Fiction: Twelve Brief Anecdotes about the King of Birds
A peculiar obsession turns into a complicated downfall.
Compromised
How a fight to stop a potentially toxic Costco chicken plant in Nebraska made common cause of small-town environmentalists and anti-Muslim xenophobes.
Zoe Chace is a reporter and producer at This American Life.
“Radio is a movie in your head. It’s a very visual thing. It’s a transporting thing—when it’s done well. And it’s louder than your thoughts. It is both of those things. It would just take me out of the place that I was, where I was lost and couldn’t figure things out. ... They had a very personal way of telling the story to you, so that you kind of felt like you’re there with them. Like it’s less lonely, it’s literally less lonely to have them there. And that felt really good.”
Thanks to MailChimp, Mubi, Squarespace, and Casper for sponsoring this week's episode.
I Made My Shed the Top Rated Restaurant on TripAdvisor
The story of a dream come true.
God’s Plan for Mike Pence
Inside the Vice President’s gamble on Donald Trump.
Blank Place
Richard Hell after Lexington.
In Chatlogs, Celebrated Hacker and Activist Confesses Countless Sexual Assaults
“I have drunkenly sexually assaulted or raped women—the exact number of which I am currently determining.”
Trixie Mattel Is for Men (and Women and Kids)
A profile of the diva who is proving that drag is entertainment for everyone.
Ryan Zinke Is Trump's Attack Dog on the Environment
Going on a fishing trip with the secretary of the interior.
Success Academy’s Radical Educational Experiment
Inside Eva Moskowitz’s quest to combine rigid discipline with a progressive curriculum.
Tales of War and Redemption
A Marine veteran of the Iraq War on battle and faith.
All We Read Is Freaks
Teaching Emily Dickinson at Santa Fe Community College in Gainesville, Florida.
The True Story of the Fake U.S. Embassy in Ghana
Last year, the U.S. state department said it had uncovered a fake embassy in Accra that had been issuing a stream of forged visas. The story went viral. It was wrong.
“She Didn’t Want This Come Hell or High Water”
Melania Trump’s life as First Lady.
Name of the Father
His father was a notorious figure in Providence organized crime. Boxing offered a different path for Jarrod Tillinghast—but it didn’t stop him from slipping into his old ways and robbing drug dealers with his neighborhood friends.
Have You Ever Tried to Sell a Diamond?
How a cartel invented and marketed the modern diamond.
The Obsidian Serpent
Orange County’s first serial killer in 25 years stalked homeless men.
Fiction: "Do You Think You'll Come Home?"
Illness, family, and the weight of history.
A Lonely Death
In postwar Japan, a single-minded focus on rapid economic growth helped erode family ties. Now, a generation of elderly Japanese are dying alone.
My 22 Crushes
Tales of teenage romance.
A Loaded Gun
The haunted past of Amy Bishop, a University of Alabama neurobiologist who shot six colleagues during a staff meeting.
Jason Leopold is a senior investigative reporter for Buzzfeed and the author of News Junkie.
“I made the worst mistake that cost me my credibility and I could have done two things. I could have walked away, and said I’m done with this, no one wants me anymore. Or I could have—which I did—say, I’m going to learn how to do this differently, and be better. And that’s ultimately is what paved the way to this FOIA work. Because no one trusted me anymore.”
Thanks to MailChimp, Credible, Mubi, and Skillshare, for sponsoring this week's episode.
The House on the Corner
"The couple tried to make them leave. They complained to the police. When that didn’t work, they tried to build friendships, hoping they could charm the squatters into respecting their property. Sometimes, they hid in their house. For three years, the tension built. Until one sweltering summer night in 2016."
King of Boise
How a home-schooled teenager became an oxy kingpin.
Rachel Brosnahan’s Comic Timing
Can the star of ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ help reclaim women’s place in stand-up history?
