Between the Wolf in the Tall Grass and the Wolf in the Tall Story “It’s hard to escape the conclusion that the unconscious is laboring under a moral compulsion to educate us.” —Cormac McCarthy, “The Kekulé Problem,” Nautilus, April 20, 2017 I. The Smartest Person in the Room I often say that one of the […]
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Posted inEditor's Pick, Essays & Criticism, Nonfiction
Helping My Son Choose Between the Cub Scouts and His Beliefs about God
Kate Abbott thought the Cub Scouts would be a great place for her son to make friends. Then they came across the ‘Duty to God’ requirements.
Posted inNonfiction, Story
Can Love Sparked at Burning Man Last in Everyday Life?
Maria Finn tries to make sense of the euphoric love she experienced at the annual festival in Black Rock City, while she was grieving her brother’s suicide.
Posted inCrime, Nonfiction
The Third Life of Richard Miles
Richard Miles spent 15 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. The state of Texas compensated Miles for his wrongful conviction, but life after vindication has come with its own set of challenges.
Posted inEditor's Pick, Essays & Criticism, Nonfiction, Unapologetic Women
Assertiveness Training
Susan Sheu considers her estrangement from her conservative mom, who tried to teach her to stand up and be heard in a male-dominated world — but not to be too unladylike about it.
Posted inBlog Post, Reading List
The 2017 National Magazine Award Winners: A Reading List
Congrats to this year’s winners!
Posted inNonfiction, Story, Uncategorized
Reflections of an Accidental Florist
When a painter stumbles into a floral career, she sees the ugly truth behind a colorful, fragrant industry.
Posted inCurrent Events, Nonfiction, Standout, Story
Father of Migrants
“When it comes to the human body, everything can be trafficked. Migrants are a product in a system that breaks them down into lucrative parts, often until there is nothing left.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Man Who Created Bigfoot
When two Washington State cowboys went to Northern California in 1967 in search of the mythical Bigfoot, they shot some of the most scrutinized film in cryptozoology history, and created their own myth. This is the story of one of the gods in Bigfoot-hunting, “the original seer: the man who witnessed the unthinkable, who lived […]
Posted inEssays & Criticism, Nonfiction
Bootlegging Jane’s Addiction
Aaron Gilbreath considers the impact a live Jane’s Addiction recording has had on him, and the effect heroin had on the band’s — and his own — creativity.
