The brilliant Dear Sugars is a radio show and podcast that answers listeners’ questions with humour, empathy and intelligence. The show’s super-cool theme tune (created especially by Indie-folk duo, Wonderly) sets its tone.
This effervescent podcast was born out of a wildly popular advice column, Dear Sugar, in the online literary magazine, The Rumpus. US writer Steve Almond used to pen it under the pseudonym, Sugar. In 2010, he asked bestselling author Cheryl Strayed to take over, after she’d written him a letter praising the column.
Dear Sugar had such a cult following that, in December 2014, the radio Boston-based radio station, WBUR decided to unite Almond and Strayed in a podcast entitled Dear Sugar Radio. It was an instant hit.
Last July, the new, improved Dear Sugars was launched as a result of a collaboration between WBUR and The New York Times. Like a couple of agony aunts for the 21st century, Strayed and Almond use their cheerful, light touch to address the toughest of issues thrown up by today’s world.
The New York Times’s executive producer for audio, Lisa Tobin, says: “Cheryl and Steve are not typical advice columnists. They are beloved literary figures with incredible intelligence and life experience.”
The show’s super-cool theme tune sets its tone, while Strayed and Almond’s thoughtful banter is instantly accessible. The hosts invite interesting, relevant guests – like Oprah Winfrey, Hillary Clinton and writer Ariel Levy – to chew over the letters, too. Plus, each show is accompanied by excellent recommendations for further reading around the themes discussed.
For the chance to have their questions answered in a future episode, listeners simply email them to dearsugars@nytimes.com.
Recent episodes have covered such topics as the nuances of sexual consent; what to do about toxic friendships; the moral responsibility that comes with infidelity; how to manage it when your partner and career are pulling you in different directions; love in the digital age – and many, many more.
New, 30-minute episodes of Dear Sugars are released every Saturday, and are available through Apple Podcasts or your normal podcast provider.
Trust us, this is one sweet podcast you must not miss.
March 2018
Dear Sugars
Do you find yourself crippled by your own conundrums? Then tune in to Dear Sugars, the advice podcast that fields all of your questions, no matter how deep or dark.