Romance Replay: Love + Taylor Swift
Send us a text (I'm going on another road trip with my sweetie, traveling parts of historic Route 66, so I'll see you towards the end of the month!) Taylor Swift just announced her fairytale engagement (which was obvious after they appeared on that recent New Heights podcast episode — have two people ever looked more in love?!) so it seemed like the perfect time to replay the episode I recorded a while back with one of my favorite guests and fellow fangirl Mariah, examining our par…
Goodbye Love: And Just Like That/Bridget Jones Mad About the Boy
Send us a text This is the year that we're saying goodbye (for now?) to some beloved big and small screen friends. Call it parasocial, call it learning through art, but tuning into these characters and their fictional ups and downs made me feel like I belonged to their charmed worlds in New York City and London, and lives full of fabulous fashion, awesome apartments, cool jobs, chosen family, hot romances — and plenty of drama. I truly feel sad saying goodbye, and I think these flawed y…
Hearts Revealed: The Last Showgirl/Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her
Send us a text I found these poignant movies on a search for something else, and couldn't take my eyes off either one — they are stunners. Lyrical direction and pacing, spare soundtracks and understated, nuanced performances float gentle light layers of meaning into every scene in each of these stories. They're soulful, profound at times, revealing the struggles and authentic moments of connection in these women's lives. https://www.confessionsofaclosetromantic.com Pamela Ande…
How Much Is Too Much
Send us a text I've been thinking for a long time about the gendered sociocultural accusation of "too much" that's often directed towards women's behavior, especially how they love and connect to others, and how often this theme appears in romantic stories. This episode is the first in a little series I have planned, talking about female characters in romances who are shamed for being "too much," especially in costume dramas and 19th century romantic novel …
Secret Desire: Babygirl/The Duke of Burgundy
Send us a text (I'm taking a short break in the next couple of weeks for a road trip with my sweetie. I'll be back soon!) My journey from a strict religious upbringing to discovering I'm mildly kinky in the right settings, and with the right partner, was quite the revelation. These fascinating, complex stories explore women also discovering their secret desires, vulnerabilities and sexual thrills through consensual BDSM kink. The movies are sometimes titillating, sometimes rom…
Romantic Repeat: Romance After Dark
Send us a text This episode from a few years ago is one of my most popular, and since life has been kicking my behind lately, I thought it was a good time to take a breather and forget it all by getting kinky. It's also the episode that best represents my growth as a partner, person and podcaster, all thanks to producing and hosting this show. I'm working on a new episode about kink and kinky romance inspired by the Nicole Kidman movie Babygirl, so look for that next time. Meanwhil…
I Choose You: the Romance of Chosen Family
Send us a text One of my favorite romantic tropes in all the world is chosen or found family. Rock bands, the military, college besties, your work husband and siblings, your little clique in high school, your beloved pets past and present—if they choose you and you choose them, they're family. If you had a less than ideal upbringing, stories like these full of emotional complexity along with acceptance, loyalty and love, are so healing and remind us that relations are always our choice.…
Romantic Replay: Grateful for Love
Send us a text After losing my sweet senior dog this week, I find myself mired in waves of grief, but in between, also feeling grateful for love: human, animal, loving relationships in all of their forms and however they come...
Dying for Sex
Send us a text It's hard to describe how sexy, funny yet heartbreaking this mini series is. Based on real-life best friends Molly and Nikki, who created a podcast about Molly's sexual adventures while in hospice, it's one wom...
Monster Love: The Substance/Your Monster
Send us a text I'm a true gore-phobe, but I was blown away by these unforgettable movies, and their amazing (and bloody) revenge moments. One is an intense, atmospheric Frankenstein horror story, the other a joyously funny Be...