From a small town in Maine, Heather Cox Richardson has built a following of millions. She still thinks America can be saved.

The Boston College professor writes Letters from an American – her newsletter tracking politics through the lens of history.⁠ With loyal followers come critics, but Richardson tells the Globe’s Aidan Ryan that she stands by what she writes — and has faith that, given the facts, Americans will make the right choices.

I was terrified of swimming. To learn, I had to overcome my own fears — and family history.

An upcoming cruise helped writer Tiana Woodard confront her fear of water — one that’s trickled down to her through generations. To muster the courage for swim lessons, she leaned on the stories of her relatives, some of whose relationship with water stayed forever tainted by Jim Crow laws.

PERSPECTIVE

Why are we paying billions to tech companies for data to enforce immigration laws and policies?

AI-driven immigration enforcement is zeroing in on personal data with the help of major tech corporations. Writer Roopika Risam worries that the government won’t account for AI’s history of error and bias.

CONNECTIONS

What the camper van knows

The 55,000 miles recorded on writer James A. Lomastro’s RV are a measure of his marriage. In between long silences and arguments over wrong turns to Salisbury Beach with his wife, he’s found the realest version of their relationship on the road.

THE BIG DAY

‘We come from different worlds’

Jeronne Lacey didn’t waste a second getting to know Taylor Nordbeck — he planned a day-long affair for their first date. Even with so much in common, their upbringings couldn’t have been more opposite. Read their love story.

Apply to have your wedding featured in The Big Day. Read other couples’ love stories here.

LOVE LETTERS

Getting cold feet
His fetish might be a little too much for her. Is this going to get weird?

Submit your relationship questions. And check out the Love Letters podcast here.

DINNER WITH CUPID

“She said she would do cage diving with sharks.” Will these two thrill-seekers plan their next adventure together?

Go on an in-person or virtual blind date. We'll pick up the tab. Fill out an application.

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