When a young white musician gets invited to a house-party, the musicians he plays with show him a slice of blues culture many people assumed had died.
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Posted inArts & Culture, Nonfiction
A History of American Protest Music: This Is the Hammer That Killed John Henry
How a folk hero inspired one of the most covered songs in American history.
Posted inArts & Culture, Nonfiction, Story
A History of American Protest Music: This Is the Hammer That Killed John Henry
How a folk hero inspired one of the most covered songs in American history.
Posted inReading List
Longreads Best of 2017: Sports Writing
We asked writers and editors to choose some of their favorite stories of the year. Here is the best in sports writing.
Posted inNonfiction, Story
Stripped: The Search for Human Rights in US Women’s Prisons
The US prison system is broken. It sucks up billions of dollars each year and destroys lives. Could a Thai princess and an accidental criminal justice reform activist in the Pacific Northwest have the answers?
Posted inBooks, History, Story
Nell Battle Lewis, Storyteller for Jim Crow
How an otherwise high-minded social reformer preserved and perpetuated her white supremacist worldview.
Posted inArts & Culture, Reading List
More Than a Riot Going On: A ‘Detroit’-Inspired Reading List
The failures of Kathryn Bigelow’s film undercut the fullness, complexity, and beauty of Detroit.
Posted inNonfiction, Story
Here at the End of All Things
On losing oneself in the geography of fantasy worlds, from Middle Earth to Westeros.
Posted inCurrent Events, Nonfiction, Standout
David Brown’s Quiet Resilience
The former Dallas police chief is familiar with loss: Violence took his son, younger brother, and former partner. His response to the killing of five officers last July was inspiring. He’s not done giving back.
Posted inArts & Culture, Books, Feature, Nonfiction
How David Bowie Came Out As Gay (And What He Meant By It)
David Bowie came out as gay in an interview with Melody Maker magazine in 1972, and it was the closet door heard ’round the world. But what did he mean by it?
