In this excerpt from The Creative Nonfiction Podcast, host Brendan O’Meara talks to Greg Donahue and Atavist editor Jonah Ogles about their work on “The Fugitive Next Door.”
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The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This week, we’re sharing stories from Maurice Chammah, Jeff Weiss, Rasha Elass, Danielle Tcholakian, and Lila Shapiro.
How a Hacker’s Mom Broke Into a Prison—and the Warden’s Computer
“Security analyst John Strand had a contract to test a correctional facility’s defenses. He sent the best person for the job: his mother.”
Celebrating Bitch Magazine: A Reading List
A writer traces her own feminist journey as she reflects on the forthcoming shutdown of Bitch Media.
“Somebody’s Gotta Help Me”
“But abuse by law enforcement inside jails remains largely out of sight and harder to document.” Phillip Garcia was in psychiatric crisis. In jail and in the hospital, guards responded with violent force and restrained him for almost 20 hours, until he died.
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This week, we’re sharing stories from Ben Mauk and Matt Huynh, Katie Engelhart, Devon O’Neil, Ariel Saramandi, and Tananarive Due.
COVID-19: Dispatches from Sing Sing
“Sing Sing was going into quarantine. Our movement was limited. No gym. Hospital and commissary runs limited to groups of ten. Staggered seating in the mess hall.”
The Cult That Promises to Cure Addiction
For 50 years, Enthusiastic Sobriety programs have offered to help teenagers kick drugs and alcohol. But former followers say ES doesn’t save lives—it destroys them.
Balancing Story and Sentiment: A Chat With the Writer and Editor Behind The Atavist’s New Issue
In this excerpt from The Creative Nonfiction Podcast, host Brendan O’Meara talks to Kelly Loudenberg and Atavist editor-in-chief Seyward Darby about their work on “The Caregivers.”
How a Mom Penetrated the Pen to Hack the Warden’s Computer
Rita Strand, age 58, posed as a health inspector and got unrestricted access to South Dakota prison.

