The Charmed Life of Esther the Wonder Pig

In 2012, Steve Jenkins and Derek Walter adopted a twenty-centimeter, six-month-old ‘mini pig’ that they named Esther. However, it turned out that their new pet was, in fact, a commercial pig that reached a sturdy 650 pounds. This did not stop her proud new parents from letting Esther share their home and documenting her adventures on social media. Close to a million and a half people now follow the pampered life of Esther on Facebook, about half a million on Instragram, and 50,000 on Twitter. Esther becoming a social media phenomenon has meant millions of people have started to care about the welfare of pigs, and by extension, all animals, in a way that was previously impossible.

Source: The Walrus
Published: Jul 6, 2019
Length: 21 minutes (5,441 words)

The Tow Truck Turf War and the Driver Left for Dead

In Pittsburgh’s cutthroat towing business, “crash chasers” sabotage competitors, employ “enforcers” to intimidate each other, and fight on the scene with disturbing regularity. For new driver and new father, Jason Stotlemyer, one job nearly turned deadly.

Source: Narratively
Published: Jul 11, 2019
Length: 7 minutes (1,967 words)

Whole 60

For the Fine Lines series, Laura Lippman writes about her own unique diet plan, which requires that you eat whatever you want whenever you want to eat it, and declare yourself beautiful.

Source: Longreads
Published: Jul 16, 2019
Length: 14 minutes (3,660 words)

An Epidemic of Disbelief

““This heffer is trippin… She was clean and smellin good, ain’t no way that shit happened like she said.” Defense witness trying to discredit a rape victim? No, a detective’s notes on a 14-year-old sexual assault victim.

Source: The Atlantic
Published: Jul 15, 2019
Length: 31 minutes (7,862 words)

The California Coast Is Disappearing Under the Rising Sea. Our Choices Are Grim

The Golden State’s development coincided with an brief period of coastal calm, making the shoreline seem more stable than it is. Now that erosion, flooding, and rising sea levels are reshaping California’s coast, how will residents confront their new disturbing reality? Seawalls and sandbags can only protect so much.

Published: Jul 7, 2019
Length: 29 minutes (7,398 words)

The Offer of a Two-Night Stand, When Just One Would Do

In this personal essay, a guide in Puerto Rico inadvertently leads Suzanne Roberts to stop collecting men as if they were souvenirs.

Source: Longreads
Published: Jul 15, 2019
Length: 18 minutes (4,525 words)

The Empire Strikes Back: “Atomic Dog” and the Rebirth of Parliament-Funkadelic in the Early 1980s

In a career made as much of music as ups and downs, the story of how one song revitalized George Clinton’s career is one of the most surprising.

Published: May 22, 2019
Length: 13 minutes (3,338 words)

The Cost of Reading

Ayşegül Savaş contemplates the way women’s and men’s time is valued and the uneven burden taken by women writers in literary citizenship.

Source: Longreads
Published: Jul 12, 2019
Length: 15 minutes (3,811 words)

Road Tripping With the Amazon Nomads

Capitalism is one strange beast.

Source: The Verge
Published: Jul 10, 2019
Length: 13 minutes (3,460 words)

The Young Hands That Feed Us

You buy cage-free eggs, free-range beef, hormone-free milk. What about produce that was grown without injuring a migrant or depriving a kid of a normal childhood?

Published: Jul 9, 2019
Length: 25 minutes (6,302 words)