Am I proud of my lawn? Absolutely not. I am completely ashamed of it. I have a terminal case of lawn guilt.
America
Posted inArts & Culture, Commentary
How Did HGTV ‘Stars’ Become Celebrities?
Is the rise of HGTV celebrities a window into, or a reprieve from, a “culturally divided America”?
Posted inEssays & Criticism, Nonfiction, Quotes
The Essay Will Feel Like It’s Killing You
“Begin by writing about anything else,” says Porochista Khakpour, until she becomes conflicted about writing about being Iranian-American.
Posted inEditor's Pick
How to Write Iranian-America, or The Last Essay
Porochista Khakpour reflects on her desire to write — at first about anything other than Iranian-America. Deeply conflicted about speaking from her perspective as an Iranian-American, she says, “Remind yourself that when the performance is honest two things happen: The essay will feel like it’s killing you and the ending will not be what you […]
Posted inEssays & Criticism, Feature, Story
The High-Water Mark: The Battle of Gettysburg, the Jersey Shore, and the Death of My Father
Contemplating history, family, and today’s America, Dane A. Wisher tells the story of spreading his father’s ashes on the battlefield at Gettysburg National Park and coming to terms with his life and death.
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Roots of Cowboy Music
At the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada, writer Carvell Wallace reflects on what it means to be black and American.
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
Why Populism Will Not Make America Great: The Making of a Mexican-American Dream
Sarah Menkedick suggests that America has everything to lose if it can’t reject the resurgence of nativist (white) populism to embrace this generation of smart, ambitious, second-generation Mexican Americans.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Most Listable City
Alex Gordon surveys 150 years of writing about Pittsburgh and whether or not this type of boosterish frivolity helps the city’s residents — specifically people of color
Posted inEditor's Pick
How America Lost Its Identity
From the outside looking in: reporter Holger Stark, who spent the past four years as Der Spiegel’s Washington correspondent, asks “What led this once mighty nation into decline?”
Posted inEditor's Pick
A Photographic Chronicle of America’s Working Poor
Writing Dale Maharidge and photographer Matt Black traveled through Maine, Ohio, and California for this piece updating the landmark study of the American working poor, Now Let Us Praise Famous Men.