Love Letters to...

In this episode Melissa reveals a few of the strange laws from the domestic United States, and a few international laws, too. How are you breaking the law today, and you don't even know it?? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to…, Alicia marks National Poetry Month, celebrated every year in April, with three poets' love letters to this paragon of springtime (or, probably, autumn, in the Southern Hemisphere). Ogden Nash, Sara Teasdale, and e.e. cummings had thoughts about April - which is decidedly not the cruelest month, whatever T.S. Eliot may have said. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to..., Alicia introduces us to two women who blazed their own trails in life, eventually blazing them together. France's Adrienne Monnier established a unique business on Paris's Left Bank as a bookseller and booklender in 1915, with a special focus on supporting the community of women readers. American Sylvia Beach, inspired by the intellectual milieu she enjoyed at Adrienne's La Maison des Amis des Livres, opened the famed English-language bookshop Shakespeare and Company four years later. They didn't only inspire each other in business; these two literary women fell in love and were a couple for the next 36 years, until Adrienne's death in 1955. In their years together, they championed some of the most important literary voices of their generation, including James Joyce, T.S. Eliot, and Ernest Hemingway, and left a lasting legacy in the form of today's Shakespeare and Company. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to..., Melissa shares the story of the daring escape of the husband-and-wife creative team of Margret and Hans Rey, two German-born Jews who were living in Paris under the shadow of the impending Nazi invasion. Riding bikes they constructed from found spare parts and traveling on Brazilian passports, they managed to cross out of France, and eventually travel on to New York City, with only their most prized possession in hand: a children's book they'd written and illustrated together that continues to delight audiences today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... Alicia ponders the nature of love and identity through the lens of Pluto, our solar system's recently "reclassified" dwarf planet. It turns out that Pluto's incessant and requited flirtation with its moon, Charon, meant that teasing out which of these bodies is the planet and which is the moon is more complicated than astronomers thought. Planet or moon, the two will be circling each other until time itself ends, a romance for the ages. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... Melissa shares the incredible story of Krystyna Skarbek, aka, Catherine Granville, A Polish noblewoman of Jewish descent, she became one of Britain's most important spies during World War II, but the end of the war tilted her life in a tragic direction. Her homeland was handed to Stalin, and because she was a woman, the British intelligence services thought they had no use for her. In the end, this gallant hero became known to the British public as a victim of what we would now describe as a domestic violence murder. It's long past time the full story of Krystyna Skarbek's contributions to the modern global order are known and celebrated. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to...Melissa celebrates Virginia Hall, the most dangerous of Allied spies, according to the Nazis. This amazing American woman, not limited by a prosthetic leg, rebelled against every barrier life and the world put in front of her to become a key asset in the defeat of Hitler's Third Reich. Her story has been little-known for decades, but recent books have brought the incredible story of Virginia Hall, "Agent Heckler," to this generation of readers. Melissa thinks the world should know Virginia Hall's name and her quiet but supremely important heroism. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... Alicia celebrates Hollywood legend Joan Crawford with a love letter to her, penned by her first husband, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., in 1930. Melissa gives us some insight into the spirit of the people of Ukraine, with a love letter honoring Saint Olga of Kiev - a lady who was not one to be trifled with. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... Melissa celebrates the legendary Irish actress Maureen O'Hara, and Alicia carries the Irish theme through to talk about luck - what people say about, how we get it, and how we carry it. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... Alicia delves into some seriously wibbly-wobbley, timey-wimey stuff by explaining the Ides of March, how power players through the ages have shaped the way we mark time, and how strangely bad the month of March has been for various leaders over the centuries. Then, Melissa takes us through an assortment of Famous Last Words, from humorous final musings to the moving end of a lifelong rivalry that softened in two American Founders' final years. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode, Alicia pays homage to the original angel from Montgomery, Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald - a talented dancer, painter, and writer. Melissa lends a little love to the mother of the Nursing profession, Florence Nightingale. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... Melissa introduces us to one of England's more outrageous 19th century society players, the banjo-playing, zebra-owning, permanently underestimated Lady Meux. Picking up on the banjo theme, Alicia sings the praises of the Kermit the Frog classic “The Rainbow Connection,” written by Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher and performed by the irreplaceable Jim Henson. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... we celebrate two women more people should know about. Melissa has the story of Violet Jessop, a woman you may not want to board a boat with, and Alicia praises an unsung hero who made all our lives a little easier. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Love Letters to..., Alicia celebrates the legendary fans of Jimmy Buffett know as Parrot Heads. Melissa then takes the clipboard to deliver her letter to television's Saturday television phenomenon, The Love Boat. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Friends, today we have a quick message from Alicia and our intrepid Love Letter writer Melissa, who are taking the show in a fresh direction starting Tuesday, March 1. Love Letters to... is going twice a week with twice as many voices! Alicia and Melissa will be sharing Love Letters to... every Tuesday and Thursday with all the research you love, plus a "let me tell you about this cool thing I've learned about" vibe. Thanks for being an early adopter of Love Letters to..., and we hope you enjoy the new format! See you Tuesday! Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... we celebrate the ancient Greek conception of the seed of inspiration, the nine Muses. These figures personified the very human impulse to create everything from epic stories of history to predictions for the future based on the meanderings of the night sky. As this month's theme demonstrates, even today, we all respect the power of a muse. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... we celebrate the legendary designer Hubert de Givenchy and his muse, Audrey Hepburn. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... we celebrate the maker Leonardo Da Vinci, and his real life muse, Lisa Gioconda, model for the Mona Lisa. One of the most renowned artworks in history, it is a masterpiece of technique blended with science, and continues to fascinate us. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... we celebrate photographer and artist, husband and wife, unconventional in all things, but inspirations to each other - Alfred and Georgia. