An investigation into a heinous (and lurid) crime. A look at the spirited world of competitive cheer. A visit to the world’s creepiest motel. An empathic eye on assisted dying. And the true planetary cost of your beloved cat. Our favorites of the week, pulled from all of our editors’ picks. 1. What Happened to Heather […]
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An English Murder Mystery, an Antarctic Romance, and Our Top 5
“I know this land is far from sinister, I know it is appreciated by those who live here, but I also see that the life of a dairy farmer is often a hard, unforgiving existence. And no family saw that solitude and struggle more than the Luxtons.” In the late summer of 1975, deep in […]
A Friend Named Arthur and The Week’s Top 5
“But now I like to imagine him in Paris, sitting at a café, drinking an espresso, his notebook open, full of notes and poetry. It’s easy to picture in my mind. He’d look perfect there.” Four years ago, Kevin Sampsell lost his friend Arthur to suicide. He started writing about him three years ago—but the […]
Russia Has an Opioid Crisis Too – One of Untreated Pain
“While the US and some other Western countries are struggling to contain an opioid crisis caused, in part, by overprescription of narcotic analgesics, Russia has the opposite problem: Hundreds of thousands of cancer and other patients in severe pain are denied adequate pain relief due to a repressive drug control system, a stifling bureaucracy, a […]
A Tasty Award and Our Top 5
“What I’m saying is, in that already suffused space, I don’t feel the need to perfume the air around me with the sweet scent of the ceremonial Sabbath bread. But here, in Ames, Iowa, there is a hollow, an empty space. A void I need to fill.” Happy weekend! First, we have some exciting news: […]
Kingdom of Funga: A Mycelial Reading List on a Strange and Surreal World Around Us
Seven stories celebrating the mystery and power of fungi.
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Froggie regrets. A precious ticket to a Chicago Bulls game. A conversation about AI and nature. A profile of the world’s most famous unknown writer. And to finish, a look back to last Friday and a St. Patrick’s Day tradition. 1. Frog Anne Fadiman | Harper’s Magazine | February 10, 2023 | 5,816 words “There […]
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Our Top 5 stories of the week from Maurice Chammah, Benoît Morenne, Amanda Gefter, Jane Miller, and Cheryl Katz and our first-ever audience award.
This Man Does Not Make Poppers
“For decades, poppers have been the go-to sex drug for gay men. But where do they come from?”


