Spenser Mestel recalls the emotionally complicated day, two years ago, when the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage.
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The Story of a Marriage: Jenny Offill’s ‘Dept. of Speculation’
“The Buddhists say there are 121 states of consciousness. Of these, only three involve misery or suffering. Most of us spend our time moving back and forth between these three.” From Jenny Offill’s wonderful 2014 novel Dept. of Speculation — the story of a married couple in Brooklyn, told through snippets of wisdom, anger, love, and bedbugs. In […]
Longreads Best of 2016: Food Writing
We asked a few writers and editors to choose some of their favorite stories of the year in various categories. Here, the best in food writing.
On Becoming a Woman Who Knows Too Much
Through my education I’d become a trusted source of specialized knowledge. But how could I become the kind of leader who is surrounded with people like me?
In 1971, the People Didn’t Just March on Washington — They Shut It Down
The most influential large-scale political action of the ’60s was actually in 1971, and you’ve never heard of it. It was called the Mayday action, and it provides invaluable lessons for today.
Ruback
A newspaper journalist’s attempt to correct the record.
Letter to an Ex, on the Occasion of His Suicide
In the wake of a troubled ex-lover’s suicide, novelist Masha Hamilton tries to make sense of it in a correspondence to his ghost.
America’s First Addiction Epidemic
The alcohol epidemic devastated Native American communities, leading to crippling poverty, astonishingly high mortality rates — and a successful sobriety movement.
Longreads Best of 2016: Science Writing
We asked a few writers and editors to choose some of their favorite stories of the year in various categories. Here, the best in science writing.
Flying Solo
Jen Doll tries to make sense of a breakup that happened the day before a romantic vacation — and blindsided her in the same ways the presidential election did.
