An Unapologetic Plea for Your Help Funding More Personal Essays By Sari Botton Commentary Longreads’ Essays Editor on the importance of budgeting for personal narratives.
Language Acquisition By Diana Spechler Feature Diana Spechler recalls fleeing her life in New York City for a new one with a painter in his village in central Mexico.
The Doctor Will See You Now By Sarah Miller Feature Sarah Miller eulogizes a close (but not close) relative.
Judging Books By Their Covers By Jason Diamond Feature Jason Diamond analyzes his obsession with Vintage Contemporaries paperbacks from the 80s.
My Date with Hollywood By Monica Drake Feature Monica Drake recalls a brush with fame, when a famous actress took an interest in making a movie from her novel.
My Half-Sister’s Half a Life By Longreads Feature Jeannie’s father never spoke of his daughter who had died at 16, the mysterious half-sister who shared her name.
Uncovering Hidden History on the Road to Clanton By Lance Warren Feature Documentary filmmaker Lance Warren interrogates the silence around lynching in the American South.
What My Mother and I Don’t Talk About By Michele Filgate Feature Michele Filgate reflects on her teen years with an abusive stepfather and a mother whose silence protected him.
Can a Sports-Crazed City Turn a Theater Person into a Baseball Person? By Shannon Reed Feature Shannon Reed thought she knew what kind of fan she was, until she moved back home to Pittsburgh.
How Food Can Be a Platform for Activism By Shakirah Simley Feature Food activist Shakirah Simley lays out her philosophy for a ‘good food movement’ that prioritizes racial equality.
Roast Duck Soup for the Chinese-American Daughter’s Soul By Su-Jit Feature Food writer Su-Jit Lin contemplates the role of a favorite dish in her relationship with her immigrant chef father.
Take Me Home By Kathryn Kefauver Goldberg Feature While teaching English to communist party officials in post-war Laos, Kathryn Kefauver Goldberg reflects on silence and the legacy of trauma.
On American Identity, the Election, and Family Members Who Support Trump By Nicole Chung Feature Nicole Chung reflects on the burden of engaging with racism and educating white people, including some in her own family.
Harnessing His Superpowers for Peace in the Middle East By Howard Lovy Feature As an 8-year-old with OCD, Howard Lovy hoped his magical thinking might persuade God to end the Yom Kippur War.
A Short Distance from Southie, but a World Away By tmerrigan Feature Tara Wanda Merrigan recalls navigating between the very different realms of Harvard and home.
Camping with Kids: A Non-Primer By Reid Doughten Feature Reid Doughten revises his simple equation for combining camping with parenting toddlers.
Writing the Monsignor By maryoconn Feature Mary O’Connell recalls her college efforts to write about a scandalized priest from her youth.
Taking Up Smoking at the End of the World By John Sherman Feature In his late twenties, John Sherman finds a new fondness for cigarettes, despite everything he was ever taught about them.
Raising Brown Boys in Post-9/11 America By Sorayya Khan Feature Sorayya Khan recalls racist threats to her young sons after the 2001 attacks, and worries about them as young men living in ‘Trumpistan.’
The Whistleblower in the Family By Aaron Gilbreath Feature After her father was arrested for fraud, Pearl Abraham began the the slow, painful process of unraveling her Hasidic family ties.
Weighing Justice With a Jury of Her ‘Peers’ By Susana Morris Feature While serving as foreperson on a grand jury, Susana Morris confronts power and privilege in the criminal justice system.
Plasma For Sale (Used) — $20 a Pop By Krista Stevens Highlight Sarah Smarsh’s brother has sold his plasma for the last decade to make ends meet under mounting credit card debt and student loans.
I Was a 9-Year-Old Playboy Bunny By Shannon Kavanaugh Feature After longing to be a sex-symbol as a child, Shannon Lell grapples with a lifetime of self-objectification.
Disguised in Plain Clothes, but No Superman By Chris Wiewiora Feature After a shooting at Iowa State leaves him feeling inept at protecting his students, Chris Wiewiora becomes a campus bus driver instead.
On NYC’s Paratransit, Fighting for Safety, Respect, and Human Dignity By muteiny Feature An incident on lawyer Britney Wilson’s ride home from work exposes her vulnerabilities as a Black disabled woman.
Can Love Sparked at Burning Man Last in Everyday Life? By Maria Finn Feature Maria Finn tries to make sense of the euphoric love she experienced at the annual festival in Black Rock City, while she was grieving her brother’s suicide.
Wrapping the Sunday Paper For the Last Time By Andrew Bockhold Feature Andrew Bockhold finds a new appreciation for the family newspaper route he hated working as a kid, before it was shut down.
‘Is This Gonna Happen Every Day in Charlottesville?’ By Sari Botton Highlight A black mother wrestles with having to explain the violence in Charlottesville to her six-year-old daughter.
I Want to Persuade You to Care About Other People By Danielle Tcholakian Feature After changing her conservative grandfather’s mind about affirmative action, Danielle Tcholakian commits to trying to get through to people whose politics are very different from her own.
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