Caitlin Flanagan goes on a road trip through California — including Sacramento, Berkeley, and Malibu — visiting the homes of the late Joan Didion and exploring why her writing has had such a powerful effect on people. Slouching Towards Bethlehem and The White Album created a new vocabulary of essay writing, one whose influence is […]
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Posted inEditor's Pick
It’s Time to Legalize Sampling
“Hip-hop is 50 years old, but the genius idea at its core remains unprotected. Here’s how we can change that.”
Posted inNonfiction
Our Most-Read Longreads Originals of 2023
The 10 top-performing essays published on Longreads this year.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Deleting Delusions
“With more than four billion people now active on social media platforms, our virtual lives are beginning to devour our actual ones.”
Posted inTop 5
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
“Featuring reads from Grace Glass and Sasha Tycko, Max Graham, Alex Blasdel, James Somers, and Ben Goldfarb.”
Posted inNewsletter
Belting out Songs and Our Top 5
“There’s something about losing yourself in a communal experience that’s immensely appealing in this age of virtual meetings and not-so-social media. We want to see the artists we love in person. We want to believe they’re singing directly to us.” Elizabeth Blackwell, a regular commentator on cultural phenomena (check out her Reality TV and Pivotal […]
Posted inNonfiction
Our Most-Read Longreads Originals of 2022
These essays and reported features are our most-read stories of the year.
Posted inEditor's Pick
CU Boulder Enrolled Alleged White Supremacist with Knowledge of His Past
“University officials were notified of Durham’s connection to Patriot Front and his violent social media posts before he stepped on campus as a student in August of 2022.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Highway Star
“Jess told me later that it was rare to see her model of truck with a set forward axle, which helps pull heavy loads. ‘It’s a unicorn truck,’ she said, grinning.”
Posted inTop 5
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Recommending notable stories by Carolyn Ariella Sofia, Joy Williams, Ben Lerner, Steve Yarbrough, and Elizabeth Spiers.
