State * L);
     friend int state_set_global(lua_State * L);
     friend int mk_thread(lua_State * L);
diff --git a/tests/lua/th3.lua b/tests/lua/th3.lua
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..bd8887c41
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/lua/th3.lua
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+S = State()
+T = thread(S, [[
+    print("starting thread...")
+    pcall(function()
+       while true do
+          check_interrupted()      -- check if thread was interrupted
+          local ok, val = read(10) -- 10 ms timeout
+          if ok then
+            print("thread received:", val)
+            write(val + 10, val - 10) -- send result back to main thread
+          end
+       end
+    end)
+]])
+
+for i = 1, 10 do
+   T:write(10 * i)
+   local r1 = T:read()
+   local r2 = T:read()
+   print("main received: ", r1, r2)
+end
+T:interrupt()
+print("done")
+
+-- Channels are quite flexible, we can send closure over the channel
+T = thread(S, [[
+for i = 1, 10 do
+   local f = read()
+   -- send back the result of f(i)
+   write(f(i))
+end
+]])
+
+for i = 1, 10 do
+   T:write(function (x) return x + i end)
+   print(T:read())
+end