Inventing the Modern Smile (Aeon)
by Colin Jones
In 1787, a French painter created a self-portrait that shocked the Western art world. The issue? Her smile showed her teeth. The etiquette of showing emotion, and the practice of dentistry, would never be the same.

How Londoners Speak Now (Hull Daily Mail)
by Dominic Picksley
In London, the dominant working-class dialect is no longer Cockney but Multicultural London English (MLE). It borrows elements of Jamaican slang and languages used by immigrants from other countries. And it’s spreading across Britain.

James Baldwin on Fire Island (Literary Hub)
by Jack Parlett
In 1959, James Baldwin traveled to the gay tourist destination of Fire Island, New York, where he wrote Another Country. It’s safe to say he wasn’t a huge fan of its white-dominated, hedonistic party scene.

Where is Prison Abolition Today? (Teen Vogue)
by Lexi McMenamin
To some, talk of defunding the police and abolishing prisons might seem like an idea that came and went in 2020. But for geographer and activist Ruth Wilson Gilmore, this decades-long area of focus remains as relevant as ever.

Pollination in the Time of Climate Change (Yale Environment 360)
by Carolyn Beans
Pollen is a delicate thing, so increasingly hot temperatures can have devastating results for crops. Scientists are on the case, pursuing a variety of innovative approaches to keep us fed.

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