The Wrong Pair By Lisa W. Rosenberg Feature After decades of shame, discrimination in the ballet world, and some serious back pain, Lisa W. Rosenberg concludes it’s time to down-size her double-E knockers. Friends: We Need Your Help to Fund More Stories
An Oral History of Detroit Punk Rock By Steve Miller Feature In Detroit’s empty buildings and troubled streets, restless kids squatted, ran punk clubs, pressed their own records, and made their own magazine. They mostly stayed out of trouble.
The City I Love is Destroying Itself By Nicole Antebi Feature Nicole Antebi interviews historian David Dorado Romo about the fight to preserve the oldest barrio in El Paso from the City itself.
James Baldwin and the Lost Giovanni’s Room Screenplay By Matt Giles Commentary In 1978, James Baldwin began working on a screenplay for Giovanni’s Room, his most beloved work. For the past forty years, though, the script has been shelved in a London flat.
The Humanities Marketplace As a Circle of Hell By Aaron Gilbreath Highlight The struggles of a motivated, educated academic to find sufficient work.
You Can’t Escape Everything in the Ivory Tower By Michelle Weber Highlight For her father, Jaclyn Gilbert is less a daughter than a debt.
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week By Longreads Weekly Top 5 This week, we’re sharing stories from Sheera Frenkel, Nicholas Confessore, Cecilia Kang, Matthew Rosenberg, and Jack Nicas; Phil Klay, Harley Rustad, Michael Graff, and Alan Siegel.
The Lasting Effects of the Lolita Complex By Lacy Warner Feature Lacy Warner examines the downward turn of actress Dominique Swain’s career, and how the trouble began the moment she grew up.
The Fault in Our Stars: On Fake Celebrity Interviews By michellemeyrink Feature Fake celebrity interviews have been around for years, but Germany has seemingly become one of the largest exporters.
The Making of Nirvana’s Most Vulnerable Album By Aaron Gilbreath Highlight An oral history of the night Nirvana recorded “Unplugged,” their most tender, original live performance.
“I know I believe in the power of lining up little hopes” By Krista Stevens Highlight At Oxford American, Michael Graff remembers his dad, Carl.
Positivity Is Relative, Depending on Which Side of the Fighting You’re On By Michelle Weber Highlight “I was not a fallen creature in a broken world reliant on grace, but a Marine in a successful army that had all the answers.”
Insomnia: To Pursue Sleep So Hard You Become Invigorated By the Chase By Longreads Feature Insomnia is not just a state of sleeplessness, a matter of negatives. It involves the active pursuit of sleep. It is a state of longing.
The House on Mayo Road By Dure Amna Feature Dur e Aziz Amna considers the year in Pakistan when everything changed.
The Masterless People: Pirates, Maroons, and the Struggle to Live Free By Longreads Feature In the “bizarre and horrifying world” of the early modern Caribbean, maroons and pirates both prized their freedom above all else. And sometimes they worked together to safeguard it.
The Secrets We Keep By Deena ElGenaidi Feature Deena ElGenaidi takes stock of the truths she and her Muslim family members hide from one another.
The Strongest Woman in the Room By Kitty Sheehan Feature A daughter recounts her family’s worst day, through her mother’s eyes.
The City I Love is Destroying Itself By Nicole Antebi Feature Nicole Antebi interviews historian David Dorado Romo about the fight to preserve the oldest barrio in El Paso from the City itself.
The Lasting Effects of the Lolita Complex By Lacy Warner Feature Lacy Warner examines the downward turn of actress Dominique Swain’s career, and how the trouble began the moment she grew up.
Falling for My Booty Call By Sarah Kasbeer Feature Sarah Kasbeer reflects on a history of hookups — and why they left her cold.
An Oral History of Detroit Punk Rock By Steve Miller Feature In Detroit’s empty buildings and troubled streets, restless kids squatted, ran punk clubs, pressed their own records, and made their own magazine. They mostly stayed out of trouble.
Insomnia: To Pursue Sleep So Hard You Become Invigorated By the Chase By Longreads Feature Insomnia is not just a state of sleeplessness, a matter of negatives. It involves the active pursuit of sleep. It is a state of longing.
This Month in Books: ‘When Will I Be a Winner?’ or, ‘Mr. President, I Have a Headache’ By Dana Snitzky Commentary In this month’s books newsletter, you’re going to get tired of winning.
A Mysterious Crack Appears: Past Trauma and Future Doom Meet in “Friday Black” By Alana Mohamed Feature In Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s fantastical short story collection, the strangest fantasy of all is that people try to act morally in a corrupt world.
Karina Longworth on the Women Caught in Howard Hughes’ Hollywood Web of Gossip By Rae Nudson Feature Howard Hughes used gossip, spies and money to control Hollywood’s women for nearly 60 years. Karina Longworth critically examines the Golden Age’s gossip to stop his false narratives from becoming our history.
The City I Love is Destroying Itself By Nicole Antebi Feature Nicole Antebi interviews historian David Dorado Romo about the fight to preserve the oldest barrio in El Paso from the City itself.
The House on Mayo Road By Dure Amna Feature Dur e Aziz Amna considers the year in Pakistan when everything changed.
We Could Fell a Redwood Forest With This Anger By Michelle Weber Highlight Sometimes, the only way to vent your rage so you can be a useful member of society is with an axe.
Stan Lee: 1922-2018 By Mike Dang Highlight Stan Lee, the legendary comic book writer, editor, and publisher of Marvel comics, has died at the age of 95.
When You Carry All That You Love With You By Alice Driver Feature Alice Driver travels into the heart of the caravan.
The Wrong Pair By Lisa W. Rosenberg Feature After decades of shame, discrimination in the ballet world, and some serious back pain, Lisa W. Rosenberg concludes it’s time to down-size her double-E knockers.
The Lasting Effects of the Lolita Complex By Lacy Warner Feature Lacy Warner examines the downward turn of actress Dominique Swain’s career, and how the trouble began the moment she grew up.
The House on Mayo Road By Dure Amna Feature Dur e Aziz Amna considers the year in Pakistan when everything changed.
Consider Who Can Afford the Oyster By Michelle Weber Highlight If the personal is political, then food is political — and food writing should be, too.
A Mysterious Crack Appears: Past Trauma and Future Doom Meet in “Friday Black” By Alana Mohamed Feature In Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s fantastical short story collection, the strangest fantasy of all is that people try to act morally in a corrupt world.
