The Queen of the Night

Our latest Longreads Exclusive is the first chapter from The Queen of the Night, the much-anticipated second novel by award-winning writer Alexander Chee.

Published: Jan 26, 2016
Length: 21 minutes (5,292 words)

It’s Always Sunny in ‘Philadelphia’

How Philadelphia Magazine rose while the city’s newspapers floundered and its alt-weekly fell.

Source: The Awl
Published: Jan 21, 2016
Length: 18 minutes (4,528 words)

Brandenburg’s Dream

From Napster to Spotify, the story of how music got “free.”

Published: Jan 7, 2016
Length: 13 minutes (3,272 words)

Who Knows Best

The story of 19-year-old woman who had her daughter taken away from her because the state had decided her intellectual disability made her unfit to be a mother.

Published: Jan 25, 2016
Length: 30 minutes (7,564 words)

Danny Thompson Drives Like a Bat Out of Hell

Danny Thompson is 66 years old and chasing the piston driven world land speed record. It’s a drive he inherited from his father, Mickey, a 1960s racing pioneer.

Author: Matt McCue
Source: Longreads
Published: Jan 25, 2016
Length: 8 minutes (2,136 words)

Should Fiction Be Timeless?

On the place of pop culture references in literature.

Published: Jan 19, 2016
Length: 8 minutes (2,094 words)

The Confessions of R. Kelly

R. Kelly gave GQ reporter Chris Heath three days to interview him without any restrictions. The results are illuminating, if not occasionally baffling.

Source: GQ
Published: Jan 22, 2016
Length: 44 minutes (11,000 words)

No Parking Here

Clive Thompson investigates how the rise of autonomous cars, and Americans’ desire to live in more walkable cities, will mean no longer having to set aside vast amounts of land for parking lots.

Source: Mother Jones
Published: Jan 20, 2016
Length: 19 minutes (4,773 words)

When Home Birth Goes Wrong

A harrowing look at what can happen when a home birth goes wrong, and the limited training required for midwifes in some states.

Published: Jan 18, 2016
Length: 11 minutes (2,866 words)

How Quiksilver Lost Its Soul and Ended Up in Bankruptcy Court

The story of surf mega-brand Quiksilver, from its 1970s beginnings to early-aughts dominance—and eventual bankruptcy.

Source: OC Weekly
Published: Jan 28, 2016
Length: 13 minutes (3,359 words)