Why do we keep what we keep — and who decides? An archivist digs and collects longreads on how objects and materials shape public memory.
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The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This week, we’re sharing stories from James Hamblin, Josina Guess, Edward Carey, Paraic O’Donnell, and Ruth Graham.
The Rhythm of Writing: A Chat with the Writer and Editor Behind The Atavist’s New Issue
As host of The Creative Nonfiction Podcast, Brendan O’Meara is no stranger to talking about the art and craft of storytelling. In this craft-focused excerpt, we’re digging into Episode 336, in which he interviewed Atavist editor Jonah Ogles and freelance writer Cassidy Randall about her work on the latest issue of The Atavist. Cassidy Randall, a freelance writer based out […]
Fuel, Medicine, Pleasure
What could it mean to give yourself the food you need to keep going? No punishing, no guilt, no withholding. Just nourishment.
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
In this edition, we recommend stories from Eli Saslow, Mitchell S. Jackson, Adam Ciralsky, Heidi Lasher, and Noah Rawlings.
Tuna
“It’s an unusually precarious beginning for a life that can last forty years.”
Let Go of Your Ego: A Reading List on Brian Wilson and “Pet Sounds”
Let’s go away for awhile and reflect on the genius of Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys’ 1966 album “Pet Sounds.” Wouldn’t it be nice?
Food, Shared Humanity, and the Week’s Top 5
“Once weekly fare, I now have cholent only a few times a year; I, too, am no longer observant. I don’t think this is a coincidence. Which is to say that, while I stand by the choices I’ve made and the life I am choosing to live—different from how I was raised, but no less […]
The Soundtrack to Hell
“Not only was the whine agitating—EHHNNNNNNNN—but its constant drone was like a cruel mnemonic for everything that bothered him.”
Brazil’s Roads to Destruction
Every year, vehicles on Brazil’s ever-expending road network hit over 400 million Brazilian animals, causing series declines in some species — and Brazil isn’t the only country expanding its infrastructure.


