The writer describes her process of reporting and shaping her recent essay, “The State of Waiting,” which explores love in the shadow of war and immigration policy.
writers
Posted inEditor's Pick
‘Our Stories Are Still Filtered Through Whiteness’
“White people still drive the narrative about Asian Americans. We have yet to have control over our own stories.”
Posted inNonfiction
Longreads Best of 2020: Essays
A small sampling of standout essays published this year.
Posted inEditor's Pick
What A Time To Be In Decline
“Why, a decade ago, did my father give me the heavy gift of a controversial 100-year-old Oswald Spengler tome? It took a pandemic for me to find out.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Why I Paid Tenfold to Buy Back the Rights for Two of My Books
Kiese Laymon on revision, radical friendship, and community.
Posted inArts & Culture, Books, Highlight, Quote Posts, Quotes
William Gibson on How Science Fiction Portrays Reality
“Every fiction about the future is like an ice-cream cone,” Gibson says, “melting as it moves into the future.”
Posted inEssays & Criticism, Feature, Nonfiction, Story
Why I Wanted To Finish My Father’s Life’s Work
Karen Brown recalls the pain and joy of fulfilling a deathbed promise.
Posted inEssays & Criticism, Highlight, Nonfiction, Quotes
How to Stay Out of Your Editor’s ‘Jerks’ File
Rule one of freelance writing: accept rejection with grace.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Don’t Be a Jerk to Your Online Humor Editor
McSweeny’s Internet Tendency editor Chris Monks catalogues some of the rudest responses to his rejections of humor writers’ submissions to the site.
Posted inBooks, Culture, Story
Lindy West is Preaching to the Choir
Sara Fredman talks to author Lindy West on women and likability, the evolution of pop culture, and navigating conversations in a complex, messy world.