A Kink in the Hyperloop

In 2013, Elon Musk put together a detailed proposal for a futuristic 35-minute San Francisco—L.A. commute. The idea was open-sourced, and enthralled by Musk’s vision, a venture capitalist named Shervin Pishevar started a company to bring a version of the idea to life. Like many Silicon Valley stories, this one would contain speed bumps and internal turmoil.

Published: Oct 18, 2016
Length: 20 minutes (5,248 words)

Making Sense of Life In the Death Zone

I was just a few hours shy of the Earth’s summit and feeling deceptively strong. My blood was turning to sludge; my brain and lungs were slowly swelling as my heart pounded against my chest. I was dying, but I felt inspired. Optimistic even. I was three hundred metres into the Death Zone, yet still hours away from my goal.

Source: The Walrus
Published: Oct 19, 2016
Length: 7 minutes (1,964 words)

What I Learned About Love While Getting High

Veteran HIV/AIDS reporter and Christodora author Tim Murphy’s devastating recollection of a drug addled love affair he had with an older gay couple in the wake of 9/11.

Author: Tim Murphy
Source: BuzzFeed
Published: Oct 15, 2016
Length: 14 minutes (3,595 words)

Stay and Resist

Unlike many of her white Southern literary contemporaries, the writer Lillian Smith ignored easy magnolia-scented tropes in her work in order to confront the divided, racially charged heart of the American South.

Source: Oxford American
Published: Oct 13, 2016
Length: 25 minutes (6,454 words)

Bernie Looks Ahead

In an in-depth interview, Sanders offers a candid and passionate assessment of Trump, Clinton, and the future of his movement.

Author: Eric Bates
Published: Oct 17, 2016
Length: 26 minutes (6,523 words)

Contrast Study

“She woke up, but she woke up broken.” When Leslie Kendall Dye’s mother woke up after a massive brain bleed, she wasn’t the same mother.

Source: Vela Mag
Published: Dec 1, 2015
Length: 23 minutes (5,766 words)

On the Dark Side of Literary Fame

After publishing a critically acclaimed first novel, Merritt Tierce reflects on the harsh economic realities that all but a few best-selling authors face.

Source: Marie Claire
Published: Oct 16, 2016
Length: 6 minutes (1,657 words)

The White Flight of Derek Black

How the 27-year-old son of white nationalist leaders quit following his parents’ footsteps and began building bridges with the communities he previously worked to eliminate.

Author: Eli Saslow
Source: Washington Post
Published: Oct 15, 2016
Length: 25 minutes (6,254 words)

Mystic Nights

After Bob Dylan’s Nobel Prize win, it’s worth revisiting some of the early artistic efforts that got him there. Here’s a detailed account of the recording of his masterful 1966 album Blonde on Blonde, with all that record’s first scrapped attempts and captured 3AM magic.

Source: Oxford American
Published: Oct 1, 2007
Length: 26 minutes (6,606 words)

Present-Day Witchcraft: Seven Stories About Witches

Seven stories about the modern rituals of witchcraft and how they inform our past.

Source: Longreads
Published: Oct 17, 2016