“Ecosystems are similar to human societies — they’re built on relationships. The stronger those are, the more resilient the system.”
Cheri Lucas Rowlands
Cheri has been an editor at Longreads since 2014.
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Sky Thief
“He was not a pilot; he worked ground crew for Horizon Air. His core duties revolved around loading baggage onto short-haul flights, but he was also trained to tow planes on the tarmac. Silently, and without warning, he’d gone rogue.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
‘The Mansion on Emerson Street’
“After more than a year of allowing most homeless camps to remain intact so as not to displace people during the pandemic, cities across the country are now beginning to confront another public health crisis unfolding on their streets.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Boxer Patricio Manuel, a Transgender Pioneer, Is Still Looking for His Next Fight
“Manuel sees sports as the latest front in a culture war that fought — and lost — previous battles over same-sex marriage and trans bathroom bills.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Qualified Immunity: How ‘Ordinary Police Work’ Tramples Civil Rights
“There is little to no accountability behind the closed doors of police work.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Who Am I?
“Edwards isn’t sure how she came into this world, or when or where, but on Aug. 14, 1967, she was discovered inside a pillowcase hidden under a dresser in a vacant apartment of an otherwise occupied West Philadelphia rowhouse.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Can Tripping on Ketamine Cure PTSD? I Decided to Try.
“While the precise mechanism at play remains unknown, when ketamine is effective, it can be like flipping a switch.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Story of Honoring Negro League History and a Search for Buried Treasure
“But the numbers will never tell the true story of the Negro Leagues. They just won’t. For me, it is about context. I don’t want the legend of these athletes to ever die.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
She Fell Nearly 2 Miles, and Walked Away
“At 17, biologist Juliane Diller was the sole survivor of a plane crash in the Amazon. Fifty years later she still runs Panguana, a research station founded by her parents in Peru.”