A fascinating look at the 19th-century tradition of collecting seaweed and pressing it into the pages of a book — a pastime so celebrated that Queen Victoria herself reportedly made one as a young girl and gifted it to the queen of Portugal: Nineteenth-century seaweed albums have a baked-in melancholy. Despite the best intentions, they […]
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Posted inUncategorized
March 4, 2025
Hi *|FNAME|*, I’m reaching out because you’re a recent supporter of Longreads—so, first off, thank you. However, as you may have noticed, your last scheduled payment never went through. That’s not your fault. It’s ours. Last summer, when we migrated our members to a new payment platform, we were unable to transfer some existing payment […]
Posted inEditor's Pick
Me and My Truck: A Love Story
In this essay, Christian Wallace manages to deftly tell his life story through the memories he shares with his beloved 2005 GMC Sierra. My friends back home were impressed, maybe even a little jealous. It was the first truck many of us had ever sat in that had heated seats. When we’d make excursions to […]
Posted inEditor's Pick
Hollywood’s Being Reshaped by Generative AI. What Does That Mean for Screenwriters?
“As AI creeps further into Hollywood, screenwriters like Billy Ray, Paul Schrader, Bong Joon Ho and Todd Haynes, along with a new class of tech disruptors, are navigating the uncertain future of storytelling.”
Posted inTop 5
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Showcasing stories from Jelani Cobb, Taylor Lorenz, Jack Shafer, and Max Tani; Nylah Iqbal Muhammad; Irina Dumitrescu; Leo Robson; and Caitlin Moran.
Posted inEditor's Pick
How My Mother’s Dying Wish Took My Family to Antarctica
“What I thought was a burden was a tether across death’s divide.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Get in, Loser—We’re Chasing a Waymo Into the Future
Tailing a robotaxi for hours and hours is weird. And revelatory. And jealousy-inducing. But a driverless world is coming for all of us. So close the door and buckle up.
Posted inFeature
Her Greatest Hits
“Maybe it’s only when you don’t know what you are listening for that you find what you were waiting all along to discover.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Losers Keepers
“Better to imagine some subterranean Gollum crooning over my memories than to accept them being lost completely.”
