writing
Stories We Wish We Had Published in 2018
The Pacific Standard staff highlights the stories published elsewhere that moved us, made us think, and left us a little envious.
The Best Pacific Standard Stories of 2018
As curated by our editorial staff.
The Five-Paragraph Essay Must Die
In his new book, John Warner argues that we can't fix how we teach writing unless we also fix a toxic mode of high school assessment.
Women Are Superior Wordsmiths From an Early Age
By fourth grade, girls are better than boys at reading and, especially, writing. New research finds this gap then increases as they get older.
PS Picks: The Evolution of the Celebrity Profile
PS Picks is a selection of the best things that the magazine's staff and contributors are reading, watching, or otherwise paying attention to in the worlds of art, politics, and culture.
PS Picks: Echoes of History in 'Heart Mountain'
PS Picks is a selection of the best things that the magazine's staff and contributors are reading, watching, or otherwise paying attention to in the worlds of art, politics, and culture.
A Conversation With Porochista Khakpour
The novelist discusses her new memoir about living with Lyme, being a refugee, and the search for home.
PS Picks: The Exceptional Runners-Up for This Year's Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing
PS Picks is a selection of the best things that the magazine's staff and contributors are reading, watching, or otherwise paying attention to in the worlds of art, politics, and culture.
PS Picks: Well-Read Black Girl, Noir Reads, and Other Answers to the Sensitivity Reader Problem
PS Picks is a selection of the best things that the magazine's staff and contributors are reading, watching, or otherwise paying attention to in the worlds of art, politics, and culture.
Dispatches: 'Pacific Standard' at the L.A. Times Festival of Books
News and notes from Pacific Standard staff and contributors.
PS Picks: Michelle Dean's 'Sharp: The Women Who Made an Art of Having an Opinion'
PS Picks is a selection of the best things that the magazine's staff and contributors are reading, watching, or otherwise paying attention to in the worlds of art, politics, and culture.
PS Picks: Michelle Dean on Women in Literature
PS Picks is a selection of the best things that the magazine's staff and contributors are reading, watching, or otherwise paying attention to in the worlds of art, politics, and culture.
PS Picks: Geoff Dyer on the Photography of Garry Winogrand
PS Picks is a selection of the best things that the magazine's staff and contributors are reading, watching, or otherwise paying attention to in the worlds of art, politics, and culture.
Dispatches: The Secret to Enjoying the AWP Writing Conference
News and notes from Pacific Standard staff and contributors.
PS Picks: Conquering Cynicism in a Secular World With Marilynne Robinson
PS Picks is a selection of the best things that the magazine's staff and contributors are reading, watching, or otherwise paying attention to in the worlds of art, politics, and culture.
The Real Secret to Becoming a Successful Writer
On the myth of meritocracy.
Can Fan Fiction Bridge the Gaps in Sex Education for Marginalized Communities?
For anyone who isn't a straight man, sexual education and the media can get sexuality wrong. Fan fiction is helping change that.
Letters to a Young Blogger
For academics looking to play a larger public role, publishing online can be a useful counter to some of the downsides of scholarly writing.
What Typos Can Tell Us About This White House
Typos in official correspondence are tiny errors on their own, but they suggest a much larger problem within the administration.
Creating in an Age of Anxiety, Depression, and Dread
Anxiety can lead to better art, but do the two have to be so mutually intertwined?
Excerpts From the Literary Magazine Written by the Homeless: Calmness vs. Chaos
A reprint from The Pilgrim.
Excerpts From the Literary Magazine Written by the Homeless: Keeping Clothes Clean
A reprint from The Pilgrim.