After the Violence in ‘Football City, USA’

“A former NFL player killed seven people, including himself, in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Now this football-obsessed town is grappling with the game’s dark side.”

Author: Kent Babb
Published: May 18, 2021
Length: 16 minutes (4,000 words)

Sinead O’Connor Remembers Things Differently

“The mainstream narrative is that a pop star ripped up a photo of the pope on ‘Saturday Night Live’ and derailed her life. What if the opposite were true?”

Published: May 18, 2021
Length: 10 minutes (2,644 words)

Hall of Fame-Bound Tamika Catchings and Our Conversation That Affirmed Everything

“She weaponized her hearing loss on and off the court, defied its desire to define her.”

Source: ESPN
Published: May 15, 2021
Length: 9 minutes (2,431 words)

Only Shooting Stars Break the Mold: The Massive Musical Footprint of ‘Shrek’

““Shrek was the first animated picture to have, in its dialogue and in its music, pop references,” says Marylata Elton, Shrek’s music supervisor. “What ended up [happening] is that Shrek became pop culture itself.””

Source: The Ringer
Published: May 18, 2021
Length: 20 minutes (5,005 words)

The Bees In My Brain

“I’d sometimes wonder if my dad had bees of his own. Little creatures that spoke to him in his native tongue, telling him he wasn’t good enough, too.”

Published: May 12, 2021
Length: 8 minutes (2,161 words)

The Man Who Didn’t Invent Flamin’ Hot Cheetos

“He’s now retired in his early 60s, after a full career climbing the corporate ladder. Montañez made it, from rags to riches, from factory floor to corporate suite. He just didn’t make Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.”

Author: Sam Dean
Published: May 16, 2021
Length: 21 minutes (5,295 words)

Meet the Mystery Woman Who Mastered IBM’s 5,400-Character Chinese Typewriter

“Lois Lew operated the improbable, ill-fated machine with aplomb in presentations from Manhattan to Shanghai. 70-plus years later, she’s telling her story.”

Source: Fast Company
Published: May 17, 2021
Length: 14 minutes (3,643 words)

‘What Do They Do For Us?’: Why I Love Wasps and You Should Too

“But, given the importance of natural pollinators to our food security and the apparent declines of well-recognised pollinators like bees and hover flies, now would be a good time to start taking wasp pollination a bit more seriously.”

 

Source: The Independent
Published: May 15, 2021
Length: 13 minutes (3,378 words)

My Quest to Make My Dog Internet Famous

“When I spoke with several people behind some of Canada’s most influential dogs, agents and managers for pet influencers, and even researchers on canine-influencer culture, I began to understand. Whether they’re couch potatoes partnering with your favourite snack-food company or high-falutin divas posing beside expensive cars and decked out in the latest couture, pet celebrities have one thing in common: they are symbols of inspiration. Even if Belle was a dog, she needed to portray a life that could be. To be famous, she’d have to convince others she was already living the carefree millennial dream.”

 

Source: The Walrus
Published: May 17, 2021
Length: 8 minutes (2,138 words)

Hiding Out in Montana with Bill Pullman

“It’s been an overwhelming year—the isolation, the stalled shoots, the erosion of our democracy—but he finds that here in central Montana simpler conflicts abide.”

Source: GQ
Published: May 12, 2021
Length: 12 minutes (3,001 words)