Dear Prudence (advice Column)
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''Dear Prudence'' is an advice column appearing several times weekly in the online magazine '' Slate'' and syndicated to over 200 newspapers.


History


Herbert Stein

The column was initiated on 20 December 1997. "Prudence" was a
pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...
, and the author's true identity was not revealed at the time. ''Slates archive currently indicates that the author of those first columns was Herbert Stein. Stein ceased writing the column after three months and the column went on hiatus.


Margo Howard

In mid-March 1998, the column returned, with the explanation that "Prudence" had not come back from her "needlework"—per the explanation offered in Stein's last column—but rather had convinced her daughter and namesake to continue her work. While similarly anonymous at first, the new author of the column was eventually revealed to be Margo Howard, the daughter of Esther Lederer, a.k.a. Ann Landers. Howard maintained the column for nearly eight years. Her last ''Dear Prudence'' column appeared in ''Slate'' on 2 February 2006. Howard then had a Creators Syndicate advice column called "Dear Margo", whose run ended on Friday, 10 May 2013.


Emily Yoffe

On 9 February 2006, ''Dear Prudence'' was taken over by ''Slate'' staffer Emily Yoffe. Beginning in the summer of 2007, when ''Slate'' video magazine Slate V was launched, Yoffe also appeared in short, videorecorded Dear Prudence clips, illustrated with animations.


Daniel M. Lavery

In November 2015, Daniel M. Lavery, writer and co-founder of '' The Toast'', took up the "Prudence" role from Yoffe, but wrote as Mallory Ortberg until April 2018. In June 2016, ''Slate'' launched the "Dear Prudence" podcast to accompany the column. Lavery, usually accompanied by one or two guests, discusses and responds to additional letters in weekly episodes. Lavery moved on from the role in May 2021.


Jenée Desmond-Harris

Writer and ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' Opinion Editor Jenée Desmond-Harris took over the column starting June 3, 2021. R. Eric Thomas took over during Desmond-Harris' parental leave in spring and summer 2022. Desmond-Harris took another parental leave from September 2024 to the end of March 2025 and Delia Cai filled in.


Cultural reference

The title of the column is a reference to the
Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
song " Dear Prudence".


References


External links


''Dear Prudence'' archive at ''Slate''
Advice columns {{journalism-stub