Read on Twitter
Long reads I really like/ love/ occasionally think about, a thread*:
*to be updated once in a while
*to be updated once in a while
The Suspects Wore Louboutins by Nancy Jo Sales | Vanity Fair, 2010
About the group of kids who burgled celebrity homes in Hollywood. The movie The Bling Ring was based on this article. https://archive.vanityfair.com/article/2010/3/1/the-suspects-wore-louboutins
About the group of kids who burgled celebrity homes in Hollywood. The movie The Bling Ring was based on this article. https://archive.vanityfair.com/article/2010/3/1/the-suspects-wore-louboutins
The Devil and Father Amorth by William Friedkin | Vanity Fair, 2016
Super creepy account of the Vatican's number one exorcist (who has since died – he was old af), written by the director of The Exorcist. https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/10/father-amorth-the-vatican-exorcist
Super creepy account of the Vatican's number one exorcist (who has since died – he was old af), written by the director of The Exorcist. https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/10/father-amorth-the-vatican-exorcist
An Unbelievable Story of Rape by Ken Armstrong & T. Christian Miller | The Marshall Project, 2015
The Netflix miniseries Unbelievable was based on these articles (never bothered to watch it cos the articles were SO hard to read).
TW sexual assault https://www.themarshallproject.org/2015/12/16/an-unbelievable-story-of-rape
The Netflix miniseries Unbelievable was based on these articles (never bothered to watch it cos the articles were SO hard to read).
TW sexual assault https://www.themarshallproject.org/2015/12/16/an-unbelievable-story-of-rape
Fear of a Black France by Grégory Pierrot ( @wwJJDdo) | Africa is a Country, 2018
About racism, colonisation and football in France. Not a long read per se, but still one of the most powerful pieces of writing I have ever read. https://africasacountry.com/2018/07/fear-of-a-black-france
About racism, colonisation and football in France. Not a long read per se, but still one of the most powerful pieces of writing I have ever read. https://africasacountry.com/2018/07/fear-of-a-black-france
Park Chan-wook, the Man Who Put Korean Cinema on the Map by Alexander Chee | New York Times, 2017
Profiles are my favourite features (both as a writer and as a reader), and this is a really good profile on one of my favourite directors on earth. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/16/t-magazine/park-chan-wook.html?smid=tw-share
Profiles are my favourite features (both as a writer and as a reader), and this is a really good profile on one of my favourite directors on earth. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/16/t-magazine/park-chan-wook.html?smid=tw-share
A Very Revealing Conversation With Rihanna by Miranda July | New York Times, 2015
The best profile on Rihanna, featuring the best portrait of Rihanna. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/12/t-magazine/rihanna-miranda-july-interview.html
The best profile on Rihanna, featuring the best portrait of Rihanna. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/12/t-magazine/rihanna-miranda-july-interview.html
How Anna Delvey Tricked New York's Party People by Jessica Pressler | The Cut, 2018
A modern classic, a delicious piece of reportage about a scammer. Many articles were written about Anna Delvey, few measured up to this one. https://www.thecut.com/2018/05/how-anna-delvey-tricked-new-york.html
A modern classic, a delicious piece of reportage about a scammer. Many articles were written about Anna Delvey, few measured up to this one. https://www.thecut.com/2018/05/how-anna-delvey-tricked-new-york.html
Dance Lessons for Writers by Zadie Smith | The Guardian, 2016
I revisit this one a lot. Smith on what writers can learn from dancers such as Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire and Beyoncé. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/oct/29/zadie-smith-what-beyonce-taught-me
I revisit this one a lot. Smith on what writers can learn from dancers such as Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire and Beyoncé. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/oct/29/zadie-smith-what-beyonce-taught-me
Justice: A father’s account of the trial of his daughter’s killer by Dominick Dunne | Vanity Fair, 84
Game changer; birthed VF's brilliant crime reportage. Dunne hadn't written an article before: Tina Brown told him to pretend he was writing her a letter. https://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/1984/03/dunne198403
