At the Bitter Southerner, Sarah Estes visits the creator of Tennessee’s strangest sporting event.
michelleweber
Posted inEditor's Pick
Good Luck, Morons: Lazarus Lake and His Impossible Race
The Barkley Marathons are famous among extreme athletes. The story of the race is great. The story of the man behind it is even better.
Posted inHistory, Nonfiction, Quotes
The Tears and Tenacity of the Mothers of the Disappeared
During the ’70s and early ’80s, 30,000 people “disappeared” during Argentina’s Dirty War — including Delia’s pregnant daughter, Stella. What happened to baby Martín?
Posted inBusiness & Tech, Nonfiction, Quotes
“It’s like, how much more black could this be? And the answer is none. None more black.”
Robert Kolker walks us through the $400 billion lawsuit brought by the creators of This Is Spinal Tap against the movie studios, but Spinal Tap fans will love the insider tidbits about the creation of the film.
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes, Science & Nature
Unlocking the Genetic Code of Poverty
The emerging science of epigenetics argues that poverty can change our genetic expression.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Why Poverty Is Like a Disease
The emerging science of epigenetics takes the concepts of “meritocracy” and “pulling yourself up by the bootstraps” to task.
Posted inBooks, Business & Tech, Nonfiction, Quotes
Rolling Down the Highway with the Sum Total of Human Knowledge
Google had a plan to scan every book in the world. 25 million books later, the project lost its way.
Posted inArts & Culture, Food, History, Nonfiction, Quotes
Tell Me What Donut You Prefer, and I’ll Tell You Who You Are
Have you ever thought really hard about donuts? Like, 7,000 words hard? Keaton Lamle did.
Posted inArts & Culture, Current Events, Essays & Criticism, Quotes
“Texas is Gilead and Indiana is Gilead”
The Handmaid’s Tale is a classic case of “be careful what you wish for” for conservative women.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Torching the Modern-Day Library of Alexandria
“Somewhere at Google there is a database containing 25 million books and nobody is allowed to read them.”