Love Letter: Can I call my ex 40 years later?
Plus: An in-demand bridal seamstress and Dollywood bachelorettes.
Love Letter
September 18, 2026

This week, we have a review of a new novel, “Redwood,” which follows a man who so desperately wanted foreskin surgery that he defected from Russia and went to spy for Britain. Click on the link below to learn more.

We also have a reader’s question about whether or not to call an ex 40 years later, and a Modern Love episode about divorce clichés.

P.S. Do you have any friends willing to change national loyalties to better their sex lives? Forward today’s newsletter their way.

POPULAR THIS WEEK

A black-and-white photograph of a man and a woman leaning against a tree in a palm grove.

Galina Kokosova Archives

The sexual secret that foiled a Communist plot.

Two women, left, in white outfits, laugh as a Dolly Parton impersonator in a pink spangly mini dress and pink high heels sings with arms outstretched.

Afrik Armando

Dolly Forever

Couples are weaving Dolly Parton into their wedding celebrations.

An illustration of two hands drawing with pencils. A right hand draws a squiggly red line while a left hand draws a row of straight red lines.

Miguel Porlan

“Social Qs”

Forty years ago, I abruptly left my ex, and then I came out later as a gay man. Should I call her to tell her the truth?

A seamstress, with a measuring tape around her neck, displays white lace fabric. Behind her, left, a dark red sequined dress is displayed on a mannequin.

Earl Wilson/The New York Times

Alterting dresses, and lives

Meet the New York seamstress most trusted by top bridal designers.

LISTEN TO THE “MODERN LOVE” PODCAST

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Modern Love

I Was That Cliché Divorced Guy

The filmmaker Joe Swanberg thought he knew what he wanted. Then things got messy.

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51 MIN LISTEN

MORE STORIES ABOUT LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS

Groom, left, in a tuxedo, and bride, in gown and holding a white bouquet on her lap sit atop the back seat of a white 1963 Ford Galaxie convertible parked outside their wedding venue.

Vows

The perfect time to introduce the parents was also the perfect moment to propose.

A blue and black illustration of a man sweeping the ground next to a large monument of a woman in a toga with her arms outstretched.

Tiny Love Stories

“I spotted him at a distance: holding flowers, a full six inches shorter than me.”

In a grassy field, groom, left, in a white cowboy hat and dark suit, stands in front of the bride, who has her her chin on back of his shoulder. They are under a wood altar with pink, red, and orange florals on either side, and deer antlers tied to the center beam above.

Mini-Vows

The instant attraction hit them both like a “freight train.”

In a 17th-century village setting, a man whose wicker face and hands are visible holds a woman in a long gray and blue skirt in his arms.

No splinters here

The new movie “Wicker,” about a woman falling in love with a straw man, had to figure out how to make a basket man hot.

Warm your heart with our best stories on love, sex and relationships. Some will make you cry. Some might make you blush.

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Warm your heart with our best stories on love, sex and relationships. Some will make you cry. Some might make you blush.

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Thanks for reading.

This newsletter was written by Michaela Keil and edited by Talya Minsberg.

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