The profiles we loved in 2023 cover a Uvalde mom turned gun-control advocate, Ginni and Clarence Thomas, a love letter to Louisiana and two unrelated women born there in 1953, the man behind the Twitter persona “Dril,” and an underdog surfer nicknamed “Casual Luke.”
The Ringer
Posted inEditor's Pick
“In My Mind I Was Already Gone”: The Endless End of Outkast
“Twenty years after the release of ‘Speakerboxxx’/’The Love Below,’ we chart how the creation of André 3000 and Big Boi’s fifth studio album became the start of Outkast’s ending.”
Posted inTop 5
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This week we are sharing stories from Janell Ross, Jude Isabella, Arthur Asseraf, Lex Pryor, and Diane Mehta.
Posted inEditor's Pick
America’s Bee Problem Is an Us Problem
“Beekeepers went away for vacation and returned to depleted hives. Entire apiaries collapsed in the span of weeks.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Jerk Aficionados
“Playing a sleazy, blustering buffoon the audience loves takes skill—just ask Adam Scott, Ben Stiller, or Julia Louis-Dreyfus.”
Posted inTop 5
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This week, we’re highlighting stories by Meagan Gillmore, Teju Cole, Maureen Ryan, Katie Baker, and Imogen West-Knights.
Posted inEditor's Pick
The True Power of ‘Succession’ Comes From Writing Inside the Box
“The HBO show was known for witty jabs and f-word-laden insults. But perhaps its biggest achievement was ending on its own terms—and its writing through lines along the way.”
Posted inReading List
Not Serious People: A ‘Succession’ Reading List
Great writing begets great writing — and the commentary around the HBO smash hit is some of the best around.
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Search for the Lost ‘Jeopardy!’ Tapes Is Over. The Mystery Behind Them Endures.
“In 1986, Barbara Lowe Vollick won five games of ‘Jeopardy!’ in a row. Her episodes were then taken out of circulation. What followed was a nearly 40-year hunt for the missing tapes—and a quest to find out what really happened between the show and its most enigmatic champion.”