A small sampling of standout essays published this year.
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Debt Demands a Body
“The future that debt chose for me — indeed the future it chooses for many people — included a lot of shame, confusion, and pain.”
Wonderful Things: The Kid Creole and the Coconuts Story
Combining island sounds with stylish clothes and an unforgettable stage presence, one of New York City’s most original bands helped influence 1980s pop culture, and they never sacrificed their unclassifiable artistic vision.
The Story of Salvador’s Banda Didá
In a country with violent history and violent politics, Brazil’s first all-female, Afro-Brazilian percussion group drums and dances and changes lives.
Janelle Monáe’s New Music Teases a Queer, Femme Sensibility
Singer Janelle Monáe’s first full-length album in five years, “Dirty Computer,” takes an explicit look at sexual expression and female identity.
Through a Glass, Tearfully
Maureen Stanton contemplates her history of crying in inappropriate moments, and considers tears from gender-based and political perspectives.
Reporting Crime or Turning to Crime
Diligent reporters revisit the histories of two conmen, and how their actions have risked others’ lives in the balance.
Remembering G. Dep, the Rapper Who Confessed to a 17-Year Old Cold Case
Lil Wayne’s reimagining of G. Dep’s “Special Delivery” has thrust the ex-Bad Boy rapper back into the pop culture spotlight.
‘Victims Become This Object of Fascination… This Silent Symbol.’
Rachel Monroe talks about the pitfalls of the true crime genre. “I had this feeling like I can see the whole thing and nobody else understands… That’s a real trap that we as reporters can fall in.”
