As a nod to the Valentine’s Day holiday, we’re going to talk about – you guessed it – relationships. We take a unique approach, however, and we discuss how movies – yes, movies - can actually teach us valuable lessons about love, romance & sex. Whether you are married or single and dating, today our guest will help reveal how to keep the love you have or find the love you want.

Leslie C. Halpern is an award-winning poet, essayist, book reviewer, movie reviewer, and entertainment journalist. She wrote the nonfiction books 200 Love Lessons from the Movies (2016), Passionate About Their Work (2010), Reel Romance: The Lovers’ Guide to the 100 Best Date Movies (2004) and Dreams on Film (2003), plus the “Funny Children’s Poems” book series.

An entertainment journalist since 1984, she worked 13 years as a stringer for The Hollywood Reporter, 5 years as film correspondent for the Orlando Sentinel, and 7 years as indie film columnist for Markee Magazine. More than 4,000 of her articles have appeared in publications including Variety, True Romance, Fitness, Storytelling, Just For Laughs, Bluegrass Unlimited, Salt Lake Tribune, and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Leslie has won numerous awards for her writing, including two national awards for essays and several international prizes for poetry and has appeared on many radio and television shows, including TV Ontario’s Saturday Night at the Movies, Canada’s longest-running television program. She currently reviews books for several online magazines, and reviews movies for“Seen It, Done It, Reviewed It: The Blog”, which you can find on her website at www.lesliehalpern.com.

What we cover:

1. What inspired Leslie to write the book 200 Love Lessons from the Movies

2. Why most movies have a kernel of truth that we can use for our daily lives

3. Why the book is best for people who are in the mindset/ready to work on their relationships

4. How her personal life played a role in choosing the movies and the lessons in them

5. How the Love Languages are included in the book

6. How the lessons in the book can give you ideas on how to navigate your real-life love life

7. Examples of a few lessons from movies including “Love Actually”, “Up In the Air” and “The Hangover”

8. How the book helps you self-reflect on how you approach your relationships and how to shift that

9. Leslie’s advice for singles on Valentine’s Day