The singer’s first posthumous album deserves to be remembered as the bravest of her career.
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Album as Poem, List as Confession, and Our Top 5
We may often think of poetry as something formal or grand, or meant for the pages of a book. But these two essays remind us that poetry lives in many places.
The Art of Bidding, or How I Survived Federal Prison
“When Eric Borsuk went to prison with his two best friends, they found their ‘bid’ — their purpose — together. Then one day, everything changed.”
Taken and Told
A filmmaker was producing a documentary series on the Iran hostage crisis. Then her father went missing overseas.
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
In this edition: gambling’s grip, a story of plumes and poachers, bemoaning American tourists in Rome, a magical history tour, and a fake poultry flinger.
Science Says Life is Better in Intentional Communities
Intentional communities are a prophylactic against the plague of loneliness and a gateway to a meaningful life.
Best of 2023: Personal Essays
Our favorite personal essays published this year include stories on loss, Indigenous community, video games, caring for aging relatives, and the fear of missing love.
‘He Is the Prince, but I Am the King’
Two scammers, a web of betrayal, and Europe’s fraud of the century.
The Search for Answers, and the Week’s Top 5
“Words only ever do so much. But, time and again, Saunders’s words—in his own stories, and in conversation—reveal their utility. They insist on our dignity, however and wherever they find us. And they help us extend the same dignity to others.” This week my wife and I watched the documentary Cover-Up, about journalist Seymour Hersh […]
Finding Strength in What’s Routine (and Our Top 5)
“A list, after all, is a confession. We do not write in typeface. We write in loops and hesitations. In ink smudges. In cursive, if we remember how. Each list is a thumbprint. Each paper a window.” There is no sugar coating the world today. Things are rough. I’m no self-help expert, but in times […]


