The next space race is on.
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Closure in Service of Grief: the Septuagenarian Couple Who Locate Bodies Under Water
“What Gene and Sandy offer is not the hope of rescue, but the solace of finality. They have spent years crisscrossing North America in the service of grief.”
‘We All Live in the Great Database in the Sky’: On Silicon Valley and UFO Culture
“The idea seems to be that we all live in the great database in the sky, occasionally summoning aliens with our minds.” Emily Harnett explores Silicon Valley’s appropriation of UFO culture.
Finding Solace in the Charged Particles of the Aurora Borealis
“Cree First Nations believe ‘the northern lights are dancing spirits of loved ones who have passed on.’”
Longreads Best of 2020: Profiles
Here’s a selection of profiles that resonated with us this year.
How to Pitch Personal Essays to Longreads: An Updated Guide
New submissions guidelines, plus information about our new essay series.
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This week, we’re sharing stories from Rachel Kaadzi Ghansah, Rachel Sugar, Kate Knibbs, Mark Arax, and Anna Wiener.
Smooth Spaces, Fuzzy Lives
The border of Northern Ireland was one Rachel Andrews thought she could never cross. Then it began to dissolve.
The Mad Scramble to Claim the World’s Most Coveted Meteorite
Meteorite hunters Mike Farmer and Robert Ward travel to Carancas, a tiny village at 12,000 feet in Peru’s remote altiplano, to examine a crater in the hope to claim precious rock from space.
Summer Mother
Michael A. Gonzales recounts the life lessons of a favorite auntie.

