Love Letters
Love stories. Dating stories. Relationship stories. Stories about romance, marriage, partnership, sex, loss, and the human heart. Served with a side of advice. Hosted by Boston Globe advice columnist Meredith Goldstein. Join our Friends With Benefits club for an ad-free experience, a monthly bonus episode, and more. For details, visit Globe.com/loveletters/friendswithbenefits.
Episodes
September 22, 2026 • 36 mins
In our last episode, we learned how loving a boy band can help us love each other.
We told the story of Theresa, a 50-something New Kids on the Block fan, who got a life-saving medical assist from Christina, another fan, who stepped up for a stranger simply because they both love NKOTB.In this follow-up episode, Bryant University assistant professor Melanie Maimon – who studies the psychology of belonging – explains ho...
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September 15, 2026 • 48 mins
Can boy bands fans save the world? Maybe. They can certainly save each other. In this episode, we meet Theresa Crockett, of California, who needed a kidney and found hope – and a lifeline – through her love of New Kids on the Block. This is a feel-good story about love between strangers (both of whom are “Blockheads”). It’s also about supportive spouses, family members, and a guy named Donnie Wahlberg....
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September 1, 2026 • 48 mins
Meredith has wondered: why do so many people despise their in-laws? Specifically … their mother-in-laws?To explore the topic, Meredith welcomes Janice Page, who tells a story about her mother-in-law, Yu Ying.Janice explains how she and her mother-in-law became close, despite not speaking the same language, and how they stayed connected over decades. Meredith and Janice discuss how to see extended family, and what relat...
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August 18, 2026 • 25 mins
Margo Howard, daughter of advice columnist Ann Landers and noted advice columnist in her own right, died recently at the age of 86.Meredith had the pleasure of knowing Margo for years in Boston. Occasionally they lunched at fancy restaurants and talked about the advice column business.Sometimes they gossiped.Sometimes Margo gave Meredith advice about her love life.Today we're sharing an episode from Season 1 that features Margo &nd...
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August 4, 2026 • 47 mins
Want extra new episodes? Join our Friends With Benefits club by visiting globe.com/loveletters/friendswithbenefits.
You’ll get an ad-free experience, an extra episode a month, and a Love Letters journal (if you join for a year). And you'll even be able to hear an extended cut of this episode.
Thank you for supporting our show. We want to support you right back.
In today’s episode we learn it’s never too late t...
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July 21, 2026 • 32 mins
First: please join our Love Letters “Friends With Benefits” group. You’ll get extra episodes, swag, and an ad-free experience. For more info, visit globe.com/loveletters/friendswithbenefits.
Today Meredith revisits an episode from the vault that features her high school boyfriend. She offers some new perspective – and fun updates.
Meredith wanted to take a closer look at this story because of 18-year-o...
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July 7, 2026 • 41 mins
Join our Friends With Benefits club for an ad-free experience, a monthly bonus episode, and more.
For details, visit Globe.com/loveletters/friendswithbenefits.
In this episode, we meet Lyla, a recent high school graduate who tells a story about being dumped by a college-bound senior when she was a junior.
It was a devastating breakup. It was also messy.A year later, it’s also a bit funny.
The truth is, it’s hard to...
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June 29, 2026 • 2 mins
Hey everybody, it's Meredith. I'm here with a big announcement. We are starting a club. We are calling it Friends with Benefits. We're doing this for two reasons.
One is for connection. Two is for bonus episodes and perks.
If you join our FWB club, you’ll get an ad-free experience and an extra episode a month.
If you sign up for a year, you get that ad-free experience and extra episode at an 18 percent discount. You&...
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June 23, 2026 • 41 mins
She directed and co-stars in “The Invite,” a film about two couples who have a fairly monumental, impromptu dinner.
It’s a comedy that turns into a drama … and then back to a comedy. It also stars Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz, and Edward Norton.
Meredith saw “The Invite” and thought, "Oh, this should be part of a Love Letters Film Festival, if we ever had one."
Today Meredith is joined by Olivia...
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June 9, 2026 • 36 mins
Jujubee, the boisterous drag queen and fan favorite on “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” is the alter-ego of Airline Inthyrath, a relatively introverted homebody from Massachusetts.
