In this edition: inside a cyberscam compound, behind bars but ahead of the times, up into the beyond, away from home, and under the night sky.
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The Tale of the Early-Round KO of Muhammad Ali’s Champburger
“Ali may have continued to get his free burgers, but he never did get those hundreds of locations.”
In Harm’s Way
“How decades-old decisions to build two California prisons in a dry lakebed and a chaotic climate left 8,000 incarcerated people at risk.”
When Wizards and Orcs Came to Death Row
“’I’m in,’ Wardlow said. And so Arthaxx, his character, opened his eyes.”
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Recommending stories by Brenna Ehrlich, Yiyun Li, Claire L. Evans, Nicholas Casey, and Kent Russell.
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Recommending stories from Mariana Serapicos, Camille Bromley, Devon Fredericksen, Georgia Brown, and Sarah Golibart Gorman.
Borstal Boys
“A personal history of the borstal in Britain: a century of incarcerated children.”
Finding Jordan Neely
“He had places he belonged and people looking out for him. How did he end up dying, alone, at the hands of a stranger?”
Frank Smith Was Locked Up for Eight Decades. At 98, What Would It Mean to Be Free?
“Likely the longest-serving prisoner in America, he’s been paroled into a Connecticut nursing home. But he’s still not out.”
How “The Shadow of State Abandonment” Fostered Then Foiled Young Thug’s YSL
“Atlanta’s YSL (Young Stoner Life) project has been about place-making as much as it’s been about making music. But what happens when the state interferes?”

