“At a sex-choreography workshop, a writer discovered a world of Instant Chemistry exercises, penis pouches, and nudity riders to train for Hollywood’s most controversial job.”
The New Yorker
Posted inEditor's Pick
Pity the Barefoot Pigeon
“Bumblefoot, string-foot, and falcons are just a few of the hazards that New York’s birds have to brave.”
Posted inTop 5
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This week we have stories from Sarah Miller, James D. Walsh, Hanif Abdurraqib, Gabrielle Drolet, and Jeremiah David.
Posted inEditor's Pick
In Defense of Despair
“The feeling is most commonly framed as an end point, a level of despondency that cannot be overcome. But it doesn’t have to be.”
Posted inTop 5
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Recommendations from Bobbie Johnson; Bee Wilson; Jia Tolentino; Isra Fejzullaj, Rina Chandran, and Michael Zelenko; and Matthew Ponsford.
Posted inEditor's Pick
My Brain Finally Broke
“Much of what we see now is fake, and the reality we face is full of horrors. More and more of the world is slipping beyond my comprehension.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Portal Opens
“People who love Phish do so with a quasi-religious devotion. People who dislike Phish do so with an equal fervor.”
Posted inCuration
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Recommending stories by Brenna Ehrlich, Yiyun Li, Claire L. Evans, Nicholas Casey, and Kent Russell.
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Deaths—and Lives—of Two Sons
“The truth is that however I choose to express myself will not live up to the weight of these facts: Vincent died, and then James died.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Your A.I. Lover Will Change You
“A future where many humans are in love with bots may not be far off. Should we regard them as training grounds for healthy relationships or as nihilistic traps?”