A Broken System

An investigation into Florida’s laxly supervised state-contracted group homes finds teen prostitution, drug use, and zero accountability.

Published: Aug 11, 2015
Length: 19 minutes (4,800 words)

The Ghostly Love Triangle of the Mission School

Married artists Margaret Kilgallen and Barry McGee were progenitors of San Francisco’s Mission School movement. After Kilgallen died at 33, Clare Rojas married her husband, adopted her daughter, and inherited an artistic legacy.

Source: The New Yorker
Published: Aug 10, 2015
Length: 23 minutes (5,950 words)

Slow Poison

“I can no more safely forget racism than a sea captain can forget about waves and weather.”

Published: Aug 15, 2015
Length: 8 minutes (2,176 words)

A Reading List for My 25-Year-Old Self

This list is a birthday gift to myself and, I hope, of use to you, too. It’s a mix of practical advice for freelancing, things that make me feel good, and examples of excellent writing. I included advice from professional women who get shit done, slideshows, links to YouTube videos, interviews with my favorite celebs, and other stuff.

Source: Longreads
Published: Aug 16, 2015

Inside Amazon: Wrestling Big Ideas in a Bruising Workplace

“Nearly every person I worked with, I saw cry at their desk.”

Published: Aug 15, 2015
Length: 26 minutes (6,611 words)

Hygge: The Dark Side of Danish Comfort, a Story by Dorthe Nors

“I first came across the intriguingly sparse work of Dorthe Nors in the pages of the literary magazine, A Public Space. And then the magazine went on to publish her first short story collection translated into English, Karate Chop, in partnership with Graywolf Press, and it became one of my favorite books last year. Although her stories are quite short, they are flashes of sharp and bright light into the otherwise obscure and dark corners of life.”

Source: Longreads
Published: Aug 15, 2015
Length: 7 minutes (1,904 words)

Why Taylor Woolrich Wanted A Gun

After being relentlessly stalked by an older man and finding no protection from the legal system, a Dartmouth student becomes an unlikely gun-rights poster girl when she fights for permission to carry a gun on campus.

Source: BuzzFeed
Published: Aug 14, 2015

The Roller Rink Origins of N.W.A.

A brief history of Skateland, the Compton roller rink where N.W.A. hung out and performed early shows.

Author: Sam Sweet
Published: Aug 14, 2015
Length: 10 minutes (2,575 words)

Hellbent, but Not Broken

What it’s like to race in the 445-mile Yukon River Quest—paddling through pain and hallucinations.

Source: SB Nation
Published: Aug 14, 2015
Length: 27 minutes (6,904 words)

The Ghosts of Pickering Trail

How do you quantify the lost value of houses in which violent crimes have been committed? A family discovers an answer with the help of a real estate expert who specializes in appraising stigmatized property.

Source: The Atavist
Published: Aug 11, 2015
Length: 39 minutes (9,761 words)