Big Mood, Little Mood with Daniel M. Lavery

Prudence is joined this week by Charlie Markbreiter, who is an editor at The New Inquiry , cohost of the Art is Easy gathering, mod prince at the Death Panel discord, and a PhD student at the CUNY Graduate Center.  Prudie and Markbreiter tackle letters that ask if it’s unethical to apply to a job you don’t really need when unemployment is so high, what to consider after cheating on your live-in pa...

Prudence is joined this week by novelist A.E. Osworth. Their first book, We Are Watching Eliza Bright , is forthcoming from Grand Central Publishing in April 2021 ( and is available for pre-order now ). They teach creative writing at The New School, Catapult, Fledgling and The New York Society Library. Prudie and Osworth dig into letters about what to do with an ongoing affair you’ve kept from you...

Prudence is joined this week by Michelle Dean, a writer based in Los Angeles. Dean is the author of Sharp: The Women Who Made An Art of Having an Opinion , and the co-creator of Hulu’s Emmy and Golden-Globe-winning The Act . Prudie and Dean tackle letters about what to consider when you want to pursue a polyamourous relationship with your boyfriend and your best friend, what to do when your propen...

Prudence is joined this week by Elizabeth Sampat , a game developer, writer, and troublemaker whose work has been covered on Vice, Polygon, and the LA Times. Prudie and Sampat dig into letters about what to consider when your biological mom doesn’t acknowledge your relationship in social media, what to do when you find an iPad that reveals your teenage daughter was “sexting” with her friends, shou...

Prudence is joined this week by Shruti Swamy, author of the short story collection A House Is a Body , and the recipient of two O. Henry awards. She lives in San Francisco. Prudie and Swamy tackle letters about how to handle a roommate who insists on interrupting your dates by bringing her cat out to play with you, what to do about being excluded from friend’s social events because you’re single,...

Prudence is joined this week by Hannah Selector, co-host of t he Castle Rock Historical Society podcast and co-host of the YouTube series, Reel Horror . Prudie and Selector dig into letters about what to do when you can’t move past a one-time threat of violence from your sister-in-law, how to handle a girlfriend who’s chronically late, what to do after learning that your wife’s close friend hit on...

Prudence is joined this week by Natalie Walker, a performer and writer. Walker has contributed to Vulture, The Cut, and Bookforum, and can be found onstage frequently at 54 Below, Ars Nova, and Joe’s Pub. Her television credits include (and are limited to) Search Party and BoJack Horseman. Prudie and Walker tackle letters about whether there’s anything wrong with donating your inheritance to a str...

Prudence is joined this week by Ben Gullard, a creative technologist living in Brooklyn, NY.  Prudie and Gullard dig into letters about what to know about a niece who’s angry at you for getting the dog sitter fired after finding out she did her job naked, what to do about a roommate who routinely brings stolen groceries into the house, how to handle feeling like you’re abandoning your lesbian comm...

Prudence is joined this week by writer Aminatou Sow and journalist Ann Friedman. Together, Sow and Friedman host the long-running podcast Call Your Girlfriend , and have recently released their first book, Big Friendship . Prudie, Sow and Friedman tackle letters about how to ask your mother-in-law if you can repurpose the very lavish ring she gifted you, what to consider with a young daughter who...

Prudence is joined this week by Soleil Ho, the restaurant critic for the San Francisco Chronicle and the host of the Chronicle’s new food podcast, Extra Spicy . Prudie and Ho dig into letters about how to handle a husband who never likes what you cook for him, what actions to take when your supervisor requires you to ask permission to use the restroom, what to do when a housemate accuses you of “b...

Prudence is joined this week by Krystal Farmer, who works in book publishing and lives in Oakland. Prudie and Farmer tackle letters about if you should move from your lover’s house because you don’t see a future together even though all is fine at the moment, what to do when the biological father of your baby, a fling with a much younger man, wants to be part of your child’s life, what to consider...

Prudence is joined this week by Rachel Fershleiser, who works in book publishing, is the co-creator of the Six-Word Memoir project, and once made a zine about soup. Prudie and Fershleiser dig into letters about what to consider when you discover that your mom secretly lives in a nudist colony, should you tell your pregnant girlfriend that it’s medically impossible that it’s your baby and you know...

