New York Archives - Longreads

A ring-shaped loaf of bread is surrounded by a variety of loaves, arranged around the ring like the petals of a flower.

Top 5

The Top 5 Longreads of the Week

by Longreads April 17, 2026April 16, 2026

In this edition: the jaws of history; war and piece(s); the last day of camp; stay a while; picture me rollin’.

Editor's Pick

Could the Girls of Camp Mystic Have Been Saved?

by Seyward Darby April 15, 2026April 15, 2026

“Dozens died in a Texas flood, dividing families over whether it was an act of God or adult failure.”

abstract illustration with purple and lavender colors with a helicopter and anti-war signs

The Atavist Magazine

The Good Catholics of Buffalo

by Longreads April 2, 2026April 17, 2026

With thousands of US soldiers dying in Vietnam, a righteous group of young New Yorkers embarked on a secret mission to bring the war machine to its knees.

Editor's Pick

Opposing ICE Might Save the Country. It Could Also Ruin Your Life.

by Brendan Fitzgerald April 1, 2026April 1, 2026

“For months, lone vibe coder Rafael Concepcion has obsessively built tools to counter the federal immigration crackdown—pivoting as he’s been outmatched. He’s also lost his job and become a target.”

A mother stands with her two young children before a museum exhibit window. The exhibit window shows a meteor headed towards Earth, an evocation of the meteor whose impact long ago extinguished the dinosaur population. The mother rests her hands reassuringly on her two children.

Feature

The Age of Dinosaurs

by Elena Megalos March 31, 2026April 1, 2026

“Ruminating on extinction, under the slanted tutelage of my child, felt like a responsible thing to do.”

Editor's Pick

Transference in the Afternoon

by Brendan Fitzgerald March 17, 2026March 17, 2026

“I felt I was looking at something remarkable: a real-time record of the encounter between a patient and a therapist. It was an encounter that started off well before veering profoundly off course.”

Editor's Pick

The Shooting of Two Cornell Freshmen, 42 Years Later

by Brendan Fitzgerald March 10, 2026March 9, 2026

“In 1983 six students were taken hostage in a Cornell dormitory. Two of them were killed. How have the survivors reckoned with what happened to them, and what made us forget about this act of violence?”

Editor's Pick

Playing Santa Does Strange Things to a Man. What It Did to Bob Rutan Was Even Stranger.

by Brendan Fitzgerald December 25, 2025December 15, 2025

“Bob Rutan is legendary among the tight-knit fraternity of Macy’s Santa Clauses. Like many of these men, playing Santa changed Bob. Profoundly. His story is one of struggle and failure, heartbreak and grace and—yes—the magic of Christmas.”