In this edition: loving a killer; GRASE under fire; the marvelous mundane; Texas on two wheels; and the man who would be T. rex king.
The Bitter Southerner
Accidental Historian
“With little fanfare, Ray Di Pietro has attracted tens of thousands of devotees. His images are artfully composed, spontaneous, honest, and, well, kind.”
Leaving America
“Americans have always moved away. These days, expat Lindsey Tramuta writes, record numbers are leaving or planning to leave in search of health care, civil rights, freedoms, even safety. Does exiting the United States mean you’ve given up? Not necessarily.”
Gillian Welch: This Land is Her Land
“You don’t need to shout it for the entire world, but you need to give hope to the people who need it, who you can speak to.”
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
In this edition: gambling’s grip, a story of plumes and poachers, bemoaning American tourists in Rome, a magical history tour, and a fake poultry flinger.
A Year in Reading: Restraint as Wisdom
We live in a culture built on ignoring limits—of land, of bodies, of attention—and these stories kept returning me to that truth.
A Year in Reading: Backrooms, Backcountry, and Back Home
From two side of the world—these are the stories shining a light on the overlooked corners often holding the pieces together.
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
In this edition: metal medicine, hyped humanoids, carnival crossroads, divine defiance, and optimization obsession.
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
In this edition: Bear bones, outstanding Outkast, Brightline’s brutality, lasting lunches, ruin ruminations, and more.
Life and Death at the County Fair
“During annual pilgrimages to my hometown carnival, I never fail to find meaning among the doughnut burgers, feather boas, and iridescent dragons.”
