The Death Penalty on Display

At The Texas Observer, Robin Ross writes on the rise of dark tourism — the macabre fascination with the Huntsville’s Texas Prison Museum — site of America’s first lethal injection.

Published: Apr 22, 2016
Length: 16 minutes (4,000 words)

The Lonely Hurt of Beautiful Things

“Being black, and thinking about race all the time, means that there’s a moment where you start to worry that you’re just making things up, imagining racial problems where none exist.”

Source: MTV
Published: Apr 20, 2016
Length: 7 minutes (1,933 words)

Chicago After Laquan McDonald

A shocking video of a police officer shooting a black teenager 16 times has led activists in Chicago to fight for change and the city’s government and police department to scrutinize its own long history of racist policing and misconduct.

Author: Ben Austen
Published: Apr 20, 2016
Length: 26 minutes (6,549 words)

Prince: 1958-2016

Prince, the singer, songwriter, producer, and rock star, died this week at the age of 57. Here are six stories about the legendary musician.

Source: Longreads
Published: Apr 21, 2016

Can Ocean Spray CEO Randy Papadellis Save the Cranberry Business?

Ocean Spray CEO Randy Papadellis once rescued the cranberry industry by popularizing “Craisins.” Can he rescue them again?

Source: Boston Magazine
Published: Apr 17, 2016
Length: 19 minutes (4,754 words)

Weed Reads: A Reading List About Marijuana

For your April 20th, here are eight reads on cannabis, from one writer’s journey into America’s first legal pot festival in Colorado to a profile on a scientist researching safe pesticide use in Washington State.

Source: Longreads
Published: Apr 20, 2016

Why Is There a Patient Cap on Medication Used to Treat Heroin Addicts?

At Guernica, Lucas Mann (who lost his brother to heroin addiction) writes on why abstinence and methadone don’t work and how doctors are failing in their fight against arbitrary, DEA-enforced patient caps on buprenorphine — a promising treatment for heroin addiction.

Author: Lucas Mann
Published: Apr 20, 2016
Length: 24 minutes (6,098 words)

The Secret Shame of Middle-Class Americans

Nearly half of Americans would have trouble finding $400 to pay for an emergency. Neal Gabler examines his own history of financial mistakes, as well as the inability of many Americans to save money no matter how much they earn, and the rising costs of health care, child care, and education.

Source: The Atlantic
Published: Apr 19, 2016
Length: 24 minutes (6,124 words)

A Dead Superhero Is a Marvelous Corpse

A theory of superhero suffering and death.

Source: NYU Press
Published: Jan 1, 2016
Length: 26 minutes (6,662 words)

The 2016 Pulitzer Prize Winners

The 2016 Pulitzer Prizes winners have been announced. Here’s a collection of some of the stories from this year’s honorees, including, The Tampa Bay Times, The Washington Post, ProPublica, and more.

Source: Longreads
Published: Apr 18, 2016