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Images of four classical women with a gold background.
Posted inReading List

Monsters, Mothers, Mulieres: A Reading List on The Women of Classical Antiquity

by Rachel Ashcroft September 13, 2022October 20, 2022

Five stories of ambitious empresses, fearsome gladiators, and ordinary working-class residents — glimmering snapshots of the female experience in the classical world.

A white house perches on a craggy island, surrounded by water.
Posted inNonfiction

The Substance of Silence: A Reading List About Hermits

by Chris Wheatley September 8, 2022October 20, 2022

Humans are social creatures, and loneliness can be debilitating — yet, many have discovered solace in the solitary life.

Man in a suit playing guitar onstage, his face overcome with emotion
Posted inNonfiction

More Than a Feeling: A Blues Reading List

by Chris Wheatley July 28, 2022October 20, 2022

A hundred years on from its birth, the music continues to speak to the heart — an art form that also serves as social commentary, communal history, and cathartic release.

A young Cambodian woman stands in one of the torture rooms of Tuol Sleng prison.
Posted inCulture, History, Nonfiction, Reading List

What We Save, What We Destroy: A Reading List on Difficult Heritage

by Annalisa Bolin July 26, 2022October 20, 2022

The present we inhabit is shaped by the mixed legacies of the past.

Singer Candi Staton, smiling, hands on her hips, over a patchwork clip of images of her over the years.
Posted inFeature

“I Had to Face the Blues Every Day”

by David Gambacorta July 12, 2022October 20, 2022

Soul and gospel singer Candi Staton let no hardship stand in the way of her voice, one that helped define the music of her generation.

Illustration of male face surrounded by flags and people with hands raised
Posted inNonfiction

How Vladimir Putin Helped ‘Nazify’ Modern Germany

by Longreads July 6, 2022October 11, 2022

Rainer Sonntag was a far-right vigilante. He was also a Communist spy.

Four women — members of rock band L7 — pose on a park bench wearing sunglasses.
Posted inFeature

The Women Who Built Grunge

by Lisa Whittington-Hill June 29, 2022November 21, 2022

Bands like L7 and Heavens to Betsy were instrumental to the birth of the grunge scene, but for decades were treated like novelties and sex objects. Thirty years later, it’s time to reassess their legacy.

An illustration of Queen Isabella of France
Posted inNonfiction

Queens of Infamy: Isabella of France

by Anne Thériault June 21, 2022November 21, 2022

Married off at age 12, Isabella put up with her husband’s shenanigans over decades. Eventually, the She-Wolf of France had had enough.

Posted inStory

Sentenced to Life At 16

by Longreads May 18, 2021October 12, 2022

Adolfo Davis hoped a Supreme Court ruling would give him a chance at a new beginning. But nothing about freedom turned out as he expected.

Posted inNonfiction

Queens of Infamy: Boudicca

by Anne Thériault May 12, 2021October 18, 2022

If you underestimate a woman determined to avenge violence against her daughters, prepare yourself to get sacked. On repeat.

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