He was an itinerant preacher who claimed god have revealed him to be the one true prophet. He kidnapped Elizabeth Smart and lived with her in a makeshift camp for years. She was hard to find; not because he was sly, but because Utah is full of prophets with multiple young wives.
An interview with mind behind both Five Easy Pieces and The Monkees.
On the visionary architecture and disturbing goals of Yearning for Zion, the utopian experiment undertaken in rural Texas by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
A profile of video game artist Shigeru Miyamoto, the man behind Super Mario Bros.
At tourism’s wildest frontier; guided tours of Afghanistan.
A profile of 12-year-old actress Elle Fanning, Dakota’s sister.
A profile of Yao Ming published during his second season in the NBA.
A interview with John Pistole, head of the TSA.
The history of a Japanese archipelago and its inhabitants, through rebellions and famine, a 20th century exodus for prostitution work across Asia, and finally depopulation and isolation.
The profile that led to the Massey Energy CEO’s resignation.
The director of Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours on his aversion to America, the advantages of small budgets, and the challenges of directing the opening ceremony for the London Olympics.
A report from Minnesota’s Angle Township, which was put in the U.S. instead of Canada by a map-maker’s error.
“Why are you putting all that muddle in your brain that’s not needed to be there?”
An interview about why giving interviews is totally worthless.
Thoughts on an emerging brand of feminism and the ridiculousness of claiming that Tina Fey is unattractive.
The cop says she nabbed an online sexual predator. He says he was just willing to chat whatever it took to get laid in real life. Their story, from both perspectives.
A profile of Larry David, with a focus on his years as a struggling stand-up. “I was hoping that somehow I could get some kind of cult following and get by with that.”
A lifetime worth of little scams adds up.
A profile of Chicago soul great Syl Johnson.
The story of John F. Kennedy’s assassination, written and published the following week.
Jay-Z on his new book Decoded, his parents’ record collection, and the real reason rappers have a tendency to grab their junk on stage.
During WWII, a bomber crashes into the Pacific and the crewmen begin an epic battle against dehydration, exposure, and endless attacks by sharks. Adapted from Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken.
A first-person rumination on a lifetime spent behind bars.
An oral history of a family in Mexico City, in transition from poverty to the lower-middle class, as they scramble to organize the burial of a slum-dwelling aunt.
A history of entrepreneurship in New York City, starting with shipping magnate Jeremiah Thompson’s big gamble in the 1820s: scheduled departures.
On what you come to appreciate after a short apprenticeship with paramedics.
