Recommending stories by Brenna Ehrlich, Yiyun Li, Claire L. Evans, Nicholas Casey, and Kent Russell.
death row
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Last Face Death Row Inmates See
“The Rev. Jeff Hood has made a career of fighting to save men the state wants to kill — and it doesn’t matter if they’re innocent.”
Posted inTop 5
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This week we are featuring stories from Piper French, Jordan Blumetti, Zing Tsjeng, Ryan Cantú, and Luke Winkie.
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Human Cost of Jeff Landry’s Drive to Resume Executions
“Chris Duncan’s death sentence—built on the testimony of two discredited doctors—illustrates just how faulty the system can be.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Nuns Trying to Save the Women on Texas’s Death Row
“Sisters from a convent outside Waco have repeatedly visited the prisoners—and even made them affiliates of their order. The story of a powerful spiritual alliance.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Will Speer Found Hope Enough to Share on Texas’s Death Row
“He’s one of the first faith-based coordinators for Texas inmates facing the death penalty. He’s scheduled to be executed this week.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
When Wizards and Orcs Came to Death Row
“’I’m in,’ Wardlow said. And so Arthaxx, his character, opened his eyes.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Trump’s Killing Spree: The Inside Story of His Race to Execute Every Prisoner He Could
“Before 2020, there had been three federal executions in 60 years. Then Trump put 13 people to death in six months.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Death Chamber Doctor’s Dilemma
A law went into effect in South Carolina last year allowing people on death row to choose their method of execution, including by firing squad. Last week, the state supreme court issued a temporary stay on government-sponsored killing, in advance of executions scheduled for April 29 and May 13. As we wait to learn whether […]
Posted inNonfiction
Following the North Star
Shaheen Pasha explores how the trauma of a loved one’s incarceration unravels her carefully planned-out existence, and sets her on a new, unexpected path to find meaning in the meaningless.