The Religious Iconography of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ By Michelle Weber A vast range of political, historical, and religious influences went into Margaret Atwood’s dystopia, including one unexpected logo.
Evolution and Chill: Survival Is No Longer Just About Competition By Aaron Gilbreath Scientists are taking a second look at the effect of cooperation on evolution.
Yes, We Do Have Bananas Today (For the Bargain Price of $17) By Michelle Weber For Roads & Kingdoms, Bianca Bosker explores the world of high-end Japanese fruit: $500 strawberries and $27,000 melons.
Month 13: What Happens After the Year-Long Syrian Refugee Sponsorship Ends? By Krista Stevens When Canadians privately sponsor a Syrian refugee family, the agreement lasts one year. What happens at month 13?
Treating the Insects of the Mind By Aaron Gilbreath In STAT, Eric Boodman examines delusional parasitosis, a psychiatric condition neither science nor medicine understand much about.
24-Hour Competitive Rock Climbing: Finger Tips as Rough as Rhino Skin By Krista Stevens Why would anyone want to find out how many rock climbs they can do in a 24-hour period? For fun, of course.
The Anatomy of a TV Show: How ‘The Americans’ Is Made By Cheri Lucas Rowlands Caroline Framke shadowed the crew of FX’s Cold War spy drama The Americans during the production of season four episode “Clark’s Place” and explained how the show was made.
20 Years of Talking in Maths and Buzzing Like a Fridge By Michelle Weber Radiohead’s OK Computer is 20 years old this year, and Anwen Crawford pens a lovely review-slash-analysis-slash-ode to this enduring album.
Why Don’t You Just Get One of Those Creative Jobs? By Aaron Gilbreath At The Paris Review, writer and creative director Glenn O’Brien narrates the comic struggle of artists who decide to go into advertising.
‘Pretend I’m Dead’ Author Jen Beagin Wins 2017 Whiting Award for Fiction By Sari Botton “Her anger suddenly dissipated and was replaced again by longing.”
What Does It Mean to Be Jewish in Trump’s America? By Sari Botton At Vice, Eve Peyser belatedly embraces her Jewish identity after watching a rise in antisemitism ushered in by the new administration.
‘Every Watch Geek Has an Origin Story’ By Sari Botton Anxious about politics, Gary Shteyngart finds calm in the minutiae of wristwatches in this essay from The New Yorker.
Want To See a Polar Bear? Just Follow the Bones By Michelle Weber In one Alaskan town, the bone pile is a bounty for hungry polar bears and enterprising tour guides.
The Greatest Trick the Government Ever Pulled Was Convincing Us We Aren’t Already on Welfare By Mark Armstrong Race, class, and a flawed perception of who gets or deserves “government assistance.”
The Rules For Being John Hinckley By Michelle Weber In a fascinating New York magazine profile of John Hinckley, recently released, writer Lisa Miller lays out the conditions of his freedom.
I Can Totally Believe It’s Actually Butter! By Michelle Weber Libby Copeland talks to butter aficionado and food writer Elaine Khosrova about the history of butter and how to savor it. But is it good for us or not?
Stories of Immigration as Protest: Letters to Donald Trump By Krista Stevens Barbara Zitwer, Colm Tóibín, Elham Manea, Linda Coverdale, Kyung-sook Shin, and Anne Landsman share their stories of immigration to protest Donald Trump’s Muslim Ban.
You Just Can’t Find a Good Deal in Kreuzlingen These Days By Michelle Weber In Roads & Kingdoms, Milan Gagnon tells the stories of Kreuzlingen, Switzerland, and Konstanz, Germany — one city full of empty storefronts, and the other full of empty souls.
‘Smoking freebase has pretty much been my job for the past year.’ By Michelle Weber In the New Yorker, Naomi Fry writes about Cat Marnell’s new memoir in a piece that’s part review, part analysis of women’s addiction stories.
Empathy, Schmempathy. By Pam Mandel “Stronger Together,” the Clinton-campaign slogan, sounded more like an invitation to join a food co-op than a call to arms.
Roger Federer is Brilliant, But Don’t Ever Forget About Serena Williams By Mike Dang It’s always polarizing when you’re trying to designate a single athlete as the “Greatest of All Time.”
On Mastery: Learning Kyudo — One of Japan’s Oldest and Most Respected Martial Arts By Krista Stevens After a trip to Japan to improve her archery skills, Leigh Ann Henion realizes that achievement with the bow and arrow comes only after mastering one’s mind.
A Scam Artist’s Sham Charity Stole Millions from Unsuspecting Victims By Aaron Gilbreath The mystery of how a con man created a nonprofit to steal millions of dollars.
Peanut Butter and Jelly: The NBA’s Secret Addiction By Krista Stevens The secret sweet and salty comfort food that fuels the NBA? None other than the lowly, delicious, peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind By Michelle Weber Sam Kriss, in a post he calls his “magnum opus” in The Outline, explores the age-old warning not to stare directly at the sun.
MAWA! The Christian Alt-Right Wants to Make America White Again By Michelle Weber Sarah Posner introduces some of the main players in “alt-right Christianity” in her exploration of American Evangelicals’ embrace of Trump.
On Being Trans, Disabled and Using the Washroom: ‘I have a right to exist safely in public spaces.’ By Krista Stevens Christian McMahon so rightly reminds us that everyone has “a right to exist safely in public spaces.”
Searching for the Lost on Public Land By Aaron Gilbreath At Outside, the disappearance of a teenage runner in Colorado brings up the question: Who searches for the people who disappear on American public lands?
Who’s Been Seeding the Alt-Right? Follow the Money to Robert Mercer By Michelle Weber Jane Mayer profiles hedge fund manager, alt-right supporter, political funder, and Ayn Rand-wannabe Robert Mercer in the New Yorker.
Am I in an Abusive Relationship? ‘I knew if I had to ask I already knew the answer.’ By Krista Stevens Katherine Laidlaw recalls an abusive relationship in which her boyfriend threatened her with a boxcutter.