Dear One — Brandi Boddie

Love in Steel Town America during the midst of WWII

Youngstown, Ohio 1944


Molly Clayton works as a ladies columnist for the Valley Bulletin, the town's most prominent African American newspaper. Between writing, aiding the war effort, and helping her struggling parents pay the bills, she doesn't have time for her favorite pastime of swing dancing.

When a friend gives her tickets to a Valentine's Day dance for her birthday, Molly can't wait to attend. She meets Stephen Keller, a handsome jazz magazine editor. She's attracted to him, but a painful secret lurks beneath the surface of Stephen's easy charm that makes him defensive to others and suspicious of her faith.

Things take a turn for the worse when a vicious rumor threatens to destroy both her career and her blossoming courtship. Will she gain the courage to confront the rumor and speak her heart to Stephen before it's too late?