Recommending excellent stories by Alexia Fernández Campbell, April Simpson, and Pratheek Rebala; Michael Soffer; David Gambacorta; Jarod K. Anderson; and Claire L. Evans.
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A Reading List on Succession, Stories About Unnatural Disasters, and This Week’s Top 5
“These people may have all the money in the world, but as the last four seasons have shown us in vivid, lacerating detail, their cold, loveless lives inspire little envy.” Welcome to the weekend! The final episode of Succession airs this Sunday, and to mark the end of this show about TV’s most dysfunctional media-empire […]
How I Became a Pathological Liar
A writer who grew up in poverty describes how lying, at first a means of survival, transformed into something deeper and darker: I spun lies from truth with such skill that I sometimes lost track of which was which. Living with lies is much easier if you can manage to keep them simple. Selling them, […]
Part One: The Crossing
This essay concentrates on describing small details about the people caught up in the war in Ukraine — and there is an incredible poignancy in that. Two volunteer soldiers sat in a Volkswagen ahead of me, wearing uniforms cobbled together at army surplus. A man with ill-fitting fatigues and black boots stood next to one […]
Open to the Outlandish: A Conversation with Rebecca Renner
Brendan O’Meara talks to author and journalist Rebecca Renner about getting the first draft down, the importance of a strong editor, and how a story evolves from pitch to publication.
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
In this edition: ICE fighter, tectonic researcher, prairie preserver, regal grandmother, wild timekeeper.
Best of 2025: All Our Number Five Story Picks
Every story we selected for the number five slot in our weekly newsletter, in a handy digest.
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
In this edition: Bear bones, outstanding Outkast, Brightline’s brutality, lasting lunches, ruin ruminations, and more.
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Showcasing stories from Nicholas Hune-Brown, Nick Sturm, Samanth Subramanian, Kristin Idaszak, and Sy Safransky.
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This week, we feature stories from Gordy Megroz, Max Blau and Zaydee Sanchez, Brendan I. Koerner, Lora Eli Smith, and Pat Cassels.


