“Against my better judgment, I found myself becoming an outlet for the resentments and niche preoccupations of the people who make speakers.”
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Rod McKuen Was the Bestselling Poet in American History. What Happened?
“He sold 60 million books and 100 million records. Why was he forgotten?”
‘This Stuff is Alive’: A Global Folk Music Reading List
Six pieces that demonstrate the timelessness of ever-changing sonic traditions.
Earl King Deserves His Due
Earl King’s “discs were among the rare ones where the words were as important as the music, where blues guitar was balanced with second-line piano, and where the B-sides were as strong as the A-sides.”
“I Had to Face the Blues Every Day”
Soul and gospel singer Candi Staton let no hardship stand in the way of her voice, one that helped define the music of her generation.
But Who Tells Them What To Sing?
“And thus another Hollywood tradition was born: film choruses belting out perfectly nonsensical prose with utter conviction.”
Mark in the Middle
“There was no obvious way to placate liberal employees and conservative users at the same time.” Casey Newton reports on the dynamics inside Facebook and shares a series of leaked audio recordings from internal meetings this summer.
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This week, our editors recommend notable features and essays by Jason Fagone and Alexandria Bordas, Jennifer Senior, Lachlan Summers, Lupita Limón Corrales, and Anna Wiener.
The Sounds of Silence: A Reading List About Listening to Nature
Kindling a new awareness of the outdoors wasn’t something the author predicted, but it brought a host of realizations — including the discovery of these five thoughtful longreads.
Shelved: Yoko Ono
On Yoko Ono’s 1974 album “A Story,” and stepping out from behind the ever-present shadow of John Lennon.