“Before gay marriage was legal, illustrator John Megahan was called to work on a revolutionary secret project: bringing to life, in painstaking scientific detail, the queer lives of the animal world.”
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Six Stories About a Complex Cuisine and Our Top 5
“Migration patterns, together with demographic trends and climate change, mean that the cuisine must adapt. Italian food—so rooted in tradition and adamant in its authenticity—will have to change.” In previous reading lists, Longreads contributor Clare Egan has explored a range of topics: Ireland, queer ecology, and the decision to have a child. This week, Egan dives […]
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Recommending notable stories by Kori Suzuki, D. Watkins, Mike Scalise, Emily Polk, and Vassi Chamberlain.
The Return of Ta-Nehisi Coates
“A decade after ‘The Case for Reparations,’ he is ready to take on Israel, Palestine, and the American media.”
The Fugitive Heiress Next Door
“How a reclusive woman’s past in suburban D.C. sparked a true-crime sensation in Brazil—and a national reckoning over the status of household servants.”
Spiders as Unlikely Muses (and Our Top 5)
“When the spiders arrive in my dream, are they jolting me to risk vulnerability personally or creatively? I could stay inside collecting dust, or I could weave my web where others can see. If rejected, could I have the temerity to take the silk back, gobbling up my own words and trying again in some […]
The Unstoppable Drive of Chris Wright
A melding of science and sports, this is the feel-good story of the first NBA player with multiple sclerosis: Lying immobile and alone, 5,000 miles from everyone he loved, Wright was terrified, unsure of what was happening to his body. He didn’t know if he’d ever walk again, let alone hold a basketball. Overnight, his […]
This Basketball Season is Missing One Thing: Prince
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today—five years after his passing—to remember one of the most unique talents ever to be drawn to the game.”
The Great Debate: Recorders vs. Notebooks
Brendan O’Meara talks to journalist Darcy Frey about why he chooses his notebook over a recorder.
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Featuring stories by Willa Köerner, Robyn Ross, Ariel Sabar, Julian Lucas, and Dan Moore.


