Being a blerd (Black nerd) can be a struggle, especially when it comes to dating. Having niche interests can make romance tough to find. But then when you do, it’s that much more rewarding.

Filmmakers Leesa Dean and Nicole Franklin created #BlerdDating as a kind of Twitter conversation-slash-virtual party. Every Monday night, people are encouraged to tweet about dating as a blerd using the hashtag. It creates a wide-ranging conversation, covering both dating foibles and successes. 

The chats have weekly hosts and they’re akin to what Refinery29 called an “interactive podcast.” There have been four episodes so far: "The Elephant in the Room," "Dating Somebody Who’s Married," "My Date Ghosted (I Was Stood-Up)" and "New Year’s Eve Dating Resolutions I’ve Already Broken."

In an interview with Essence, Leesa defined a blerd as “nerd culture with an urban POV. Originally it just meant black nerds. Now it’s open to include women, LGBTQ & all people of color.” In the same interview, Nicole said that “#BlerdDating is a space to connect, commiserate and hopefully one day celebrate the dating experiences of Black nerds everywhere.” They also shouted out famous blerds like Donald Glover (the ultimate), Ava Duvernay, Shonda Rhimes, Barack and Michelle Obama and Key and Peele.

Essence also asked the ladies if the age of Steve Urkel was over, ushering in a new time for blerds to be cool. “Yes!” said Leesa. “Our time has come!”

You can join the conversation here.