To the Best of Our Knowledge: After the Romance

In this hour, new romances are all about novelty, about breathtaking firsts. Over time, the feel of those firsts can fade from joyful to... Independent producer Whitney Jones shares First Love and 27 Other Firsts.

Next, is your marriage passionate? Can we feel thrilled by the same person we look to for intimacy and security? Esther Perel says, "Yes." She's the author of Mating in Captivity.

Then, open relationships are no vestige of the swinging seventies. Although we don't know how many people have opened up, sex-educator Tristan Taormino says that you probably know someone in an open relationships, you just might not know that you know. Taormino tells Steve Paulson that there are myriad manifestations of "open..."

After that, maybe the passing of the first bloom of romance leaves you deeply in love. You can¿t imagine life without your sweetheart. You want to build a future together, grow old together¿ You want¿ to be¿ married. So you pop the question, book a hall¿ simple, right? Not if it¿s not legal for you to be married. After nearly three decades together, Brian Kaufman and Martin Swinger recently got hitched -- on the first day gay marriage became legal in the state of Maine.

Following that, in late 2011, Kate Bolick was on the cover of The Atlantic, along with a banner in bold type that read, "What, Me Marry?" The article sparked debates about the rise of the single woman, the demise of men, and the state of marriage. A year later, Anne checks in with her about the single life.

And finally, of course, After the Romance can also come break-ups. The silver-lining to any break-up? The soundtrack. Robin Linn and Jason Saldanha of Sound Opinions join producer Sara Nics to talk about songs of rage, revenge and moving on. [Broadcast Date: March 8, 2013]