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Our Picks

How Donald Trump Set Off a Civil War Within the Right-Wing Media
The Republican nominee has divided conservative media commentators, hosts, and personalities, who either see Trump as the right candidate to shake up a corrupt establishment, or a "frightening" and "train wreck" of a choice.
Published: Sept. 29, 2016
Length: 25 minutes (6327 words)
Ali Wong's Radical Raunch
A profile of comedian and writer Ali Wong, whose work takes on the last taboos of female sexuality: pregnancy and motherhood.
Author: Ariel Levy
Published: Sept. 26, 2016
Length: 16 minutes (4209 words)
Some Like It Bot

Algorithms and artificial intelligence can now be used to write screenplays - but will they entertain human viewers?

Author: Laura Hudson
Published: Sept. 29, 2016
Length: 6 minutes (1700 words)
The People Who Collect Strangers' Memories
Vintage snapshots tell stories, project tantalizing mysteries, and teach collectors about death, time, trauma and themselves. It's not all about aesthetics.
Author: Roc Morin
Source: The Atlantic
Published: Sept. 26, 2016
Length: 11 minutes (2970 words)
When Your Regional Symbol Becomes an Extinct Fish

Up and down the West African coast, the mighty sawfish -- one of the region's cultural anchors -- has all but disappeared. Will it ever return?

Author: Jori Lewis
Published: June 14, 2016
Length: 13 minutes (3300 words)
The Future of Disaster Relief Isn't the Red Cross
Team Rubicon breaks rules to put veterans to work and assist people in need. Is this the facelift the aid industry needs?
Author: Kyle Dickman
Source: Outside
Published: Aug. 25, 2016
Length: 20 minutes (5009 words)
My Son, The Prince Of Fashion
Chabon takes his 13-year-old son to Paris fashion week and gains a greater understanding of who he is.
Source: GQ
Published: Sept. 27, 2016
Length: 20 minutes (5240 words)
The Surprising History and Ongoing Controversy Behind the True Panama Hat
"What North Americans refer to as the Panama Hat is actually a hat that is made in Ecuador. But the hats that are actually worn throughout the country of Panama, known as sombreros pintados, are quite different. On a recent journey to Panama to replace his worn-out Panamanian-made sombrero, travel writer Darrin DuFord met with one of the country’s most renowned hat makers to discover the origins of the infamous controversy and to find out that sombreros pintados are more than merely a simple fashion accessory for rural Panamanians — they are both a symbol of victory over foreign influence and a device for communicating one’s mood."
Published: Sept. 27, 2016
Length: 13 minutes (3340 words)
Dispatches from the Rap Wars
University of Chicago professor Forrest Stuart describes the time he spent inside one of Chicago's most notorious gangs.
Published: Sept. 19, 2016
Length: 17 minutes (4484 words)
A Reading List About Utopias
Here are five stories about utopian societies.
Author: Emily Perper
Source: Longreads
Published: Sept. 27, 2016
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