President Donald Trump has obliterated any notion of off-time for round-the-clock journalists, but it was still a relief to see that the alt-weeklies I read for this installment in my regular reading list were starting off the new year strong. The Chico News & Review, whose work I have previously highlighted here, can be forgiven, […]
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How the Cosby Story Finally Went Viral — And Why It Took So Long
A journalist who reported on the accusations long before they went viral wonders, “What kind of profession am I in, where stories have no logical reason for unfolding?”
Stalin’s Scheherazade
An opportunistic literary caper became a lifelong con — with no possibility of escape.
The State of the Bookstore Union
The Strand, New York City’s largest independent bookstore, is owned by a millionaire — and the booksellers who work there are all broke.
Edward Gorey: A Highly Conjectural Man
When asked if there was “anything people don’t understand” about him, Gorey responded: “Yes. No. Yes. No.” A new biography by Mark Dery attempts to sort myth from reality.
An Elegy for Bette Howland, a Writer Who Was Nearly Forgotten
On the passing of a MacArthur Genius forgotten for decades, re-discovered by ‘A Public Space’ editor Brigid Hughes.
Labor Pains: A Reading List
No one ever said expelling a tiny human our of your body would be easy — or if they did, they shouldn’t have.
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This week, we’re sharing stories from Susan Goldberg, Leslie Jamison, Jacqueline Keeler, Max Genecov, and Ryan Bradley.
Beyond “Rumble”: Talking with John O’Connor About the Other Link Wray
Journalist John O’Connor talks about writing his epic Oxford American magazine feature on musician Link Wray.
This Is How a Woman Is Erased From Her Job
After taking over from George Plimpton, Brigid Hughes was pushed out as the editor of The Paris Review and omitted from the magazine’s history.

