“Notes on an American symbol.”
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Posted inFeature
An Internet of Checkpoints
A mysterious YouTube video gave thousands of people a place to breathe. Then it vanished.
Posted inNewsletter
Help Us Stay a Home for the Weird
“Invite writers and readers in—magic will follow.” Six years ago, I published my first essay as an editor for Longreads. Margot Harris’s “Under the Knife” opens with a scene of cupcakes shaped like private parts (and goes on to discuss the guilt of having cosmetic surgery as a feminist). What a privilege, I thought at […]
Posted inUncategorized
The Plot Thickens (and the Week’s Top 5)
“Accommodating the dead, like accommodating the living, has always entailed a head-on collision with the awkward reality that we have a finite amount of physical space.” Okay, yes, sure, maybe you weren’t expecting a quote about dead bodies to kick off your Friday morning. But I assure you that our new feature, “Disneyland of the […]
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Butchering
“It also showed me a kind of pedagogy that exists in our communities. There are no grades in these moments, only stories and sometimes another pair of hands to guide your way.”
Posted inNewsletter
Bottles, Benches, and Building Connections (Plus Our Top 5)
This edition highlights reading about messages in bottles, public benches, infinity, a series of books about everything, and pay-to-play orchestras.
Posted inUncategorized
Musical Rivalries and our Weekly Top 5
“Before hip-hop brought the concept of ‘beef’ into the mainstream, rock and roll’s aggression and excess resulted in many an unfriendly rivalry; decades earlier, the hard life of the traveling jazz musician led to some heady and memorable fallouts. Whether it’s pop stars, country singers, dancehall artists, or Kendrick Lamar and Drake’s recent multi-song war, […]
Posted inEditor's Pick
Multigenerational Living Often Makes Sense. That Doesn’t Make It Easy
“Living with my mother, we get free child care and help with expenses. But all those perks come at a cost.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Get in, Loser—We’re Chasing a Waymo Into the Future
Tailing a robotaxi for hours and hours is weird. And revelatory. And jealousy-inducing. But a driverless world is coming for all of us. So close the door and buckle up.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Inside Ukraine’s Wartime Salons
“Beauty services have provided a form of resistance and of refuge — even as Russian missiles continue to rain down.”
