Strangers in a Good Way

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One woman discovers that her childhood crush has grown up into someone she doesn’t recognize.

First, a hypnotic search for a common language, and one girl’s ardent prayers to speak in tongues.

Then, another girl’s ardent prayers for letters. When 12-year-old Lauren fell for Darryl in the ‘90s, he was a skater boy who loved Nirvana and drawing. They were pen pals for years. She’d check her mailbox multiple times a day, hoping for a letter from him. But when she finds him online decades later, his feed is filled with guns and right-wing hashtags. It seems like he's become an entirely different person. So she gives him a call to catch up.


A TripAdvisor review for Smith Island.


One of Darryl's letters to Lauren.


The envelope of a letter from Darryl to Lauren.


 The envelope of a letter from Darryl to Lauren.

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The envelope of a letter from Darryl to Lauren.


Lauren with her "new troll doll."

Credits

Host:

Bob Carlson

Producer:

Bob Carlson

Contributors:
Courtney Harrell is a producer at Pineapple Street Media.

Lauren Cook is an actress, storyteller and Emmy award-winning writer. She has been published in The Cut and her audio stories have aired on UnFictional and the storytelling podcast, Risk! As an actress, she's appeared on The Mindy Project and Fresh Off The Boat. She is repped by Gersh and Authentic Management.

Written by:
Lauren Cook

Editors:
Nick White and Carla Green

Mixed and scored by Ray Guarna.