In this episode, Airline tells us a story about a recent relationship – and the lessons that came with it. In short: sometimes it’s difficult to be present. Other times it’s hard to know when to stop that relationship train.
Le...
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May 26, 2026 • 39 mins
Welcome to summer wedding season.To celebrate, Meredith interviews Ruhama Wolle, the author of “I Hope You Elope: A Bridesmaid Survival Guide.”Ruhama says too may people say “yes” to being a bridesmaid before they understand the job. This is why weddings can turn friends against one another.Join Meredith and Ruhama for a discussion about wedding costs (financial and emotional), alternatives to traditions, an...
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May 12, 2026 • 34 mins
When Jordan was young, he saw actress Janeane Garofalo on television. Since then, he’s had a type: smart, creative, sardonic, sarcastic, brunette, glasses-wearing women. Not a bad thing … or is it limiting? What does it mean when we have a type? If our type doesn’t like us back, do we have to expand our parameters when looking for love?
Take a journey with Meredith and Jordan through an exploration of types ... ...
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April 28, 2026 • 36 mins
Come by the Boston Public Library June 30th at 6pm for a celebration of the Tell-a-booth! https://bpl.bibliocommons.com/events/6a0f3efffab4ff0f649aaf51
In February, Meredith unveiled a Love Letters Tell-A-Booth at The Boston Public Library.More than 1,000 calls have come in already … mostly from locals – and many tourists – who stop in, enter the booth, and leave a question on an old-school payphone.What can ...
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April 14, 2026 • 32 mins
Really? What’s up with that?Simone, a single mom in her 40s, wrote to the Love Letters advice column asking, “Why don’t men on dating apps ask me any questions?” Simone said these men are happy to answer questions about themselves, but they don’t ask anything in return.That means Simone has to do so much work to keep the conversation going.Simone tells her story to Meredith, who also gets feedback and ...
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April 7, 2026 • 66 mins
Meredith talks to former Love Letters guest Margaret H. Willison about “Adult Braces,” a new memoir by feminist writer Lindy West that has sparked big debate about West’s polyamorous relationship.West – who also wrote “Shrill” (which became a Hulu show) – says in this new book that she didn’t want to be in a non-monogamous relationship … but is now happy being one of three. But...
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March 31, 2026 • 41 mins
We get a big update from Nicole, a guest who once explained an era of her life when she took a zillion classes – and signed up for countless activities (dragon boat racing, included) – to try to meet a boyfriend.
Where is Nicole now? She tells us all about life after those classes, and why she wishes she could take more of them now. Join Meredith and Nicole for a sweet update about getting what you want – a...
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March 17, 2026 • 39 mins
Yowei Shaw, host of the podcast “Proxy” – and former host of NPR’s “Invisibilia” – joins Love Letters to tell a story about the time she was embarrassed of her partner … because he’s a man.This is Part 2 of our two-part series inspired by a viral Vogue essay that suggested women are now embarrassed about having male partners.Yowei’s story is a nuanced one. From the outsid...
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March 10, 2026 • 31 mins
Last fall, Chanté Joseph wrote an essay with the headline: “Is it embarrassing to have a boyfriend now?” The piece – about the politics of showing off heterosexual relationships – went viral; people debated it all over TikTok and beyond. (Even New York City’s mayor weighed in.)Months later, Meredith and Chanté sit down to discuss why the essay hit so many nerves at once. Some readers hated Chanté's ess...
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February 24, 2026 • 38 mins
Meredith has long been interested in the Kinsey Institute, a place were researchers focus their work on sex and relationships.In this episode, Meredith interviews Kinsey Executive Director Justin Garcia about his new book, “The Intimate Animal: The Science of Sex, Fidelity, and Why We Live and Die for Love.”Meredith read the book in one sitting.Her conversation with Justin covers many topics including monogamy, emotiona...
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February 10, 2026 • 38 mins
Third wheeling has long had a bad reputation. If you’re a single person, you may have heard that hanging out with a couple makes you the odd person out.
But Meredith doesn’t believe that. She LOVES third wheels – and has third wheeled with plenty of couples.
In this episode, Meredith’s sister, Brette, explains how her social life, as a newly divorced person, involves hanging out with a bunch of wonderful c...
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