Switch at Birth — But How? By Longreads Feature Two women gave birth on the same day in a place called Come By Chance. Half a century later, their children made a shocking discovery.
Listen to the Sound of My Voice By Seyward Darby Highlight How a journalist found her voice as her mother lost hers.
The Big Bear Reading List By Carolyn Wells Feature The elusive bear is a thing of fascination, and writers have a lot to say about them.
The Case of the Disappearing Bucatini By Cheri Lucas Rowlands Highlight Having trouble finding bucatini? You are not alone.
Chasing Spies From the Couch By Carolyn Wells Highlight Discover a website that solves crimes without its members ever leaving home.
This Week in Books: We’ve All Been Briefed By Dana Snitzky Commentary “They have washed their hands for you. / And they take the bus home.” —Jericho Brown
Japan’s Lonely Cherry Blossoms By Aaron Gilbreath Highlight Millions of people turn out to see Japan’s famous sakura blossoms. This year, Covid-19 kept the usual crowds at home, though the blossom makes a fitting metaphor for evanescence.
The NHL’s Lacrosse Takeover By Sam Riches Feature How two kids from London, Ontario birthed the most unique goal in hockey’s history.
How to Pitch Personal Essays to Longreads: An Updated Guide By Sari Botton Commentary New submissions guidelines, plus information about our new essay series.
Fear of Suffering Alone By Anne Liu Kellor Feature After separating from her husband and entering quarantine, Anne Liu Kellor faces her ongoing desire for a partner and the necessity of loving herself.
The Importance of Sports When Nothing Else Seems to Matter By Matt Giles Commentary No ‘One Shining Moment,’ no Bill Raftery, no Cinderellas. How one writer feels lost without March Madness.
Behind One of the Sketchiest Men, a Sketchy Woman By Sari Botton Highlight Moe Tkacik reveals the web of shadiness lurking behind WeWork’s facade.
Making Periods Green To Topple Tampax By Carolyn Wells Highlight Will a pain-relieving, CBD-infused, biodegradable cotton tampon be enough to beat Tampax?
The Nontrivial Pursuit of Quiz Glory By Ben Huberman Commentary Even in the age of the search engine, the pleasure of knowing the right answer endures.
Remembering the Things That Remain By Amos Barshad Feature A Polish artist invites a journalist to dig into disturbing remnants from the Holocaust that Poland would rather keep buried.
Violence Girl By Longreads Feature How a young bilingual Latina became one of punk’s enduring icons and helped create a new musical universe.
The Queering of the Baby Bells By Longreads Feature Highly public pressure campaigns against telephone companies were the crux of early LGBTQ activism.
This Month In Books: The Book Is an Escape Tool By Dana Snitzky Commentary Sometimes telling a story is the only way to escape it.
When It Comes to the Climate Crisis, Don’t Forget the Power of the States By Livia Gershon Feature Even with the federal government in chaos, there’s still plenty of opportunity to solve a global problem.
Tom Junod Remembers Fred Rogers: “You Were a Child Once, Too” By Krista Stevens Commentary Tom Junod wonders whether Fred Rogers’ unfailing belief in the goodness of others would help us in today’s climate.
The Link Between Hurricane Katrina, Emmett Till, Racism, and Climate Change By Krista Stevens Commentary “I wondered if Katrina was really a 14-year old boy named Emmett.”
This Month In Books: ‘One Degree Is About the Uncanny’ By Dana Snitzky Commentary This month’s books newsletter is suspended in a state of anticipation.
Why did the FBI Betray Billy Reilly? By Krista Stevens Commentary How FBI silence and stonewalling forced William and Theresa Reilly to travel to Russia to find out what happened to their son.
What Should Universal Basic Income Look Like? By Livia Gershon Feature Andrew Yang made it news, but we need a better plan.
Shelved: Van Morrison’s Contractual Obligation Album By Tom Maxwell Feature This is the sound of not really trying.
Pages You Can Dance To: A Book List By Brittany Allen Feature Either Martin Mull or Frank Zappa or Elvis Costello once said writing about music is as pointless as dancing about architecture. Which doesn’t account for how I’ve danced to all these books.
Flagrant Foul: Benching Teen Moms Before Title IX By Britni de la Cretaz Feature As a high schooler and new mom, Jane Rubel didn’t consider herself a feminist. She just knew that if husbands and fathers were eligible to play high school basketball, she should have been, too.
This Month in Books: ‘The Minor Figure Yields to the Chorus’ By Dana Snitzky Commentary I’m reading this book right now called “The Manuscript Found in Saragossa.” It’s a recursive story-within-a-story sort of thing, and it’s giving me nightmares.
In the Country of Women By Susan Straight Feature Amid badass women and endless stories, a young California writer comes of age in the orange groves as the Golden State comes into its own.
