The Untold History of Aretha Franklin’s Irrevocable ‘Respect’

On the enduring power of “one of the best female anthems of all time.”

Source: Elle
Published: Apr 8, 2016
Length: 10 minutes (2,552 words)

The Fight for the Future of NPR

Two decades ago, the median age of NPR’s audience was 45. Today it’s 54. Will it find a way to reach new, younger audiences?

Source: Slate
Published: Apr 10, 2016
Length: 17 minutes (4,435 words)

The Fire Inside

How did a county in Florida find itself in the middle of a heroin epidemic?

Source: Tampa Bay Times
Published: Mar 30, 2016
Length: 24 minutes (6,051 words)

How They Disappeared: A Reading List

Disappearance takes many forms. It can be self-imposed (going off the grid), a medical metaphor (dementia, amnesia or Alzheimer’s) or an act of violence (kidnapping, murder, conspiracy).

Source: Longreads
Published: Apr 10, 2016

The Throwaways

Chadburn’s beautiful, brutal essay pairs memories of poverty and the foster care system with an unlikely clarion call: pay your taxes. “Taxes are revolutionary,” she writes. “When I pay my taxes I am telling my community I value you.”

Source: The Rumpus
Published: Jan 25, 2012
Length: 19 minutes (4,876 words)

‘He Brutalized For You’

How did Donald Trump become Donald Trump? It seems infamous Joseph McCarthy henchman Roy Cohn had quite a bit to do with it. Kruse traces how Cohn became a mentor to Trump, and the impact the friendship had on Trump’s persona and tactics.

Source: Politico
Published: Apr 9, 2016
Length: 14 minutes (3,584 words)

Dave Morton Is Quitting Everest. Maybe. (It’s Complicated.)

A veteran mountain guide reconsiders his life’s work on Mount Everest after years of witnessing the tragic loss of everyone from outfitters and Sherpas to would-be climbers.

Author: Abe Streep
Source: Outside
Published: Apr 4, 2016
Length: 21 minutes (5,461 words)

Something Uneasy in the Los Angeles Air

An investigation into the history, science, and psychology of Los Angeles’ notorious Santa Ana winds.

Source: Curbed LA
Published: Apr 6, 2016
Length: 11 minutes (2,892 words)

What Ever Happened to Planet Vulcan?

The story of the planet closest to our sun, aptly named Vulcan, which accidentally existed for half a century.

Source: Random House
Published: Apr 7, 2016
Length: 29 minutes (7,305 words)

Johnson & Johnson Has a Baby Powder Problem

More than 1,000 women are suing the company for failure to warn women of the potential risk of ovarian cancer linked to Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder.

Published: Mar 31, 2016
Length: 17 minutes (4,400 words)