Pele's Curse
Thousands of pounds of rocks stolen from Hawaii are returned by mail to the island each year because former tourists fear their fortunes have been reversed by a wrathful goddess. What makes the myth so powerful?
Casey N. Cep
Casey N. Cep is a writer from the Eastern Shore of Maryland. She has written for the New Republic, the New York Times, the New Yorker, and the Paris Review.
Religion Isn't Dead Yet
According to the latest Pew data, the number of adults who do not identify with a religious group grew from 36 million in 2007 to 56 million today. But past research indicates that many of these non-affiliated individuals have some form of belief system.
Even Jesus Thinks Your Heaven Travelogues Are a Little Out There
The went-to-heaven-and-back genre is more popular than ever, but Biblical scholar N.T. Wright's recent book argues that this cultural conception of heaven has little basis in scripture.
The Internet's Terms of Service
In Terms of Service: Social Media and the Price of Constant Connection, Jacob Silverman provides a measured analysis of the Internet's first 25 years and a cautious look at its future.
The Extreme Diarist
In her new book, Sarah Manguso reflects on recording—and forgetting—the details of her life.
A Historic Eruption
In Island on Fire, Alexandra Witze and Jeff Kanipe put recent volcanic events into the context of the legendary 1783 eruption of Iceland's Laki.
The Allure of Hyperlocal History
We like knowing that there are fuller histories of the world, but Arcadia Publishing reminds us that micro-histories of our little squares can be just as powerful.
The Poetry Resolution
In 2015, Casey N. Cep is attempting to surround herself with verse.
Emailing Your Future Self
Send-later functions aren't just ways of disguising your sleeping and working habits. They're an opportunity to confront your past and your future.
The Cookies of Christmas Past
Grandma's recipes are always better than Martha Stewart's.
The Puzzle of the Written Word
In his new book, A Muse & A Maze: Writing as Puzzle, Mystery, and Magic, Peter Turchi explains the riddling experience of literature.
Cracking the Code of James Hampton's Private Language
For years, scholars have been searching for meaning in the artist's preparation for the Second Coming of Christ. Perhaps the real purpose of the shrine lies not in his cryptic notes, but in our own sense of astonishment.
Understanding Money
In How to Speak Money, John Lanchester explains how the monied people talk about their mountains of cash.
A Murder Remembered: Alexis Coe's Alice + Freda Forever
In her new book, Alice + Freda Forever: A Murder in Memphis, Alexis Coe takes a humanistic look at a forgotten 1892 crime.
The Book of Mormon, Without the Mormon Part
The Lost Book of Mormon makes a compelling case for including the religious text in the larger American literary canon, but somehow dances around a discussion of what the book actually means to Mormons.
Embracing Autumn in the Apple Orchard
Casey N. Cep goes apple picking and realizes the importance of putting winter out of mind.
How We Form Our Routines
Whether it's a morning cup of coffee or a glass of warm milk before bed, we all have our habitual processions. The way they become engrained, though, varies from person to person.
The End of Stars
Soon, some scientists say, we'll only be able to see the Milky Way in five different states.
How to Plant a Library
Somewhere outside of Oslo, there are 1,000 newly planted spruce trees. One hundred years from now, if everything goes to plan, they'll be published together as 100 pieces of art.
A Letter Becomes a Book Becomes a Play
Sarah Ruhl's Dear Elizabeth: A Play in Letters From Elizabeth Bishop to Robert Lowell and Back Again takes 900 pages of correspondence between the two poets and turns them into an on-stage performance.
The Most Pointless Ferry in Maryland
Most of the some 200 ferries that operate in the United States serve a specific, essential purpose—but not the one that runs across the Tred Avon River.
Can Twitter Provide an Escape From All Its Noise?
Twitter has created its own buzzing, digital agora, but when users want to speak amongst themselves, they tend to leave for another platform. It's a social network that helps you find people to talk to—but barely lets you do any talking.
Why I'm Not Sharing My Coke
Andy Warhol, algorithms, and a bunch of popular names printed on soda cans.
Long Live Short Novels
Christopher Beha's Arts & Entertainments comes in at less than 300 pages long, which—along with a plot centered on a sex-tape scandal—makes it a uniquely efficient pleasure.
Why My Neighbors Still Use Dial-Up Internet
It's not because they want to. It's because they have no other choice.
How We Create Traditions With Dubious Origins
Does it really matter if the reason for why you give money to newlyweds is based on a skewed version of a story your parents once told you?
How I Became a Knausgaard Truther
Did companies in Norway institute Knausgaard-free days in response to the popularity of Karl Ove Knausgaard's autobiographical novel My Struggle? It's a question that led to a search for proof that something never happened.
The Beginning of Time-Lapse
With Apple soon to introduce time-lapse photography to its phones, could we see the end of the selfie?
The Tyranny of the Restoration Hardware Catalog
It's heavy, it's not good for the environment, it's too expensive for all but a select few—and yet, every year, the 17-pound catalog arrives again.
The Worst Tree in the World
There are family trees, and there are trees from hell that are filled with snakes. Sometimes, though, they're not all that different.
The Truth About Truthers
While it's turned into a disparaging term, being a "truther" once meant you were the opposite of a liar.
The Difference Between Lightning Bugs and Lightning
Last year, 23 people in America died from lightning strikes. And over the last 70 or so years, lightning has killed more people than hurricanes.
Can We Really Detect Sarcasm With a Machine?
What was once the domain of literary critics has now become the world of the Secret Service.
Should Tourism Ask More Questions Than It Answers?
Traveling to places where not much remains.
The End of the Rain as We Know It
Say goodbye to that pleasant springtime drizzle. As the climate changes, get ready for more torrential downpours and more droughts.
What Does Religion Look Like in Prison?
Ex-Catholics, atheists, Cherokees, Lakotas, Lutherans, and Wiccans all make an appearance in Joshua Dubler's Down in the Chapel.
The Best Museum Is a Home
As art museum attendance across the country continues to drop, it's time to embrace the beautiful eccentricity of the house museum.
Should Giving to Charity Be an Inoculation Against Criticism?
With charitable giving and profits so intertwined, the latter can't be ignored when considering the former.
In Praise of Slow Reading
A new reading app turns one classic and one current novel into a pair of serializations. Could it be a way to overcome our very modern tendency to skim?
The Myth of the Artist's Creative Routine
For all the interest in the habits of highly creative people, there's not much to learn from Don DeLillo's manual typewriter or Maya Angelou's mid-day showers.
What's a Religious Experience?
Despite a belief in the supernatural being ever-present among Americans, the unknown remains a topic we rarely discuss.
Patience in the Age of Distraction
The meaning of patience has changed over time, but that hasn't made it any easier to practice.
Why We Should All Go to National Parks
As their centennial approaches, it's time to remember why the National Parks are so worth protecting.
The Last Picture Show: We're Losing a Unique, Communal Experience
As the screens we watch our movies on get smaller and smaller, we're losing a unique, communal experience.
Why We Need to Listen to the Elderly
They have a lot to say, and they're not going away any time soon.
The Sounds of Your Sleep
Do you know anyone who actually falls asleep to pre-recorded crickets or rain drops? Sleep studies can't even agree on the proper lullaby.