A Conversation with Dating While Gray Podcaster and Author, Laura Stassi

Laura Stassi is creator and host of the public radio podcast Dating While Gray: The Grown-Up’s Guide to Love, Sex, and Relationships, which began in 2020 when she won a diversity in voices contest on NPR. On her podcast, she explores issues and relays true stories about love after age 50. Online dating, sexual intimacy, financial considerations, deal breakers--everything’s on the table--from interesting, diverse voices. Her book, Romance Redux: Finding Love in Your Later Years (Rowman & Littlefield, September 2022) is a deep dive into dating while gray. "Romance Redux explores how older people are seeking, finding, and keeping intimate relationships. Laura includes her own experiences as well as those of other gray love seekers and finders. She also talks with dating and relationship experts and researchers to explore the obstacles and rewards of re-partnering at this stage of life. Whether it’s through “gray divorce,” which remains high, or the untimely death of a partner, more and more older people are facing vibrant years ahead of them, alone. They’re interested in finding love for the later years of life but after decades off the market, dating again can feel daunting. Using personal stories and expert research, Laura takes readers on a tour through the many ways older adults are finding companionship, romance, and a fulfilling sex life." Laura equates "gray divorce" with divorces involving those over age 50. Her podcast includes people who are interested in finding love post-50, such as divorcees, widows, widowers, those who never married, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Laura writes about and discusses the obstacles and rewards of re-partnering later in life. She notes that the pandemic forced many of us to be more thoughtful about with whom we want to spend our time. Laura was married for almost 30 years before getting divorced. Newly single, she turned to friends and relationship experts for advice. On Dating While Gray and in Romance Redux, Laura shares the lessons she’s learned and introduces other gray daters as they all weather the wild world of love, with advice from experts. Laura is also an award-winning writer of health, wellness and medical features for military families, and she’s the author of several nonfiction books for young readers. She has two grown children and enjoys jogging along the wooded paths of Reston, Virginia, and the sandy shores of Emerald Isle, North Carolina. Find out more about Laura and her work at laurastassi.com.