Longreads features

My Unlikely Existence

Is AI helping prospective parents game the fertility lottery? Should it?

An Internet of Checkpoints

A mysterious YouTube video gave thousands of people a place to breathe. Then it vanished.

35 and 1

A brother lost, a son born, and the strange arithmetic of love.

Vigilantes at Dawn

A forgotten deportation, a family archive, and the cost of belonging.

The Endless Self

Exploring animal life beyond the limits of human understanding.

When Hannibal Lecter Took Over

With “The Silence of the Lambs” hitting theaters, Orion wanted a hit. They didn’t anticipate an antihero.

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Recent editors’ picks

The Devil’s Crown

Traci Brimhall | Virginia Quarterly Review | February 12, 2026 | 2,731 words

“The first time I try to visit the devil, I bring my son.”

You Could Be Next

Josh Dzieza | The Verge | March 10, 2026 | 6,404 words

“Laid-off lawyers, history PhDs, and scientists are now part of a miserable gig economy in which theyโ€™re teaching AI how to do their old jobs.”

Competitive Scrabble Is A Lexical Shitshow

Stefan Fatsis | Defector | March 12, 2026 | 5,013 words

“JAKER entered the pantheon of Scrabble Words Youโ€™ll Never Forget Because Something Weird Happened.”

Gout

Jan Steyn | The Dial | March 5, 2026 | 6,026 words

“What the disease taught me about language, inheritance and pain.”

Lost Recipes

Abe Beameย |ย Defectorย | March 5, 2026ย |ย  4,647 words

“The Mind Squad and editorial staff like theirsโ€”people who understood and loved the musicโ€”would create a new, vibrant, and deeply informed style of cultural journalism that defined an era.”

Sucker

McKay Coppins | The Atlantic | March 12, 2026 | 13,125 words

“My year as a degenerate gambler.”

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Weekly Top 5

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Excerpts from The Atavist Magazine, our sister publication

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 enamoredโ€”until they learned that the bandโ€™s leader ruled with an iron fist.

Anatomy of Absolute Power

The people of Wilcox County, Alabama, remember a longtime sheriff as a god or a monsterโ€”it just depends on who you ask.

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