When Daniel Jones started the Modern Love column in 2004, he called for submissions and hoped the idea would catch on. Twenty years and over a thousand published essays later, Modern Love is a trove of real-life love stories. Jones has put so much of himself into editing the column over the years, but as he tells Anna Martin, the host of the “Modern Love” podcast, the stories shared in the columns have influenced him, too. Today, he talks about three Modern Love essays that have changed the way he thinks about love and relationships. Read the essays below: One Bouquet of Fleeting Beauty, Please Nursing a Wound in an Appropriate Setting My First Lesson in Motherhood Modern Love is looking for your stories! We’re working on an episode about the dating memories you want to forget. We want to know: What was the worst date you ever went on? What happened? And what are you trying to do differently when it comes to love in the new year? Whether you’re single or partnered, tell us about your bad dates. Send us your story by recording a voice memo and emailing it to modernlovepodcast@nytimes.com. Please include your name and where you’re based. You might hear your voice on a future episode of Modern Love. How to submit a Modern Love Essay to The New York Times How to submit a Tiny Love Story
Hey, it's Anna.
The episode you're about to hear is from a special series celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Modern Love column.
It originally aired in early 2024.
We hope you enjoy it.
Love now and love stronger than anything you feel a love for love.
And I love you more than anything there's to love.
From the New York Times, I'm Anna Mart.
This is Modern Love.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Modern Love column.
20 years.
Can you believe that?
Two decades of essays that have made us laugh, made us, gasp, broken our hearts, reminded us of the fundamental goodness of people?
And let's be honest, a lot of these essays should come with tissues.
It's kind of our thing here, making you cry.
To mark this big anniversary, we've got a conversation with Modern Love founder Daniel Jones.
Dan has edited around a thousand essays since the first one ran back in 2004.
And when you spend all your professional time contemplating human connection, that work doesn't stay at the office.
It impacts you in profound ways.
So today, Dan shares the three essays that have changed the way he approaches love and relationships in his own life.
So it feels strange to say what I say to guests on the show, which is welcome, because really, you welcomed me into this universe.