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.

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

On vaccine privilege in America and COVID-19 inequities in India.

“Peering in, I see that last week’s eggs are now chicks. Tiny bright-yellow beaks, mouths opening and closing silently. This is the magic.”

On having a twin with cerebral palsy and navigating school bullies.

“When I moved to Billtown, I worried most about whether fracking tainted groundwater. By the time I left the area, my biggest concern was whether the liberty granted to citizens to lease their land, or to otherwise act in ways that limits others’ access to environmental goods, taints democracy.”

Pocahontas may seem like a strange vehicle for discussing our gay villains. But Disney gets inventive when they need to circumvent white people’s historical responsibility for genocidal atrocities — and queerness is a useful scapegoat.

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.

The story of a Somali family uprooted by war and separated by America’s broken refugee resettlement system — and the siblings who brought them back together.

How CSNY fumbled a chance to record their best album.

On the wonders and benefits of natural relationships and what happens when humans meddle with the delicate balance between species.

Killer beats, huge hype, and failure to follow through.

To catch a serial killer.

Heather Lanier explores the pressure to perform happiness.

The elusive bear is a thing of fascination, and writers have a lot to say about them.

In an excerpt from her new book on fertility, feminism, and queer family-building, Jennifer Berney explores the possibilities of sperm banks.

Greed, grift, and murder in the black market for gold.

On injury, compensation, and living with pain.

In her new book, Miranda Ward explores the unique place of almost-motherhood — an uncertain landscape characterized by waiting, wanting, hoping, and not-knowing.

On Yoko Ono’s 1974 album “A Story,” and stepping out from behind the ever-present shadow of John Lennon.

Pravesh Bhardwaj read and and shared 304 short stories on the #longreads Twitter hashtag in 2020. Here are his favorites.

Our top picks for investigative journalism this year.