Readings

The Bones of the Past

Train-hopping across America, forgotten poetry, and rediscovering the lost notebooks of the anthropologist and natural science writer Loren Eiseley.

The Year in Natural Hair

This year, I watched women on television—and black women in my own life—embrace, document and celebrate their natural hair. 

The Year in My Friend, Rachel, Who Is Dying

We're all dying of slow damage, if nothing else, but she's dying of things we're not. 

The Year in Kitchen Nightmares

Contempt for reality television is less a specific response than a herd sentiment. And yet, after so many hours under its spell, I feel like I’ve turned a corner: Gordon Ramsay is a genius.

A Thriller Without a Body Count: On Patricia Highsmith and Carol

Originally published under a pseudonym, the novel inspiration behind the latest Cate Blanchett film is the kind of thriller you would expect from the author of The Talented Mr. Ripley. 

'You Have This Utopian Vision, and You See it Go Sour': An Interview with Luc Sante

Talking with the author of The Other Paris about the attacks in France, how writing about Paris is different than writing about New York, and making peace with "aggressively repellent" buildings.

The Year in Luck

Some people say “rabbit rabbit” first thing on New Year's Day for luck, while some people know the first words you say on some arbitrary date don't make a goddamn bit of difference.

The Year in Work

In nonfiction, telling the truth—particularly telling truths that are open secrets—is valued, and yet we’re cautious and cagey about money. 

The Year in Found Families

We’re reminding each other that the time to make up our minds is never.

All the Bros I Love Leave Me

The time I tried to seduce an employee of this magazine into becoming my friend.