Sponsor: n+1

n+1's winter issue, "Amnesty," is out now.

The editors take on The Atlantic, Harper's, and The Paris Review. Lawrence Jackson goes up against the Slickheads. Julia Grønnevet reports from the Anders Behring Breivik trial in Oslo. Nikil Saval surveys China's long Eighties.

Buy a print or digital subscription today for $20 by entering discount code LONGFORM at checkout.

Mike Sager, writer-at-large for Esquire and founder of The Sager Group.

"I was instilled with this thing by my parents who loved me — they fucked me up plenty but they loved the shit out of me — where I can go with people who are different and I don't feel bad about myself. I've had 13-year-old pit-bull fighting kids shame me horribly...throw pebbles at my head, and it doesn't bother me. Because when I'm a reporter, I'm not me. I'm just there to get the job done and learn stuff. I don't take it personally. Plus, I know I'm going to get the last word."

Thanks to TinyLetter for sponsoring this week's episode!