Recent editors’ picks

The Babies Left Behind in America

Caitlin Dickerson | The Atlantic | September 28, 2026 | 6,700 words

“The United States is deporting parents without their children, creating a whole new family-separation crisis.”

You Should’ve Said Something

Derek Askey | The Sun | July 31, 2026 | 5,404 words

“I had to do everything the jurors did—sit in every court session, examine each piece of evidence, look out from the jury box every day at a man accused of murder—but I wouldn’t participate in the deliberation unless two jurors dropped out.”

Dusklands

J. M. Coetzee and F. M. Siccardi | Equator | September 9, 2026 | 3,378 words

“Growing up in the shadow of genocide.”

Oh, How Lucky We Are

Beryl Gilothwest | The Bitter Southerner | September 21, 2026 | 5,230 words

“Sandy West believed that embracing what we cannot understand is the pathway to enlightenment, and that time on her beloved Ossabaw was the best way to learn that lesson.”

Heaven’s Melodic Strains

Colin Vanderburg | n+1 | September 19, 2026 | 6,474 words

“From a certain height, the problem becomes one of knowledge itself: Do you believe what you hear, or do you hear what you believe?”

My Two Front Teeth

Joshua Bodwell | The American Scholar | September 17, 2026 | 5,423 words

“Reflections on a lifetime of dental drama.”

The Top 5 Longreads of the Week

Showcasing stories from J.B. MacKinnon, Daniel Kolitz, Daniel Shailer, Justin Neuman, and Hanif Abdurraqib.

The Top 5 Longreads of the Week

Recommending stories by Garrett M. Graff, Hannah McAlilly, Lizzy Goodman, Simon Hattenstone, and Duncan Fyfe.

The Top 5 Longreads of the Week

Showcasing stories from Andrew Fedorov, Shayla Love, Malcolm Johnston, Erin Somers, and Chris Stanton.

The Top 5 Longreads of the Week

Recommending stories from Emi Nietfeld, Brendan Borrell, Boyce Upholt, Fernando Pinho, and Vann R. Newkirk II.

Recent editors’ picks

Impossibility is a Myth

Jack Jeffery and Abraham Elton | The Fence | September 18, 2026 | 6,803 words

“Sacha Jafri sold an artwork for $62 million dollars in 2021 at an auction. But the money never changed hands. What happened?”

Annie Dillard and the Writing Life

Alexander Chee | The Morning News | October 16, 2009 | 4,253 words

“Writers aren’t born, they’re made—from practice, reading, and a lot of caffeine. And sometimes tutelage.”

The Incredible Journey of a Migratory Shorebird

Rivka Galchen | The New Yorker | September 14, 2027 | 5,727 words

“Godwits make the longest non-stop migration in the bird world. That might be the least of their marvels. Can they survive a changing planet?”

Where Cities and Oceans Meet

Brad Bolman | Pioneer Works Broadcast | September 16, 2026 | 2,954 words

“In New Orleans, water is coming. What should we do with the time we have left?”

On Not Being a Homeowner

Anna Holmes | The New Yorker | September 12, 2026 | 2,964 words

“Generational wealth shapes our futures and friendships, whether we talk about it or not.”

Tomato Cure

Seth Kaplan | Orion Magazine | September 16, 2026 | 1,700 words

“The quiet medicine of small jobs, finished before dark.”

No, But

Dennis M. Hogan | The Baffler | September 1, 2026 | 6,275 words

“What was improv?”

Murder-in-Law

Katherine Laidlaw | Toronto Life | September 14, 2026 | 6,650 words

“The twisted story of a domestic contract killing.”

Shetland’s Most Wanted

Daniel Shailer | The Fence | September 7, 2026 | 2,385 words

“A series of encounters with an unlikely band of separatists.”

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