This week, we’re sharing stories from James Hamblin, Josina Guess, Edward Carey, Paraic O’Donnell, and Ruth Graham.
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* Bundyville. (Deeply reported and up for a National Magazine Award.)
* Queens of Infamy. (Delightfully nerdy historical satire.)
* Fine Lines. (Thoughtful personal essays on aging.)
* Shelved. (Deep dives into ditched deep cuts.)
* Hive. (Women on the music that moves them.)
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We’re proud of our deeply reported stories and thoughtful personal essays, as well as excerpts of and commentary on the books we love. Read this note from our founder Mark Armstrong for more details on what we have planned this year.
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1. You’re Likely to Get the Coronavirus
James Hamblin | The Atlantic | February 24, 2020 | 12 minutes (3,045 words)
You might not know you have it, though.
2. The Wind Delivered the Story
Josina Guess | The Bitter Southerner | February 27, 2020 | 8 minutes (2,143 words)
In this haunting essay, Josina Guess confronts South Carolina’s violent racist past when she discovers, over time, newspapers in her yard telling the story of Willie Earle’s 1947 mass lynching and the subsequent acquittal of all 31 accused.
3. On Getting Lost
Edward Carey | Texas Highways | February 1, 2020 | 9 minutes (2,457 words)
A journey through the Big Thicket of Texas.
4. MS Is Meticulously Destroying Me. I Am Being Unmade.
Paraic O’Donnell | The Irish Times | February 11, 2020 | 23 minutes (5,757 words)
“It’s not that you surrender, in the end. Even surrender takes effort, and you just don’t have the energy.”
5. The Bible That Oozed Oil
Ruth Graham | Slate | February 27, 2020 | 19 minutes (4,852 words)
A small Georgia town, a prophecy about Donald Trump, and the story of how a miracle fell apart.