Joan Morgan’s “She Begat This” looks back at how Lauryn Hill crashed through hip-hop’s glass ceiling, while our critic looks at how the author and a cadre of black women writers did the same for hip-hop music journalism.
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The Mr. Memory of Jazz
Jazz radio host Phil Schaap uses his deep knowledge of mid-century jazz to keep the music alive.
Alternative Reality: An Alt-Weekly Reading List
Nine excellent stories discovered in U.S. alt-weekly newspapers.
American Dirt: A Bridge to Nowhere
“Jeanine Cummins can write about Mexico — but she will be judged on whether her writing actually captures the experiential and emotional and ethical complexity of that place, and she will be judged with extra care because she is an outsider.”
The Lie of ‘One Last Time’ with My Ex
Ella Dawson learns about the perils of break-up sex the hard way.
Edible Complex
Never eat pot chocolate on a third date, and other lessons about love.
Longreads Best of 2018: All of Our No. 1 Story Picks
Here’s every story that was chosen as No. 1 in our weekly Top 5 email.
Guy Gunaratne on the ‘Push-Pull of Ancestry and Meaning’ in London
Guy Gunaratne’s Man Booker-longlisted “In Our Mad and Furious City” recognizes multiple, overlapping versions of London and its inhabitants, examining the ways violence can bubble up through the city’s fissures.
RomCon: Our Failure to See Black Romantic Comedies
Despite the growing popularity of black romcoms, they remain segregated in public perception due to cultural white-washing.
An Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Reading List
The New York Times came under fire for asking, “Who is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez?” A lot of outlets already knew.

