Modern Love is a weekly column in The New York Times that has, for nearly two decades, provided a public forum for first-person narratives about intimacy, kinship, and the shifting contours of affection. The column is not a competition but a continuous editorial space; it seeks true stories that illuminate the private dramas of connection and estrangement. Its scope is deliberately expansive, encompassing adoption, polyamory, technology, race, and friendship—any subject that can be brought under the rubric of modern love. The column favors essays that arise from a central dilemma, a moment of tension or reckoning that the writer has faced. While topical resonance is welcome, it is not a prerequisite; the essential quality is emotional and narrative authenticity. Contributors whose work is selected receive publication in The New York Times, both in print and online, along with professional editorial guidance. There is no submission fee, and the column remains open to both emerging and established voices. The curatorial vision is grounded in the belief that personal experience, when rendered with craft and honesty, can speak to universal human concerns. The editors look for writing that is reflective rather than merely confessional, that balances vulnerability with narrative control. The column has become a cultural touchstone, and its editors are committed to representing a diversity of perspectives and experiences.