Dear Sugars

Епизоде

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  Rewind: The Stepchild's Dilemma 29.08.2026 45мин

  Whether you’re 5, 15, or 50 years old, it can be difficult to usher a stepparent in and out of the family unit. In today’s episode, the Sugars answer letters from stepchildren who have fraught relationships with their stepparents. This episode was originally released on April 28th, 2018.
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  You Could Make This Beautiful: Henry Winkler & Saeed Jones 07.08.2026 45мин

  In this first episode of "You Could Make This Beautiful," actor Henry Winkler tells hosts Maggie Smith and Faith Salie about the poetry he's found in everything from fly fishing, to the music of Lin-Manuel Miranda, to the acting performances of the late Robin Williams. Poet and teacher Saeed Jones declares that "Nobody loves us the way poetry loves us," he reads us one of his poems, and he talks about the chemical reaction that poems set off in our brains and bodies. And Maggie and Faith offer a "poetry prescription" to a fan of theirs in Ohio who's seeking steadiness in her life. Show Notes (in chronological order): "I'm Nobody! Who are you?" by Emily Dickinson "Good Bones" by Maggie Smith "Parent Effectiveness Training" by Dr. Thomas Gordon Henry Winkler's "Launce and the dog" monologue from William Shakespeare's "Two Gentlemen of Verona" "My Shot" from the musical Hamilton Henry Winkler's novels with Lin Oliver "Alive at the End of the World" by Saeed Jones "Snow for Wallace Stevens" by Terence Hayes "Black in Blues" by Imani Perry "Scorched Earth" by Tiana Clark "Tell Me" by Kim Addonizio "Blood Dazzler" by Patricia Smith Poetry Prescriptions Maggie's prescriptions: "Thanks" by W.S. Merwin and "Sorrow is Not My Name" by Ross Gay Faith's prescription: This excerpt of "The Moon is a Kite" by Andrea Gibson If you want a hand-picked, heart-plucked "poetry prescription" to help you with something you're going through, send a brief voice memo to [email protected]. All three episodes of You Could Make This Beautiful are out now and can be heard HERE. This show is an experiment, so if you love what you've heard and want more episodes, let us know! Leave us a glowing review in your podcast app, share the series with friends, and write to us: [email protected].
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  You Could Make This Beautiful: Peter Sagal & Stephanie Burt 07.08.2026 48мин

  In this second episode of You Could Make This Beautiful, hosts Maggie Smith and Faith Salie talk to Peter Sagal, host of the NPR news quiz show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! about a prophetic reading at his first wedding, the poem that has haunted him throughout his life, and about the poetry he's found in the kindness and grace of his children. They also hear from poet and Harvard professor Stephanie Burt about how she found her way to poetry by way of science fiction, and how she's used the work of Taylor Swift to introduce her students to poets of centuries past like Alexander Pope. Show Notes (in chronological order): Maggie Smith on Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! Cartoonist Tom Tomorrow "Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven" by W. B. Yeats "Ithaka" by C. P. Cavafy "The Illusion" by Tony Kushner "Most Like an Arch This Marriage" by John Ciardi Adrienne Rich's poems are "like dreams" quote Poet William Corbett "The Postmoderns: The New American Poetry Revised" by Donald M. Allen "The Crystal Lithium" by James Schuyler "The Elephant Man" on Broadway "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" with Alan Rickman "Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches" by Tony Kushner "Arcadia" by Tom Stoppard "The Collar" by George Herbert "Poetry's Cross-dressing Kingmaker," The New York Times "Advice from the Lights" by Stephanie Burt, featuring "My 1979" Star Trek's "Is There in Truth No Beauty?" "We, in Some Strange Power's Employ, Move on a Rigorous Line" by Samuel R. Delany "Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot" by Alexander Pope "Look What You Made Me Do" by Taylor Swift "Tim McGraw" by Taylor Swift "The Nancy Mace" by Stephanie Burt "Taylor's Version: The Poetic and Musical Genius of Taylor Swift" by Stephanie Burt Poetry Prescriptions Maggie's prescription: "Go to the Limits of Your Longing" from Rainer Maria Rilke's "Book of Hours" Faith's prescription: "Wild Geese" by Mary Oliver If you want a hand-picked, heart-plucked "poetry prescription" to help you with something you're going through, send a brief voice memo to [email protected]. All three episodes of You Could Make This Beautiful are out now and can be heard HERE. This show is an experiment, so if you love what you've heard and want more episodes, let us know! Leave us a glowing review in your podcast app, share the series with friends, and write to us: [email protected].
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  You Could Make This Beautiful: Mike Birbiglia, J. Hope Stein, & Peter Kessler 07.08.2026 45мин

