The Last European

A nearly sleepless 50-hour journey across Europe in an overstuffed old green Mercedes Sprinter van, as Viktor Talic ferries Romanians across the continent towards the promise of jobs in the West.

Source: Spiegel
Published: Jul 22, 2015
Length: 16 minutes (4,100 words)

In the Grand Scheme of Things

What one mother learned after she discovered her daughter had albinism.

Source: Longreads
Published: Aug 4, 2015
Length: 10 minutes (2,634 words)

Welcome to Libertarian Summer Camp

Livia Gershon on drugs, philosophy, and guns at “the freest place on Earth”—a weeklong Libertarian summer camp.

Source: Maxim
Published: Jul 23, 2015
Length: 10 minutes (2,605 words)

Wet Hot American Jewish Summer Camp

Josh Lambert on the Jewish heart (and humor) of Wet Hot American Summer and its recent Netflix revival.

Source: Tablet Magazine
Published: Jul 30, 2015
Length: 9 minutes (2,440 words)

The Cop

A profile of Darren Wilson, the former police officer who shot and killed Michael Brown in Ferguson. Says Wilson, “I’m not going to keep living in the past about what Ferguson did. It’s out of my control.”

Source: The New Yorker
Published: Aug 3, 2015
Length: 42 minutes (10,715 words)

The High Life and Fast Times of Jim Dent

The story of an admired Texas writer, his life derailed by alcoholism.

Source: D Magazine
Published: Aug 3, 2015
Length: 20 minutes (5,122 words)

Training Officers to Shoot First, and He Will Answer Questions Later

William J. Lewinski has become the go-to expert when it comes to defending police shootings in court, despite drawing conclusions that are unsupported by data.

Published: Aug 1, 2015
Length: 10 minutes (2,737 words)

The Minds Behind Diversity in Comics: A Reading List

The people interviewed and profiled in the following pieces–creators and critics who advocate for diversity and inclusion in pages and on-screen–are the real superheroes.

Source: Longreads
Published: Aug 2, 2015

The VidCon Revolution Isn’t Coming. It’s Here.

Kids these days: Lawson goes to Anaheim, California to attend Vidcon, an “annual meetup of digital video creators, fans, and profiteers,” to understand the growing market for young online content creators and the 16- to 22-year-old fans who love them.

Source: Vanity Fair
Published: Jul 31, 2015
Length: 18 minutes (4,610 words)

Rivers We Destroy: A Reading List

Rivers are forces of nature, but over time, humans have learned to harness their power and change their course — often for the worse. Here are four stories on how humans have changed local and regional river systems, and the disastrous and sometimes deadly consequences.

Source: Rolling Stone
Published: Jul 31, 2015