Prudence is joined this week by Milisa Burke, a Brooklyn based tech worker, and part of the program committee for New York’s Asian American International Film Festival.  Prudie and Burke tackle letters about what to do when you accidentally screen share erotic fan fiction during a zoom business meeting, how to tell your friend to stop pretending to be Black in an online group about Black women’s h...

Prudence is joined this week by Christina Tucker, a contributing writer for Autostraddle, and a rotating fourth chair on NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour.  Prudie and Tucker dig into letters about how to deal with a friend’s request for money to hire an expensive divorce lawyer, what to do when your husband’s quarantine beard is turns you off, how to avoid taking off your shoes in friend’s homes witho...

Prudence is joined this week by Peter Labuza, an incoming Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Southern California, where he just defended his dissertation “When A Handshake Meant Something: Lawyers, Deal Making, and the Emergence of New Hollywood.”  Prudie and Labuza tackle letters about how to take a week “off the grid” from your family that likes to talk often, should you allow your nephew...

Prudence is joined this week by Nastia Voynovskaya, a Russian-born, Oakland-based journalist and one of the arts and culture editors at KQED, San Francisco's NPR station. She covers the intersections of the arts, activism, labor, pop culture, the Bay Area and more.  Prudie and Voynovskaya dig into letters about how to plan for your mothers funeral during a pandemic, what to consider when your wife...

Prudence is joined this week by Sarah Jones, a Tony- and Obie Award-winning performer and writer known for her multi-character, one-person shows, including her current, critically acclaimed show Sell/Buy/Date . Prudie and Jones tackle letters about how to find peace while your family argues about your stepson's wedding, what to do when you are in quarantine away from your boyfriend and his roommat...

Prudence is joined this week by Jasmine Sanders, a writer from the south side of Chicago. Prudie and Sanders dig into letters about what to do when neighbors treat your private yard like a public park, what to consider when your husband insists that both of you live with his mom indefinitely, how to handle the constant practicing from your concert pianist roommate, how to tell your parents that yo...

Prudence is joined this week by Jack Doyle, an LGBTQ healthcare advocate, historian, and journalist originally hailing from New England. Prudie and Doyle tackle letters about what do you when your ex lies to everyone about why you left him, should you report a childhood friend who’s now lying about her upbringing to solicit donations, what to know when you increase your time flirting on chat sites...

Prudence is joined this week by Cecilia Corrigan, a Brooklyn based award-winning writer and performer. Corrigan’s poetry collection, Titanic , was released in 2014. Since then, she has released the short film Crush and web series Le Balm .  Prudie and Corrigan tackle letters about what to when your husband calls out his deceased wife’s name during sex, what actions to take when you hear domestic v...

Prudence is joined this week by Justine D’Souza, who creates help content for a not-for-profit organization focused on international education and global mobility. She also counsels youth, young adults, and caregivers for a crisis helpline.  Prudie and D’Souza dig into letters about what to do with a mother who only became proud of your grocery store job in light of the pandemic, what to know abou...

Prudence is joined this week by Monika Tomsinski, an indoorsy introvert who loves novels, pop culture, historic places, and chocolate. She lives in Seattle with her spouse and small dog. Prudie and Tomsinski tackle letters about what to do when your ex insists on a busy child custody schedule during a global pandemic, how to handle anger towards a boyfriend who didn’t social distance and contracte...

Prudence is joined this week by Toni Golan-Vilella, who helps nonprofits get what they need out of software, and Lizzy Marmon, who secures grants and donor relationships for cultural institutions. Together, they live in Brooklyn. Prudie, Golan-Vilella and Marmon dig into letters about what to do when you don’t align with your husband’s right wing values, how to handle a husband who got angry at yo...

Prudence is joined this week by Matt Lubchansky, the associate editor of The Nib, and a cartoonist and illustrator living in Queens. Prudie and Lubchansky tackle letters about what to do with a partner who’s dishwashing leaves a lot to be desired, how to apologize to an officemate that you used to viciously bully in high school, what to know about a husband who is obnoxiously rude to wait staff, w...

Prudence is joined this week by Alyssa Furukawa, a public health grad student and knitter who lives in Philadelphia with her enormous puppy. Prudie and Furukawa dig into letters about how to handle a brother who’s draining your parents of their retirement funds, what to do when you realize that an old friend makes you feel anxious and afraid, how to rebuild an estranged relationship with your pare...