Tampon Wars: The Battle to Overthrow the Tampax Empire
For decades, one company has ruled the world of tampons. But a new wave of brands has emerged, selling themselves as more ethical, more feminist and more ecological.
The Guardian
“Hope Is an Embrace of the Unknown”
On living in dark times.
A Scandal in Oxford: The Curious Case of the Stolen Gospel
What links an eccentric Oxford classics don, billionaire US evangelicals, and a tiny, missing fragment of an ancient manuscript?
The Empty Promises of Marie Kondo and the Craze for Minimalism
Unpacking the empty promises of the minimalism craze.
Excerpted from The Longing for Less: Living with Minimalism, available January 21st. Chayka on the Longform Podcast.
“I've Seen Death in This City, but Nothing as Sad as This”
How a ferry disaster exposed the corruption devastating Iraq.
The Wing: How an Exclusive Women's Club Sparked a Thousand Arguments
The Wing is a private members’ space for women that claims to be an ‘accelerator’ for feminist revolution in the US – and now it’s coming to the UK. But how progressive is it really?
Why Do People Hate Vegans?
“The vegan wars are not really about veganism at all, but about how individual freedom is coming into conflict with a personal and environmental health crisis.”
How the Prison Economy Works
From pecan pralines to ‘dots.’
Dark Crystals
The economic reality behind a billion-dollar wellness craze.
The Cult of Columbine
How an obsession with school shooters led to a murder plot.
Athleisure, Barre and Kale: the Tyranny of the Ideal Woman
How we became suckers for the hard labor of self-optimization.
Perhaps the Best Dinosaur Fossil Ever Discovered. So Why Has Hardly Anyone Seen It?
A Montana rancher found two skeletons in combat—the Dueling Dinosaurs. But who do they belong to, and will the public ever see them?
State Capture
The corruption investigation that has shaken South Africa, the world’s most unequal country.
Who Killed the Prime Minister?
Three decades ago, Olof Palme was assassinated on Stockholm’s busiest street. The case remains unsolved.
Blow Up: How Half a Tonne of Cocaine Transformed the Life of an Island
What happens when a great deal of cocaine suddenly washes up on the shores of a very small island.
'For Five Years We Dreaded Every Meal'
After two months in the hospital, a mother finally got to take her premature baby home. Then she spent five years trying to convince him to eat.
Fifty Shades of White
The long fight against racism in romance novels.
His Side of the Story
Nathan Phillips wants to talk about Covington.
Bowel Movement
On the Squatty Potty and changing the way the you poop.
Field of Dreams
Heartbreak and heroics at the World Ploughing Championships
Interviewing Lou Reed: Not a Perfect Day
An interview gone awry.
Video games: The Addiction
Tom Bissell was an acclaimed young writer when he started playing Grand Theft Auto. For the last three years he has been sleep deprived, cocaine fueled, and barely able to write a word—and he has no regrets.
How Robyn Transformed Pop
A profile.
“This Guy Doesn’t Know Anything”
The inside story of Trump’s transition team.
The Real Goldfinger: the London Banker Who Broke the World
The invention of offshore banking.
