Curiosity as Compassion: A Conversation with Susan Orlean

Longreads features
‘It’s More Like a Playlist’: Lavinia Spalding on Editing the Best Women’s Travel Writing
Living in an Alive World
Getting Unstuck with Ramona Ausubel
‘Aren’t the Organs a Silver Lining?’
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Recent editors’ picks
Tunnel 13
“A botched train robbery in Oregon’s Siskiyou Mountains left four men dead, led to an international manhunt, and helped usher forensic science into the modern age.”
Route 66 Is Turning 100 This Year. It Still Has Stories to Tell About America.
“The country’s legendary main street celebrates its centennial against the backdrop of the nation’s 250th birthday. Could there be a better time for a road trip?”
Middle of Somewhere
“One remote highway in Nevada links far-flung communities that attracted settlers for generations. Why are some still drawn there today?”
The Mars Delusion
“Establishing a human colony on Mars is fraught with risk. Why are so many people obsessed with achieving it?”
Secrets of the Magus
“Ricky Jay does closeup magic that flouts reality.”
Return to the River
“Nearly a year after the devastating July 4 floods, Hill Country communities are still grieving and rebuilding, while hoping to welcome visitors back to the Guadalupe.”
Nobody Here Wants the Data Center: An Oral History
“We’ve gathered stories from all across the country detailing what happens when Big Tech’s latest monstrosities come to town.”
A Winding Road, a Bottle of Wine, and a Crash That Keeps Punishing Oak Grove
“Ananya Rao was not driving when she was badly injured and a friend from Lakeside High was killed. But her parents might go to prison.”
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Weekly Top 5
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
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The Longreads questionnaire
The Longreads Questionnaire, Featuring Cory Doctorow
The Longreads Questionnaire, Featuring Vauhini Vara
The Longreads Questionnaire, Featuring Ibram X. Kendi
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Excerpts from The Atavist Magazine, our sister publication
The Fugitive Childhood of a Cocaine Smuggler’s Daughters
Open Season
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Longreads reading lists
Brave New World: A Reading List About the Dark Future
The People Who Know Too Much: A Reading List on Amateur Experts
Friction: A Reading List on Why Inconvenience Can Be Meaningful
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