Thirty-Three Hit Wonder

A profile of Billy Joel, resident of Long Island who takes a helicopter ride to his monthly job at Madison Square Garden.

Source: The New Yorker
Published: Oct 20, 2014
Length: 41 minutes (10,384 words)

Life’s Swell

The Outside magazine article that inspired the movie ‘Blue Crush.’

Source: Outside
Published: Sep 1, 1998

Office Politics

How the Business-Industry Political Action Committee is teaching corporate America how to make sure its employees vote for the right candidates and causes.

Source: Salon
Published: Oct 15, 2014
Length: 15 minutes (3,827 words)

By Noon They’d Both Be in Heaven

The story of Kelli Stapleton, who attempted to kill her autistic daughter.

Published: Oct 19, 2014
Length: 30 minutes (7,708 words)

The Intersection Between Religion and Mental Health: A Reading List

This week, I’ve compiled four pieces about the intersection of religion, mental illness, safe spaces and alternative caregiving.

Source: Longreads
Published: Oct 19, 2014

Eye of the Storm

Following the shooting of Michael Brown, the Ferguson Burger Bar & More has become a community gathering place to serve food and facilitate conversation.

Published: Oct 17, 2014
Length: 27 minutes (6,779 words)

Bias in the Box

For capital juries across America, race still plays a role in who gets to serve—and inevitably, who gets sentenced to death.

Source: VQR
Published: Oct 9, 2014
Length: 45 minutes (11,490 words)

Rental America: Why the Poor Pay $4,150 for a $1,500 Sofa

Rent-to-own stores offer low-income Americans a chance to own some of the material rewards of a middle class life—but at a much higher price.

Source: Washington Post
Published: Oct 16, 2014
Length: 8 minutes (2,200 words)

In Conversation: Sam Lipsyte and Diane Cook

Writers Sam Lipsyte and Diane Cook correspond with one another about their craft. Cook compares what it was like putting together stories as a producer for This American Life to writing stories for herself.

Source: Granta
Published: Oct 9, 2014
Length: 9 minutes (2,412 words)

Nightmare at the Picasso Museum

Closed for the past five years and marred by scandal and crisis, the Picasso Museum is finally ready to reopen its doors. But has the bitter struggle for Picasso’s legacy been resolved?

Source: The Guardian
Published: Oct 16, 2014
Length: 24 minutes (6,075 words)