Why Am I So Fat?
Writer and performer Sara Benincasa writes a brilliant, biting, and hilarious response to the guy who wrote her asking, “Why did you gain so much weight?”
American Horror Story
“When I was a child, I always half-suspected that America wasn’t real.” Laurie Penny goes back stage at both conventions, and sees American myth-making in action.
The New Normal
A meditation on grief, from the late comedian Harris Wittels’ sister.
How Paper Magazine’s Web Engineers Scaled Kim Kardashian’s Back-End
An in-depth look at how publishers on the internet prepare for an explosion of traffic.
The Troll’s Lawyer
Tor Ekeland, unemployed and burned out from his job working at a corporate law firm, decided to defend Andrew Alan Escher Auernheimer, a Jew-hating hacktivist also known as weev, and challenge a sweeping computer crime law.
The First Record Producers
Writer and musician Bob Stanley vividly recounts the rise and fall of Phil Spector and Joe Meek.
Life Atop Ground Zero
“This is what it means to never forget.” #Sept11
The Aftershocks
Seven Italian scientists were convicted of manslaughter after a magnitude-6.2 earthquake hit the city of L’Aquila, killing 297 people and injuring thousands. Scientists across the globe are worried about the effect this case will have on experts who are asked to provide an opinion.
You’re 16. You’re a Pedophile. You Don’t Want to Hurt Anyone. What Do You Do Now?
Reporter Luke Malone talks to a teenager who, after realizing he is a pedophile, seeks help and starts a support group for people like him. “I asked them if they knew anyone like that, and a few weeks later I received an email. ‘My name is Adam,’ it read. ‘I’m 18 and non-exclusively attracted to boys and girls of all ages (particularly very young ones). I am the leader of a support group for non-offending pedophiles around my age… I would be very happy to talk with you.'” Warning: This story includes graphic details of child abuse.
Additional reading: The Awl’s Choire Sicha interviews Luke Malone about how he reported the story.
The Best-Selling, Billion-Dollar Pills Tested on Homeless People
The reporter speaks with people living in shelters—many of which have mental illnesses like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder—about their experiences with participating in pharmaceutical studies for money.