On shitty first, second, and third drafts; embracing the struggle to write; and more.
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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 inEditor's Pick
Joan Didion’s Magic Trick
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 […]
Posted inNewsletter
A Lifelong Apprenticeship
When it comes to her career, Rachel Hartigan is figuring it out as she goes along.
Posted inNewsletter
Both Sides of The Mirror
Introducing The Longreads Questionnaire, featuring Vauhini Vara.
Posted inQuestionnaire
The Longreads Questionnaire, Featuring R. O. Kwon
The author of The Incendiaries and Exhibit on the bed as refuge, the power of movement and exercise, a life of writing, and more.
Posted inNonfiction
Our Most-Read Longreads Originals of 2022
These essays and reported features are our most-read stories of the year.
Posted inUncategorized
Down With Efficiency
On why we might want to embrace friction and our recent editor’s picks.
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 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.”
