‘Aren’t the Organs a Silver Lining?’
Complicating a “mixed blessing” of the opioid crisis: a rise in organ donations.
Failure To Lawn
On what a dying patch of turfgrass can teach us about water scarcity, ecological repair, and the lies we tell ourselves about success.
The Secret Door
“When we read, we make believe. We aren’t duped or ensorcelled. Deep down we decide. We make ourselves believe.”
Was It Worth It?
“I didn’t think about those nachos even once. I had never experienced anything like it. Is this, I asked my friends, how it feels to be normal?”
Finding the Magic in Writing with Lidia Yuknavitch
On shitty first, second, and third drafts; embracing the struggle to write; and more.
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The Wayfinders
The Marshall Islands’ first national soccer team discovers what “home” can mean—on a field in Arkansas.
The Memory Maker
OpenAI’s Sora allowed you to deepfake yourself. Users started to remember things that never happened.
The Age of Dinosaurs
“Ruminating on extinction, under the slanted tutelage of my child, felt like a responsible thing to do.”
Hollow Body
On attention to craft in defiance of AI.
Defining Color
“A deep pink that is bluer, lighter, and stronger than average coral, bluer than fiesta, and bluer and stronger than sweet william.”
Into the Darkness
Germany’s Black Forest faces a future of transformation. So do the people who have lived there for centuries.
The Dark and Stormy Tale of a ShantyTok Band
When a scraggly band of folk musicians arrived to tour the UK, residents of a small Welsh town were enamored—until they learned that the band’s leader ruled with an iron fist.
My Unlikely Existence
Is AI helping prospective parents game the fertility lottery? Should it?
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