“Filtered only through headlines, China had become a political entity more than a physical place where I had grown up, where half of my family still lived.”
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Posted inFeature
A Year in Reading: Restraint as Wisdom
We live in a culture built on ignoring limits—of land, of bodies, of attention—and these stories kept returning me to that truth.
Posted inNewsletter
The Uncanniest Valley (and the Rest of Our Top 5)
In this edition: Concrete memories, grief science, captive cats, relentless pain, and myth meets reality.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Off Camera
“So I tiptoed through life, aware that my obsessive enthusiasm could set people off like a bomb.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Recurring Screens
“A screen saver periodically smokes the locusts out, thereby saving the screen from the disfigurement of monotony.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Why Does A.I. Write Like … That?
“If only they were robotic! Instead, chatbots have developed a distinctive—and grating—voice.”
Posted inUncategorized
Our Best of 2024, and a Question for You
Hi there, Somehow, this is the thirteenth year of our annual “Best Of” series. As usual, we’ll be sharing our favorite reads across several categories—but this week, we wanted to try something a little different. Starting yesterday and for the remainder of the week, you’ll find an essay from each of the Longreads editors, reflecting […]
Posted inEditor's Pick
Museum of Color
“From ochre to lapis lazuli, Stephanie Krzywonos opens a door into the entangled histories of our most iconic pigments, revealing how colors hold stories of both lightness and darkness.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Only Home He Ever Knew
“Today, photo geeks the world over consider Paul Kwilecki a master of the documentary form.”
