Alexander Chee reflects on his affinity for gin and how over the years — in its various cocktail permutations alongside vermouth in martinis and negronis — it has more than kept him company, becoming “almost a travel companion.”
Krista Stevens
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
Alice Driver on the Passion to Create and the Fear of Failure
It took Alice Driver’s dad 2 1/2 years and 4,000 bricks to build his fourth wood-fired kiln. But would it fire properly?
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
Open Burning: A Banned Practice That’s Poisoning America
Millions of pounds of toxic chemicals are poisoning people and the environment today in practice called “open burning” which was banned over 30 years ago.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Open Burns, Ill Winds
An in-depth report on how munitions plants across America continue to irresponsibly dispose of bomb and bullet waste by “open burning.” The practice, banned 30 years ago, still takes place nearly every day under a permit loophole, putting millions of pounds of toxic chemicals and pollutants into the air, essentially poisoning residents and the environment.
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
Poems: Protection From Isolation and Solitary Confinement
What we all need now? Poetry, sweet poetry.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Brick By Brick
In telling stories of the wood-fired kilns her father made by hand over the years, Alice Driver reminds us of the risks and rewards inherent in creative pursuits and the deep personal satisfaction that comes from the effort and sweat you put into your craft.
Posted inEditor's Pick
My Hundred
Beth Ann Fennelly suggests that to fully embrace the beauty of poetry, one must memorize it. Once committed to memory — a process that gets easier with practice — a poem forever becomes prophylactic against stressful days and lonely times: “We’ve all known solitary confinement. We’ve all inhabited isolation rooms. But the poems we know […]
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
Alexander Chee on Rediscovering Art for Pleasure in Greece
The author sketches his way around Sifnos, capturing memories Moleskine notebook.
Posted inEditor's Pick
On a Remote Greek Island, Learning to Take a ‘Real’ Vacation
In creating a routine “entirely alien to his normal life,” Alexander Chee attempts a real vacation from his work as a writer. As he sketches his way around Sifnos, capturing both the “least famous” Greek island and his memories of it in a Moleskine notebook, he learns how to draw fresh strength to fuel his […]
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
The Kids Are Not Alright: How Opioids are Destroying American Families
As mom and dad nod out and overdose, the under-funded American foster care system is struggling to mind the children.