Essays

Essays

The Shapes of Grief

Witnessing the unbearable
Christina Sharpe
The Moment

Palestinian Solidarity, Then and Now

The power of encampment as a form of protest
Feisal G. Mohamed
Essays

Louise Glück’s Late Style

The fabular turn in the poet’s last three books
Teju Cole
Essays

Jean Stein’s Rolodex

The legendary editor’s social genius
Benjamin Anastas
Essays

The Path to Playwright

Discovering my literary hero in an unlikely place
Sonya Kelly
Essays

The Frictions of Interracial Love

How one fundamental difference can color every aspect of marriage
Anne Anlin Cheng

Browse

Essays

The author with her brother, 1999.
Essays

After My Brother

Finding the language of loss
Brianna Zimmerman
June 1, 2020
Photograph of clock at Grand Central Station. Robert Hoge / Creative Commons
Essays

Temps

The law of entropy and life as a fill-in employee, and girlfriend
Victoria Kornick
June 1, 2020
A Black woman raises her fist at a protest against police violence. Joyce by Miki J / Creative Commons
Essays

The Uses of Memory

Ecstasy in the midst of struggle
Roger Reeves
June 1, 2020
Image of COVID-19 virus. Graphic by Bianca Ibarlucea.
Pandemic Files

Lives or Livelihoods

Zimbabwe’s hospitals are woefully unequipped for the pandemic, but the nation’s citizens can’t afford to stay inside.
Khameer Kidia
May 20, 2020
Image of COVID-19 virus. Graphic by Bianca Ibarlucea.
Pandemic Files

The Profound Horror of the Mass Grave

If funerals show a society’s endurance, ours is coming apart
Kathryn Lofton
May 19, 2020
Image of COVID-19 virus. Graphic by Bianca Ibarlucea.
Pandemic Files

A Commencement Deferred

While sheltering in place, a graduating student reconnects with her immigrant family
Meghana Mysore
May 18, 2020
Pandemic Files

The Children Know

When my father died of AIDS, he couldn’t shield me from his pain
Emily Ziff Griffin
May 14, 2020
Image of COVID-19 virus. Graphic by Bianca Ibarlucea.
Pandemic Files

History is Another Word for Trauma

When Covid takes a woman who has survived so much, all we can do is listen, and learn
Rachel Jamison Webster
May 11, 2020
Image of COVID-19 virus. Graphic by Bianca Ibarlucea.
Pandemic Files

Sheltering Out of Place

I thought escaping to France would preserve my children's innocence. It wasn't that easy.
Natasha Randall
April 28, 2020
Image of COVID-19 virus. Graphic by Bianca Ibarlucea.
Pandemic Files

COVID-19 Spread While the World Slept

335 new diseases emerged between 1960 and 2004. Why weren't we ready for this one?
Frank Snowden
April 27, 2020