“As Diana was a collective creation,” Mantel writes at the Guardian, “she was also a collective possession.”
death
Posted inNonfiction, Quote Posts, Science & Nature
What the Future of Death Looks Like
A look at the process of alkaline hydrosis, a more eco-friendly type of cremation, and the growing movement behind it.
Posted inEditor's Pick
In the future, your body won’t be buried…you’ll dissolve
For humans over the centuries, our dead have been embalmed, buried, and cremated. Now, a process called alkaline hydrolysis — using a machine called the Resomator — is being called a more environmental, less expensive, and attractive alternative.
Posted inEssays & Criticism, Nonfiction, Quotes
Why the Most Beautiful Poems Defy Understanding
“In a poem, we feel what is there, but also what is not.”
Posted inFiction, Nonfiction, Quotes
‘This Place, This Moment, Unplanned’: On Surviving a Heart Attack
Jeff Sharlet on how recovering from a life-threatening event takes place moment by moment.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Telemetry
After a heart attack (perhaps two heart attacks), Jeff Sharlet searches for meaning in his own mortality, “This brilliant darkness, with which I am coming to terms.”
Posted inEssays & Criticism, Nonfiction, Quotes
Cory Taylor Answers Your Questions About Dying
To help demystify dying, Cory Taylor answers questions about what it’s like to have a terminal illness.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Questions for Me About Dying
Celebrated Australian novelist Cory Taylor was diagnosed with cancer in 2005. Rejecting the taboos that prevent humans from talking openly about death, she goes on the record with her answers to some of the most typical questions people have asked her about dying.
Posted inEssays & Criticism, Nonfiction, Story
The Condition that Shielded My Grandfather From Heartbreak
Kate Axelrod reflects on the last days of her grandmother’s life, and witnessing as her grandfather’s own decline helped him to survive losing his wife of 66 years.
Posted inArts & Culture, Story
The Tears of Denis Johnson
The writer showed his students and friends how to remain an artist, even when one becomes a kind of cult figure.