Conversations and revelations about an ailing nation along Interstate 95.
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The Secret Door
“When we read, we make believe. We aren’t duped or ensorcelled. Deep down we decide. We make ourselves believe.”
The Wonder of Make Believe
In this excerpt, Mac Barnett recalls how dull “early reader” books inspired him to write books for kids.
Twenty Years Later: A 9/11 Reading List
Six stories on the immediate and ongoing aftermath of the attacks that took place on September 11th, 2001.
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This week, we’re sharing stories from Laura Nahmias, Victor Luckerson, Arianne Shahvisi, Roberto José Andrade Franco, and Apoorva Tadepalli.
Hope in the Heartland and the Week’s Top 5
“She didn’t tell her customers that, the day before, when she was cutting parsley for an herb and cheese focaccia, she had to pause to stop tears from falling into the parsley. How the half-cut stems and greens transported her to a kitchen in Gaza City’s al-Rimal neighborhood, nearly 10 years before, when her grandmother […]
This Week: Rituals, Emoji, and a Cold Case
“Ritual is an urge and an act; it’s an aesthetic gesture. As an adult I established the habit of turning my attention to those subtle seasonal details and recording them. I was loving and honoring the land, but this practice still left something undone. A certain clarity, maybe formality. Something like a frame around a […]
Where We Belong and Our Top 5
“With this 11-a-side tournament, these young men would be the first to carry their nation onto an international stage. It seemed fitting that it would happen here in Springdale, home to the largest population of Marshallese anywhere outside the islands.” This week at Longreads, I’ve been thinking about our sense of place. It’s something I […]
Suspended Falling: A Reading List on Walking
After seven million years of evolution, walking feels as natural as breathing. But as our environments evolve, so do our ways of walking through them.
‘We Are Everywhere’: A Reading List for the Queer South
It is time now to listen. We are not going anywhere.


