The history of the chili pepper is entwined with the history of Chinese Communism and the fiery temperament of the Sichuanese people, but why?
Search results
Posted inStory
The Proving Grounds: Charley Crockett and the Story of Deep Ellum
Generations of musicians got their start busking the streets of the Deep Ellum neighborhood of Dallas, Texas. After a decade of ‘hobo-ing’ around cities like New Orleans, Paris, and New York, Charley Crockett discovered it was his turn.
Posted inFood, Quotes
Defined by Want
Three meals a day don’t erase the scars of a childhood marked by hunger, violence, and loneliness.
Posted inNonfiction, Top 5
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This week, we’re sharing stories from Connie Bruck, San Francisco Chronicle Staff, Justin Heckert, Kent Babb, and Rob Harvilla.
Posted inAuthor Notes, Blog Post, Commentary, Essays & Criticism, Highlight, Nonfiction
Why I’m Giving Myself Permission to Keep Writing at This Time
Our stories matter. And they are our legacies for future generations. (Plus: some free writing resources.)
Posted inProfiles & Interviews
Longreads Best of 2019: Profiles
We asked writers and editors to choose some of their favorite stories of the year in various categories. Here is the best in profiles.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Buc-ee’s: The Path to World Domination
A Texas-proud pit stop that’s really more of a travel center that’s really more of a flawless oasis, Buc-ee’s — the nirvana of convenience stores, honored triply nationwide for having the cleanest bathrooms and the most gas pumps and the best food — might just be the Disneyland of American rest stops. But will Georgians and Floridians […]
Posted inEditor's Pick
What If You Can’t Afford “A Room of One’s Own”?
For all the writers who rely on food stamps, day jobs, friends’ couches, and spouses to write their books with no guarantee of payment or publication, novelist Sandra Newman talks openly about her financial struggles. And she says: don’t feel ashamed. Create a room of your own anyway you can, even if it requires eating […]
Posted inEditor's Pick
In Bad Taste
“Garishly food-styled heads of hollowed-out iceberg packed with pimiento cheese, or baked beans in aspic, bolster our own superior sense of ourselves. Like the Instagram freakshake, they are fantasy transgressions against which we define our superior awesomeness.”
Posted inEssays & Criticism, Feature, Nonfiction, Story
Riding the Highs and Lows with My Mom
On a night out in the Hollywood hills, Valentina Valentini’s lifelong role-reversal with her mother becomes upended.
