A bodega in the Castle Hill section of the Bronx

A Food Desert in an Urban Neighborhood

Food deserts have complex causes, and require multiple solutions.
Adherents of Santeria celebrate Santa Barbara on December 4 , 2002 in Isla de la Juventud, Cuba.

Music and Spirit in the African Diaspora

The musical traditions found in contemporary Black U.S. and Caribbean Christian worship originated hundreds of years ago, continents away.
From an interview with Eliza Hixon

Angela Proctor on the “Opinions Regarding Slavery: Slave Narratives” Collection

We spoke with Angela Proctor, head archivist at Southern University, about the collections of slave narratives compiled by John B. Cade from 1929-1935.
A person snowmobiling in Gifford Pinchot National Forest, WA, 1987

A Brief History of Snowmobiling

Snowmobiles were invented around the same time as wheeled transportation was becoming a robust industry.
Statue of Julian of Norwich, Norwich Cathedral

Julian of Norwich, Anchoress and Mystic

A religious recluse, mystic and author, Julian of Norwich wrote of Jesus Christ as a nurturing mother and teacher to the faithful.
Percey Shelley holding some carrots

Percy Shelley: Trendsetting Vegetarian

The poet adopted a "Pythagorean" diet, which eliminated meat, and wrote that vegetarians would "no longer pine under the lethargy of ennui."
New Year / Felt tip pen

Happy New Year!

Why do we celebrate on the 1st of January? Do financial incentives help you stick to resolutions? And other burning questions.
A bull elk searches for food beneath the snow in Yellowstone National Park

Our Most Popular Stories of 2021

This year, readers were into peanut butter and jelly, semi-conductors, bayonets, Victorian knitting manuals, plus the hard-working dogs of Medieval Europe.
An advertisement for Burdock Blood Bitters

Our Writers’ Favorite Stories of 2021

Without our writers (and editors and fact checkers and producers) and you, we're nothing.
bell hooks

bell hooks

Writer and academic, teacher and activist. Read and share some of her foundational work.