  Our miniseries finale features comedian Mike Birbiglia and poet J. Hope Stein talking about the poetry in comedy and the comedy in poetry. The couple co-authored the book "The New One: Painfully True Stories from a Reluctant Dad" and occasionally bring their mix of jokes and poems to the stage. Also, a masterclass in metaphor from teacher and poet Peter Kessler, who argues that human beings need metaphor and imagery to fully understand each other. Show notes (in chronological order): "The New One: Painfully True Stories from a Reluctant Dad" by Mike Birbiglia with poems by J. Hope Stein "Good Bones" by Maggie Smith Mike Birbiglia's "The Good Life" Mike Birbiglia's "My Girlfriend's Boyfriend" "Don't Think Twice" "Sleepwalk with Me" "Wholly Holy" by J. Hope Stein Voyager 2 and Voyager 1 from "little astronaut" by J. Hope Stein "Keep a Poem in Your Pocket" by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers "The Grammar of Fantasy" by Gianna Rodari "Catrin" by Gillian Clarke "Prayer (I)" by George Herbert If you want a hand-picked, heart-plucked "poetry prescription" to help you with something you're going through, send a brief voice memo to [email protected]. All three episodes of You Could Make This Beautiful are out now and can be heard HERE. This show is an experiment, so if you love what you've heard and want more episodes, let us know! Leave us a glowing review in your podcast app, share the series with friends, and write to us: [email protected].
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  Coming soon... 'You Could Make This Beautiful' 24.07.2026 3мин

  We have something really special for you: a sneak preview of a new series we've been working on here at WBUR that we think you, in particular, will love. It's called You Could Make This Beautiful, and if that phrase sounds vaguely familiar, it's because it comes from the virally famous poem "Good Bones" by poet Maggie Smith. You Could Make This Beautiful is co-hosted by Maggie Smith and Faith Salie, whom you may know from NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! or CBS News Sunday Morning. The show is about making life more beautiful, but it's not about telling you how to do that; it's about showing you the way with poetry in all its forms — music, art, nature, you name it. The episodes feature poets, yes, but also actors like Henry Winkler, comedians like Mike Birbiglia, and teachers like Saeed Jones. We've made 3 episodes of You Could Make This Beautiful — so far, at least — and we'll be dropping all three of them right here in this feed, on August 7th. In the meantime, here's a little teaser, straight from Maggie and Faith. Enjoy, stay tuned, and you, too, could make this beautiful.
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  Repost: Haunted By Ghosting 11.07.2026 37мин

  This episode was originally published on March 16th, 2017. The term "ghosting" isn't a new concept anymore—the idea that someone suddenly and inexplicably disappears from your life. In the past, a total halt to communication with a friend might leave you feeling concerned that something bad happened to him/her. But at a time when our devices have made us more accessible than ever, this can leave the person who's been ghosted feeling rejected or unworthy. The Sugars discuss ghosting with the essayist and cartoonist Tim Kreider. He's the author of We Learn Nothing, a collection of essays that includes a story about being ghosted by a childhood friend.
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  Rewind: Location, Location, Location 27.06.2026 35мин

  From our archives—this episode originally aired on April 10th, 2017. Location, location, location. It makes all the difference in real estate, and it can make all the difference to one's happiness. But finding a place that really feels like home can be tricky. Home is where the heart is, we're told. But what if "where the heart is" doesn't align with where your job is? Or when your head — or your significant other — tries to talk you out of a location that makes your heart happy? The Sugars discuss the significance of location and home with the help of Pam Houston, whose memoir is about finding her forever-home on a ranch at 9,000 feet in Colorado. Her other books include Contents May Have Shifted and Cowboys Are My Weakness.
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  Rewind: Sexual Fluidity 13.06.2026 42мин

  This episode was originally published on March 3, 2017. "Whatever"— that's how the actress Maria Bello describes her sexual orientation. Her "love who you love" attitude toward sexuality, regardless of gender, is often referred to as fluidity. Maria joins the Sugars this week to discuss a couple of letters having to do with the confusion and complications that can accompany a shift in one's sexual preferences and partnerships. She wrote about the evolution of her own family structure in her 2013 Modern Love column for The New York Times, "Coming Out As a Modern Family," which she later turned into the book, "Whatever...Love is Love: Questioning the Labels We Give Ourselves."
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  Rewind: Baby or Bust 30.05.2026 35мин

  This episode was originally published on March 22nd, 2017. You wants kids; your partner doesn't. Or your partner wants kids, and you don't. Whatever the scenario, few subjects are as emotionally charged and potentially deal-breaking in a relationship as a disagreement over the decision to become parents. In this favorite episode from the archives, The Sugars take on this tricky topic with the help of the writer Danielle Herzog, who's written in the past about ending her own marriage to become a mother.
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  Redux: Rapid Fire, Love & Money 16.05.2026 44мин

  When it comes to love, money is supposed to be no object. But there’s no disentangling love from anything in our lives, and income is no exception. So how do you assess the role money should play in a relationship, and what happens when your desires and means change over time? In this episode, five letter writers want to know how to discuss money with their romantic and familial partners. How do I stop resenting my husband for his low income? How do I ask my stay-at-home wife to get a job? Should I feel obligated to share the wealth with my fiscally irresponsible parents? The Sugars answer these questions and more in rapid-fire style on today’s episode.
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  Dear Sugars presents: "The Midnight Rebellion," a new adventure fiction podcast 25.04.2026 20мин

