Cheri Lucas Rowlands

Editor at Longreads

Cheri reads and edits stories across all subjects, and especially enjoys essays on the internet and technology that remind us of our shared humanity, stories about interesting communities, unexpected takes on identity and place, deep dives into your obsessions, and reported essays with strong personal narratives. She loves the chance to publish emerging writers with distinct, fresh voices. Please submit polished drafts for personal essays and detailed pitches for reported stories that show a specific angle into your subject. To get a sense of what Cheri reads and edits, browse these editors’ picks and original features she’s commissioned or written over the years.

Cheri’s recent editors’ picks

Asian Mothers, Bad Feelings: Notes on An All-conquering Stereotype

Rebecca Liu | The Guardian | April 28, 2026 | 4,482 words

“A certain image of the tiger mom— strict, cold and demanding—is ubiquitous in popular culture. Why?”

The Disappearance of the Public Bench

Gabrielle Bruney | Places Journal | April 21, 2026 | 7,497 words

“Benches are microcosms of an expansive debate about who belongs in urban public spaces. When they are removed or made uninviting, we lose more than just a place to rest.”

Creating Baby Geniuses to Thwart the AI Threat? (Yes, Really.)

Abby Vesoulis | Mother Jones | April 16, 2026 | 4,082 words

“The new wave of Silicon Valley–backed gene-editing startups is straight out of ‘Brave New World.’”

How to Begin

Jane O’Sullivan | The Sydney Review of Books | April 2, 2026 | 3,885 words

“Jane O’Sullivan on first lines in fiction.”

The Great Ozempic Experiment

Julia Belluz | The New York Times | April 15, 2026 | 4,101 words

“It’s a new era of D.I.Y. medicine. Now the health establishment needs to catch up.”

How Our Grandmothers Made Us and Saved Us

Angela Pelster | Orion | April 14, 2026 | 3,126 words

“What evolution owes aging women.”

Leaving America

Lindsey Tramuta | The Bitter Southerner | March 14, 2026 | 3,900 words

“Americans have always moved away. These days, expat Lindsey Tramuta writes, record numbers are leaving or planning to leave in search of health care, civil rights, freedoms, even safety. Does exiting the United States mean you’ve given up? Not necessarily.”