Slate's Dear Prudence

Prudence is joined this week by Sarah Schneider, a registered nurse living in the Bay Area. Her go-fish game is on point. Together they tackle letters about what to do when your estranged mother sends an unexpected and inappropriate gift, how to handle a mom who keeps raining on your wedding parade, how to deal with a mom who goes out of her way to misgender you, what actions to take when your ex husband uses the kids to throw a wrench into your dating life, how to handle your conflicted feelings about a boyfriend who cheated on you and then took his own life, what to do when your friend’s home is in a state of squalor. Slate Plus members will hear Prudie and Schneider discuss a letter writer who’s wondering if she should tell her fiance that his best man confessed his love for her, and another letter writer who can no longer tolerate her sister-in-law’s constant commentary about her spending habits. Not yet a member? Sign up at

Prudence is joined this week by Harron Walker, a staff writer at Out magazine, whose work has appeared on Jezebel, BuzzFeed, Vulture, Vice, and Them. Together they tackle letters about how to create a safe space for your child who is showing signs of being transgender, should you worry that your girlfriend has been in therapy for 9 years, what to do when you find out your twin sister has been trash talking about you to anyone who will listen, what actions to take when your boyfriend accidentally sends you his amateur porno of him with another woman, what to do when your “split all costs” plan with your girlfriend isn’t really happening. Slate Plus members will hear Prudie and Walker discuss a letter writer who is wondering if she should let her LGBTQ+ clients know that she’s queer, even though she’s married to a straight cis man. Not yet a member? Sign up at

Prudence is joined this week by Aymann Ismail, an award-winning podcast host, video editor, photographer, and writer at Slate whose work focuses on identity and religion. He currently hosts

Prudence is joined this week by essayist Jackie Hedeman, whose nonfiction has appeared in The Best American Travel Writing 2017 , Entropy , Autostraddle , and elsewhere. Together they tackle letters about a what to do when you have a former patient who keeps demanding you take them back, how to handle a housemate who has habit of oversharing when he drinks, how to decide to cut off your toxic parents from seeing their grandchildren, what to do when you want your polyamorous relationship to revert back to a monogamous one, how to protect your daughter when your sister is marrying a registered sex offender, what to consider when your addict lover is requesting that you refrain from substances when you don’t have a problem. Slate Plus members will hear Prudie and Hedeman discuss a letter writer who can’t stand visiting her brother’s home because his kids urinate everywhere and make a mess. Not yet a member? Sign up at

This week finds Dear Prudence live on stage at The Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, Washington. Recorded on March 20th, 2019, Prudie was joined onstage by author and assistant professor of English at UC Berkeley, Grace Lavery. Together they dig into letters about what to do when you desire a life that’s more than caring for your mother in law, how to handle a friend whose belief that you broke her car is threatening your social standing, what to do when your sister thinks she’s a genius and hates you because you don’t believe her, how to deal with family misgendering your best friend at your wedding, how to decide whether you should take in a friend with a debilitating disease, what to do when your parents decide to swap genders. Slate Plus members will hear Prudie and Grace discuss a letter writer who found the love of her life, but he’s more focused on finishing his Ph.D, as well as questions from the audience! Not yet a member? Sign up at