William Barber Takes on Poverty and Race in the Age of Trump
Jelani Cobb profiles the Rev. Dr. William Barber, who has worked for the past three years to revive Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Poor People’s Campaign.
The Promise of Vaping and the Rise of Juul
Nicotine vape devices were originally perceived as ways to help adults quit smoking actual cigarettes. Instead, American teens have embraced nicotine-delivery technology with a ferocity that has parents, pediatricians, and public schools scrambling for solutions.
Deana Lawson’s Kingdom of Restored Glory
Author Zadie Smith dives deep into the photography of Deana Lawson.
An MSG Convert Visits the High Church of Umami
If you love the satisfying, deep flavor of many umami-rich foods, you love MSG whether you know it or not. One fellow MSG fan made a pilgrimage to the company responsible for enhancing so much flavor, and enhancing life itself: Ajinomoto outside of Tokyo.
A Voyage Along Trump’s Wall
With a group that includes Teddy Roosevelt’s great-grandson and Senator Tom Udall, New Yorker writer Nick Paumgarten floats the most rugged section of the Rio Grande to see the canyon lands and wilderness experience that Trump’s border wall would destroy.
How Far Can Becky Hammon Go in the N.B.A.?
A WNBA legend and basketball Olympian, Becky Hammon made further history when she was hired as an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs, the first-ever female assistant on the NBA sidelines. And judging by her career trajectory, along with a nudge from coaching legend Gregg Popovich, she might as well be the first head coach.
The Silence: The Legacy of Childhood Trauma
Junot Diaz breaks his silence about being raped by a trusted adult when he was 8 years old — a horrific trauma that ended his childhood, destroyed his sense of self, prompted a suicide attempt, and has shaped every day of his life since.
Outside Voices
After never knowing a moment’s privacy, Sloane Crosley finally moves into the one-bedroom apartment of her dreams in the city that never sleeps. And then she never sleeps again, because all of her windows face Jared.
The White Darkness
David Grann tells the story of Henry Worsley, a British military man and “apostle” of polar adventurer Ernest Shackleton. Worsley earned fame by retracing Shackleton’s failed expedition to reach the South Pole. He, along with two teammates reached their destination on January 9th, 2009. A case study in the art of story pacing, this piece is a testament to the triumphs and perils of human ambition and endurance.
What Does It Mean to Die?
Though she was declared brain-dead by the hospital that treated her, Jahi McMath has remained on a ventilator for four years. Her family and a neurologist argue that she’s still very much alive, challenging the long-held notions of what it means to be dead.