  From the WBUR Podcasts team, here's a new kind of story — one that's all about choices and consequences. The Midnight Rebellion is a pick-your-own-path podcast set 100 years in the future, where the stakes are nothing less than the planet itself. It's fiction rooted in real science, built for the kids in your life (ages 7 and up) — and the whole family. Because if Dear Sugars taught us anything, it's that the choices we make shape our futures. This is Chapter 1 of The Midnight Rebellion. Choose wisely. And if you liked what you heard, listen to the rest and follow The Midnight Rebellion wherever you get your podcasts.
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  Repost: Sex & Aging 21.03.2026 36мин

  This episode was originally released on May 25th, 2018. When two women in their sixties start losing interest in sex, their sex-starved partners become increasingly frustrated. Both women blame old age for their waning libidos. But is their diminished sex drive because of age or something else? The erotic lives of senior citizens are typically made invisible by our culture, which can lead to confusion and misinformation. Dr. Pepper Schwartz, the love and relationship columnist for AARP, joins the Sugars to dispel certain myths about sex and aging: Do libidos change after menopause? How does the aging body affect the way we feel about sex? Should medical interventions be considered for a declining sex drive? Dr. Schwartz is a professor of sociology at the University of Washington and has written more than 25 books on love and sexuality. She’s also an on-air expert for Lifetime TV’s “Married at First Sight.” The Sugars Recommend “Our Souls at Night,” by Kent Haruf “Scary Old Sex,” by Arlene Heyman
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  Repost: Change Is A Work In Progress 07.03.2026 35мин

  Seventeen-year-old “Struggling” had big dreams to leave his small town, but his living situation was at risk because he couldn’t stop using drugs. A letter writer who called herself “Bad Mom” loved her children, but could no longer bear the demands of motherhood. Both desperately needed to transform their lives. In today’s update episode, we check in with some of our most memorable letter writers from previous episodes. The Sugars find out if “Struggling” was kicked out of his mother’s house, and they give “Bad Mom” a call to see if and how her views of motherhood have changed since hearing the Sugars’ advice more than two years ago. This episode was originally published on January 27th, 2018. The Sugars Recommend Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger Archaic Torso of Apollo by Rainer Maria Rilke
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  Repost: Should I Stay Or Go? 21.02.2026 34мин

  This episode was originally released on September 9, 2016.  In this favorite episode from the archives, The Sugars bring you another "Rapid Fire" episode, where they give brief answers to a handful of letters that are all centered around a theme. The theme for this episode is "stay or go" -- people who have a voice in their head telling them to leave their relationship, but who aren't sure it's the right move.
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  Throwback: How Do I Find The Courage To Be My Own Guide? 31.01.2026 26мин

  This episode was originally released September 23rd, 2016. The Sugars often discuss letters dealing with very specific problems or struggles. In this encore episode, they take on a broader, more existential question: how to follow your heart. The Sugars discuss with the GRAMMY-winning singer/songwriter India Arie, who shares how she learned to be her own guide.
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  Rewind: Pet Dilemmas with Julia Barton 17.01.2026 46мин

  This episode was originally published on August 26th, 2017. In this episode, adventures in animal ownership! The Sugars, along with Julie Barton — author of the memoir Dog Medicine: How My Dog Saved Me From Myself — answer letters about pet dilemmas and the ways these creatures affect human relationships.
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  Rewind: Body Weight and Romance 06.12.2025 34мин

  This episode was originally released on August 19, 2017. It’s never easy to talk to our romantic partners about their bodies, especially when it’s about weight. The Sugars, along with writer Ashley C. Ford, answer letters from people questioning their relationships because of major changes in their partners’ bodies.
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  Episodes We Love: Love In Doubt (Rapid Fire) 22.11.2025 41мин

  How many times have you heard this: "I love him, we're great together, but..."? There's always room for doubt, even in the happiest of relationships. So this week, the Sugars take on some of those doubts in rapid-fire fashion. This episode was originally published on January 5th, 2017.
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  Rewind: The Other Half of Sexless Relationships 08.11.2025 24мин

  This episode was originally released on October 28th, 2017. Sex-starved, meet sex-hounded. Recently, the Dear Sugars inbox was flooded with responses to the two-part episode “Sexless Relationships” with Esther Perel. In those episodes, the Sugars answered letters from people who were longing for sexual intimacy with their partners. But many readers asked why we didn’t address the other side of sexless relationships: the people who want less sex than their partners. In today’s episode, we hear from a letter writer who feels pressured by her partner to have sex. “Every night — EVERY NIGHT — when we get in bed, he rubs my back to see if he can arouse me,” writes the letter writer." "Enough is enough.” Cheryl Strayed and Steve Almond dig into the power dynamics that play out when one partner constantly demands sex. Then, they attempt to answer the question, “Is there such a thing as wanting too much sex?”
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  Rewind: Make the Call 25.10.2025 39мин

  In this encore "rapid fire" episode, the Sugars give brief answers to a handful of letters. This time, they challenge each other to make the call -- one way or the other -- on the questions they're discussing, rather than offer open-ended guidance. This episode was originally released on September 30, 2016.