Tomorrow’s Generation

The African Leadership Academy—a two-year pre-university program in South Africa—aims to educate the continent’s most promising young students. Highly competitive scholarships come with a catch: students must commit to staying and working in Africa after graduating from university. Reifenberg looks at the Academy’s relationship with the University of Notre Dame, as well as its broad mission to create a generation of future leaders.

Published: Jul 6, 2015
Length: 14 minutes (3,610 words)

Whale Watch

On the trail of an elusive marine mammal.

Source: Orion Magazine
Published: Sep 2, 2015
Length: 17 minutes (4,486 words)

Children of the Tribes

A harrowing investigation into child abuse masked as religious practice in the Twelve Tribes sect.

Published: Sep 1, 2015
Length: 27 minutes (6,840 words)

That Which Divides Us

A look at the history of racial and economic segregation in the city of Cincinnati.

Source: CityBeat
Published: Aug 26, 2015
Length: 20 minutes (5,183 words)

Welcome to Liberland

An attempt to build a libertarian paradise on a small plot of land between Serbia and Croatia, on the western bank of the Danube.

Published: Sep 1, 2015
Length: 36 minutes (9,167 words)

If You’re Lying About Being a Navy SEAL, This Man Will Catch You

Retired Navy SEAL Don Shipley became a YouTube sensation for busting people who falsely claimed to be Navy Seals. But Shipley does more than just bust phonies; he also runs a bootcamp for civilians who want a taste of SEAL training.

Source: Washingtonian
Published: Aug 30, 2015
Length: 24 minutes (6,230 words)

When Disaster Strikes, Museums Call In The A-Team

It’s not quite as catchy as Ghostbusters, but when a museum or cultural institution is at risk the American Institute for Conservation Collections Emergency Response Team (also known as AIC-CERT) gets called. Andy Wright looks at what it takes to protect a museum’s collection when disaster strikes.

Source: Atlas Obscura
Published: Aug 26, 2015
Length: 8 minutes (2,200 words)

The Girl Who Slept with God

An excerpt from Val Brelinski’s debut novel, about three daughters who’ve been raised by devout evangelical Christians in Idaho.

Published: Sep 1, 2015
Length: 8 minutes (2,100 words)

Back in the USSR: A Reading List

The stories in this reading list — from a haunting travelogue through an abandoned Soviet mining town in the Arctic to Boym’s account of Moscow’s 850th anniversary celebrations in 1997 — take us on a ride through the park’s gaudily uncanny landscapes.

Source: Longreads
Published: Sep 1, 2015

The End of Walking

Are Americans sacrificing their right to walk? On the culture war against walkability, and what it says about our health, communities, and humanity.

Source: Aeon
Published: Aug 20, 2015
Length: 13 minutes (3,300 words)