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... we celebrate the American portrait painter John Singer Sargent, and Thomas E. McKeller, his until-recently forgotten muse for the gods and goddesses of Boston's public works murals. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... we celebrate English fashion designer Norman Hartnell, the couturier of Queens, aristocrats, and notably well-dressed personages all around the world. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... we celebrate Fanny Eaton, model and muse for the Pre-Raphaelite artists of the Royal Academy in the 19th century. Jamaican-born and from a diverse ancestry, Eaton's distinctive beauty shifted the way that prominent British painters like Simeon Solomon and Dante Gabriel Rossetti represented characters of color in their work. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... we celebrate Prince and his many muses, including Vanity, Apollonia, Kim Basinger, Carmen Electra, Vanessa Marcil, and Mayte Garcia. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... we celebrate the infamous Mitfords, and the sister who wrote about them. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... we celebrate a love story distorted by Soviet oppression. Writer and poet Boris Pasternak wrote his masterpiece, Doctor Zhivago, inspired in part by his mistress, Olga Ivinskaya. The only problem was that Soviet authorities had banned Doctor Zhivago, and to punish its maker, they took aim at his muse. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... we celebrate Edith Wharton, and her muses, the Dollar Princesses of the Gilded Age - with a special nod to Consuelo Vanderbilt, Jennie Jerome, and Frances Work. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... we celebrate the fashion design genius of Oleg Cassini, and his muse and co-maker Jacqueline Kennedy, whose stunning style defined an administration. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... we celebrate Pattie Boyd, the muse of two legendary music men, George Harrison and Eric Clapton. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... we celebrate the muse of artists and makers alike with the legendary Hotel du Cap, the French Riviera playground to the rich, famous, and talented too. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... we celebrate the life, afterlife, and legacy of Eva Peron. In her short time here, she became a muse for her husband, Argentinian President Juan Peron, as well as to millions of ordinary Argentinians who benefited from the causes she championed. In death, she has become a muse for artists, actors, and musicians. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... we celebrate Alice Liddell, the real life inspiration for Alice in Wonderland, published in 1865 by Lewis Carroll, also known as Charles Dodgson. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... we begin our month of Muses and Makers with a love letter to the Maker, Jane Austen, and her muse, Tom Lefroy - the real life Mr. Darcy, and unrequited love of the beloved novelist. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... we celebrate the incredible war time service of two of Hollywood's most legendary stars, Jimmy Stewart and Marlene Dietrich. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... we celebrate a First Time of our own, with our first listener-submitted story! Alicia's co-conspirator at Hemlock Creatives, Stacie, shares the story of the first time she made, and dared to taste, Sauerkraut, a dish that has since become both a hobby and a kitchen staple for her. Have a Love Letter you'd like to share? Reach out to loveletterstopodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail at 404-594-3658. We may be in touch to use your Love Letter in a future episode. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to… we pay tribute to America's most selective wedding venue, The White House, and meet some of the lucky couples who've been married there. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... we celebrate Katharine Graham, the publisher of the Washington Post, and the first female CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... we celebrate Liza with a Z - the Academy Award winning daughter of two Academy Award winners, and a bona fide living legend. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... we celebrate Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci. She not only awed the world with Olympic Gymnastics' first Perfect 10, but then earned six more of them on her way to winning three gold medals at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... we celebrate the very first antibiotic, the wonder drug of the 20th century, Penicillin. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... we celebrate Madeleine Carroll, the prototype for every Alfred Hitchcock Blonde. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... we celebrate the Great Pyramid of Giza, and well as share a little love with the other six additional Wonders of the Ancient World. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... we celebrate a Hollywood first, and then the Hollywood firsts that followed. On May 16, 1929, a couple of hundred industry types gathered for the very first Academy Awards. Hosted by silent film legend Douglas Fairbanks, the event lasted about 15 minutes. It would be a decade before the statues themselves came be known as Oscars, and since then, the Oscars have heralded all kinds of firsts. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... we celebrate the man who first, if only briefly, broke baseball's color barrier, Moses Fleetwood Walker. His single season with the Toledo Bluestockings in 1884 was met with predictable resistance, even from his own teammates. He went on to lead a life notable for its achievements as well as its setbacks, but his trailblazing has been largely forgotten since his death in 1924. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... we celebrate an iconic toy which pioneered a new approach to marketing: Mr. Potato Head. Hasbro hit a home run by advertising its new offering on television - a first - and directly to children - another first - to harness what has come to be known as "Pester Power." The toy market, and children's television, would never be the same. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... we celebrate the inventor of a notable first: Caresse Crosby (born Mary 'Polly' Phelps), the first person to patent the bra in the United States. This happened when Caresse was a young woman, and for most people, it would have been a crowning life achievement. Not Caresse though. Patenting the bra was the first of many extraordinary adventures in a life she lived entirely her way. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... we celebrate Carol Saroyan Matthau, also known as Carol Grace, the first and most enduring of Truman Capote's Swans. Was she the inspiration for his Holly Golightly character in Breakfast at Tiffany's? Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... we celebrate the remarkable passion of Eunice Kennedy Shriver who, informed by the struggles of her sister, Rosemary Kennedy, founded the Special Olympics and helped change the world for millions of children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... we celebrate Beverly Johnson, the first Black woman to grace the cover of Vogue and French Elle. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... we celebrate the television show I Love Lucy - filled with so many first times! Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... we celebrate Madam C.J. Walker, America's first female self-made millionaire! Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's Love Letters to... we celebrate "Disney's Folly," which turned out to be quite a success. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the first animated feature length film in English, and changed the world of animation forever. Advertise with us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices