Umberto Eco: The Art of Fiction No. 197
“It’s odd, the older I get, the more I remember.”
A Black Police Officer’s Fight Against the N.Y.P.D.
Was Edwin Raymond punished for not meeting quotas?
Love—In Other Words
“Love purifies. Suffering never purified anybody; suffering merely intensifies the self-directed drives within us. Any act of love, however--no matter how small--lessens anxiety's grip, gives us a taste of tomorrow, and eases the yoke of our fears. Love, unlike virtue, is not its own reward. The reward of love is peace of mind, and peace of mind is the end of man's desiring.”
The author's first published article.
Brace Yourself
Why we want—and how we get—straight teeth.
Toward a Pathology of the Possessed
How we talk about—and live with—schizophrenia.
What Pigeons Teach Us About Love
Exploring the blurred line between biology and sentiment.
Dark Science
On the night sky’s understated importance in biological functions below.
Mishka Shubaly is the author of I Swear I’ll Make It Up to You and several best-selling Kindle Singles.
“I remember thinking when I was shipwrecked in the Bahamas, ‘I’m going to fucking die here. I’m 24 years old, I’m going to die, and no one will miss me. I’m never going to see my mother again.’ And then the guy with the boat came around the corner and my first thought was ‘Man, this is going to be one hell of a story.’”
Thanks to MailChimp and Audible for sponsoring this week's episode.
Is a Surrogate a Mother?
Melissa Cook is carrying triplets for a man she has never met, conceived with an egg that isn't hers. He only wants two of them, but won't let her keep the third. So she is suing, in the hopes that the court will arrive at a new meaning of parenthood.
The FBI vs. FIFA
How the feds flipped a corrupt American soccer official named Chuck Blazer and brought down the sport’s governing body.
Little Girl Lost
In a matter of months she became one of the world’s most famous porn stars. Three years later, she was dead. The rise and fall of Savannah.
Altered Tastes
Can we be convinced that healthy food is delicious? On the new science of neurogastronomy and why we eat what we eat.
Roommates on Mars
Training for a Mars mission on a Hawaiian volcano
Women and Guns
Ten stories on guns, ranging from competitive shooting, to girl gangs in Chicago, to the sisters and mothers of mass shooting victims.
The Longform Guide to Sight
A blind man who taught himself to see, a killer obsessed with eyes, and how different animals perceive the world — a collection of our favorite articles about sight.
TMZ Redefines Celebrity Dirt
Harvey Levin runs a gossip site that operates like an intelligence agency.
The Killer Cadets
How two love-struck, type A high schoolers almost got away with murder.
Oil Is the Cheap Date From Hell
On the parasitic relationship between oil and the stock market.
My Last JDate
“At 54, after 30 years of marriage and two of loneliness, I went online to find a man and found Dean.”
A three-part essay on love, loss, and what comes in between.
In Conversation: Antonin Scalia
The Supreme Court justice on gay rights, the problem with consensus, and the Devil.
Justin Bieber Would Like to Reintroduce Himself
A conversation about God, anxiety, and the monkey.
Unmaking a Murderer
Corey Arthur made headlines after being arrested and convicted in connection with the 1997 murder of his high school teacher. But the story is much more complicated than that.
Mr. (Swipe) Right?
After a year of tumult and scandal at Tinder, ousted founder Sean Rad is back in charge. Now can he — and his company — grow up?
The Longform Guide to Animal Attacks
From grizzlies in Alaska to whales at SeaWorld, a collection stories of animals turning on humans.
Killing Libby
The EPA called it the most severe exposure to a hazardous material in American history. The only people in Libby, Montana, who didn’t see it coming were the victims.
