“All over the world, tens of thousands of times a year, some doctor was trying to improve on some unsatisfying treatment for some deadly affliction. And no one was recording what had worked and what had not.”
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The Canary
“Christopher Mark, I decided, just had to have some deeply personal stake in the problem he solved. But then I found Christopher Mark’s number and called him.”
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Featuring stories by Michael Lewis, Patricia Wen, Ted Chiang, Katie Thornton, and Sarah Smarsh.
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Recommending notable stories by Kori Suzuki, D. Watkins, Mike Scalise, Emily Polk, and Vassi Chamberlain.
Chimes at Midnight
“It’s been an idea for over three decades. How did the clock that will run for 10,000 years become a reality?”
And the Nominees Are…
Hi there, Last week, the American Society of Magazine Editors announced the finalists for this year’s National Magazine Awards. At Longreads, the first thing we noticed was that our sister publication, The Atavist, was a finalist in the Profile category for the story “Coming to America.” The second thing we noticed was how many of […]
The Joy of Sweat and the Week’s Top 5
“To move in spin class only for the sake of moving, of the joyful challenge itself, of sweating and pushing and dancing, is cool water in my throat. To be loved, simply for showing up, is pure golden sun in my chest.” Happy Friday and welcome to (unofficial) autumn! If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere […]
Spiders as Unlikely Muses (and Our Top 5)
“When the spiders arrive in my dream, are they jolting me to risk vulnerability personally or creatively? I could stay inside collecting dust, or I could weave my web where others can see. If rejected, could I have the temerity to take the silk back, gobbling up my own words and trying again in some […]
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Showcasing stories from Ryu Spaeth, Kit Chellel, Dave Eggers, Holly Haworth, and John Semley.
On Resilience and Our Top 5
“It is hard, I think, to learn as an adult. This is not some profound statement. It just is. But it is not hard because of the fact of it; it is hard because learning anything means learning again how to learn. It’s not that riding a bike is hard; it’s that learning is hard. […]


