“How the gift of a plant helped Emma Freud finally get to know her great-grandfather.”
History
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Real Da Vinci Code
“Scholars on a quixotic quest to identify Leonardo da Vinci’s DNA achieve a milestone.”
Posted inNonfiction
Anatomy of Absolute Power
The people of Wilcox County, Alabama, remember a longtime sheriff as a god or a monster—it just depends on who you ask.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Filthy Matters
“Calvin Gimpelevich writes on the history and politics of public bathrooms.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
‘I Awoke at ½ Past 7’
“Our cursed age of self-monitoring and optimisation didn’t start with big tech: as so often, the Victorians are to blame.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Rhythms of “Rock Creek Park”
“The Blackbyrds’ ode to DC inspired a new generation of artists.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
How to Make Art Out of Confederate Monuments
“A new show featuring decommissioned statues forces a reckoning with American history at a moment when Donald Trump is trying to stop just that.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
We Salted Nannie: A Real-Life Southern Ghost Story
“Nannie, and the land around her, was thoroughly haunted. In less than a year we would break the lease, perform a binding ritual, and leave.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
My First Months in Cyberspace
“The earlier internet was a haven, everyone making it up as they went along.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
It’s Dead Around Here
“A ghost town enthusiast searches for the essence of these scarcely populated locales.”