The Meaning of Serena Williams

On tennis and black excellence.

Published: Aug 25, 2015
Length: 13 minutes (3,362 words)

Pablo Escobar Will Never Die

The Colombian cartel boss who once supplied 80 percent of America’s cocaine has become an unlikely tourist draw. Jesse Katz looks at how Pablo Escobar’s legacy has evolved in the twenty years since his death, with a focus on how it manifests in Medellín.

Author: Jesse Katz
Source: GQ
Published: Aug 24, 2015
Length: 15 minutes (3,872 words)

Hook, Line, and Sinker

A Maine treasure hunter told investors he’d found the world’s richest shipwreck off the coast of Cape Cod. Was it a scam?

Source: Boston Magazine
Published: Aug 26, 2015
Length: 27 minutes (6,800 words)

Dinner and Deception

A former waiter describes what goes on behind the scenes at an ultra-fancy New York City restaurant, and the emptiness of days spent serving elaborate meals to the super-rich.

Published: Aug 22, 2015
Length: 9 minutes (2,270 words)

Devices of Wonder

How an artist named Lauren Bon is reimagining the Los Angeles Aqueduct.

Source: VQR
Published: Jul 1, 2015
Length: 12 minutes (3,130 words)

Coming Sept. 24: A Special Longreads Live Storytelling Night in New York City

Save the date! On Sept. 24, Longreads is presenting a night of live storytelling with the theme of “Change: stories about change and the stories that have changed us.”

Author: Editors
Source: Longreads
Published: Aug 25, 2015

Slender Man Is Watching

Two 12-year-old girls stabbed their friend for a fictional internet horror creature named Slender Man. Miller goes through court files to try to understand why.

Published: Aug 25, 2015
Length: 23 minutes (5,990 words)

The Lost Summer

Every year America’s schools shut down for nearly three months—leaving families like single mother Olympia and her 6-year-old daughter Raina struggling to keep up.

Source: Longreads
Published: Aug 25, 2015
Length: 15 minutes (3,841 words)

How Bootleggers and Brands Became the Biggest Foe for Graffiti Artists

Forget the police—Is copyright the next legal battle for graffiti artists?

Source: Village Voice
Published: Aug 13, 2015
Length: 12 minutes (3,112 words)

Who Won Science Fiction’s Hugo Awards, and Why It Matters

Controversy at the Hugo Awards, which has been plagued by accusations by a faction of mostly white male authors who argue that storytelling has taken a backseat to identity politics.

Source: Wired
Published: Aug 24, 2015
Length: 18 minutes (4,708 words)