“This marginal life, this DIY life: in it, they created themselves. We created ourselves. This is why spaces like this matter more than ever now, as gentrification scours the creative life out of Oakland.” Kaya Oakes reflects on the Ghost Ship fire that killed 36 people in December 2016.

Browse the website of novelist and memoirist Lee Martin — author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist The Bright Forever — which includes blog posts, info on news and events, and more.

“India and I are like childhood sweethearts. We’ve moved on to different things, but there’s a special corner in our hearts for each other. I don’t have to choose. Both India and the US are home.” In this piece on family and India, Hema Nataraju reflects on the meaning of home.

At Granta, Marian Ryan pens a longform essay on rationalizing abuse, the vulnerability of the body, the failures of compassion, and being stalked on Facebook.

Everyone likes ice cream sandwiches — even the (hopefully but ultimately sandwich-less) pup in this perfect capture.

The staff at Flickr sorted through billions of photos from 2016, compiling the top 25 images based on popularity and curation. This small selection highlights some of the most stunning photography on the photo sharing service.

The photoblogger at TPJphoto.net shoots landscapes and animals in places like New England and Germany, but his passion lies with birds — like the Ural Owl pictured here in a moving close-up portrait.

David Griffen, a UK-based food photographer, shares shots of gorgeously plated dishes from his travels and culinary adventures.