Game changer; birthed VF's brilliant crime reportage. Dunne hadn't written an article before: Tina Brown told him to pretend he was writing her a letter. https://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/1984/03/dunne198403
(You're gonna go through your free VF articles by the time I'm done here)
The Fugitive Heir by Ned Zeman | Vanity Fair, 2002
The Jinx (HBO miniseries) gave birth to all these true crime docu-series we've been bombarded with these past few years... and it's STILL better than all of them. This article is just as excellent. https://archive.vanityfair.com/article/2002/2/1/the-fugitive-heir
The Jinx (HBO miniseries) gave birth to all these true crime docu-series we've been bombarded with these past few years... and it's STILL better than all of them. This article is just as excellent. https://archive.vanityfair.com/article/2002/2/1/the-fugitive-heir
The Really Big One by Kathryn Schulz | New Yorker, 2015
Who would have thought a long read about seismology would be so riveting (and scary)? https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/07/20/the-really-big-one
Who would have thought a long read about seismology would be so riveting (and scary)? https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/07/20/the-really-big-one
The Case for Reparations by Ta-Nehisi Coates | The Atlantic, 2014
Another modern classic. Super long but incredible.
It's about more than housing, it's about more than slavery & Jim Crow; it's about how systemic racism is the fabric America is made of. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/06/the-case-for-reparations/361631/
Another modern classic. Super long but incredible.
It's about more than housing, it's about more than slavery & Jim Crow; it's about how systemic racism is the fabric America is made of. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/06/the-case-for-reparations/361631/
Dirty John by Christopher Goffard | Los Angeles Times, 2017
The LA Times does really, really good mystery article series. This one was also a podcast and then it became a Netflix anthology series (haven't seen it, only read the articles). https://www.latimes.com/projects/la-me-dirty-john/
The LA Times does really, really good mystery article series. This one was also a podcast and then it became a Netflix anthology series (haven't seen it, only read the articles). https://www.latimes.com/projects/la-me-dirty-john/
Racer X by Kenneth Li | Vibe, 1998
The Fast and Furious was inspired by this article. Just reading it makes me anxious. I mean: "Gritting his teeth, the man behind the wheel of the Nissan begins to shake from the speed; his vision is a blur." https://www.vibe.com/2015/03/racer-x-rafael-estevez-kenneth-li-fast-and-furious-inspiration-may-1998
The Fast and Furious was inspired by this article. Just reading it makes me anxious. I mean: "Gritting his teeth, the man behind the wheel of the Nissan begins to shake from the speed; his vision is a blur." https://www.vibe.com/2015/03/racer-x-rafael-estevez-kenneth-li-fast-and-furious-inspiration-may-1998
(The general lack of proper, publicly accessible archival content by SA publications and media houses is disappointing. There are so many INCREDIBLE long reads that now languish on outdated internal systems, never to be seen again.)
The Things That Carried Him by Chris Jones | Esquire, 2010
I haven't read this in a few years, but for a long time it was one of my favourite pieces of long form. I was studying when this came out & I wanted to write like this. https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a4363/things-that-carried-him/
I haven't read this in a few years, but for a long time it was one of my favourite pieces of long form. I was studying when this came out & I wanted to write like this. https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a4363/things-that-carried-him/
There are still many articles to come but I have actual work to do so that's it for now.
Dee Dee Wanted Her Daughter To Be Sick, Gypsy Wanted Her Mom Murdered by Michelle Dean | Buzzfeed, 2016
A strange and haunting story about a girl forced by her mother to pretend to be terminally ill. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/michelledean/dee-dee-wanted-her-daughter-to-be-sick-gypsy-wanted-her-mom#.kcK6EaYW6
A strange and haunting story about a girl forced by her mother to pretend to be terminally ill. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/michelledean/dee-dee-wanted-her-daughter-to-be-sick-gypsy-wanted-her-mom#.kcK6EaYW6
