#SundayCover ☀️
In Beyoncé’s Country, All Are Welcome
By Alex Hawgood for W Magazine

Make SLR part of your weekly routine. ☀️ Subscribe for free: bit.ly/3w9gFtW

#TheLastLaugh ☀️
“The ship makes no sense, vertically or horizontally. It makes no sense on sea, or on land, or in outer space. It looks like a hodgepodge of domes and minarets, tubes and canopies, like Istanbul had it been designed by idiots.” Gary Shteyngart
bit.ly/49qWXHP

Mark Warren's empathetic approach in chronicling the last days of a beloved, anguished pastor in a small Alabama town results in a piece where not one person is portrayed as an archetype or a narrative crutch. Esquire
bit.ly/3vzG7Jb

Technology has made a lot of social norms irrelevant. But one thing it hasn’t done is eliminate the closeness that can develop between writers and sources, as Edward Ongweso Jr illuminates in this insightful takedown of Kara Swisher’s bestselling memoir.
bit.ly/3JbeNEc

With Gannett and McClatchy’s recent decision to drop their subscriptions to The Associated Press, readers are losing the opportunity to read important, expansive reports like this one. Taylor Stevens Justin Pritchard Helen Wieffering
bit.ly/3VQMv9r

For anyone who has ever loved to read a scathing review, this is a wondrous account of how one was created — and its surprising aftermath. Nate Rogers The Ringer
bit.ly/3VRFkxM

Roberto José Andrade Franco's essay about his childhood desire to visit El Paso’s doomed Magic Landing encapsulates the bottomless yearning for more that defines childhood—and the disappointment that lingers decades after that desire goes unfulfilled.
bit.ly/3J6Xm7L

.Shannon Pettypiece's account of people who regret moving to the Sunshine State reminds us that our dreams are not protected from the relentless onslaught of reality. NBC News
nbcnews.to/49z2dcu

Cabaret has become a cultural fixture, even though it’s a musical that takes place in Germany as Nazism takes hold. A revival opening in London gives Michael Riedel a chance to explore the story of why Cabaret has endured over seven decades. VANITY FAIR
bit.ly/3U8cWpT

This reads like The Devil Wears Prada meets A Season on the Brink. And, yes, that is an exceedingly high compliment. At least no one had to get Bobby Knight a copy of the yet-to-be published Harry Potter novel. Alex Schiffer Front Office Sports
bit.ly/3W9btRN

I'm posting this again, because I think writers tend to get wrapped up in the now. This is a long game. I didn't start achieving any kind of momentum until I was in my mid-thirties. And I'm not done yet. Neither are you.

The people in this story have stayed will stay with you for days. Inside this maximum security prison, a groundbreaking program offers inmates the chance to earn a degree from one of the country’s top schools. Chicago magazine
bit.ly/43PRFEA

The issues that the women in Leila Latif's thoughtful, moving article share reminded me (@PeteCroatto) how unfair and rigid the standards for female success are—and how breaking away can lead to a whole new hamster wheel of self-doubt. The Guardian
bit.ly/3xCmK2r

This article by Emily Heil on Boston Market’s decline examines how the once-formidable chain eatery lost ground rapidly. The color and quotes she obtains from a desolate, shabby Boston Market in Newark, Delaware, make it a memorable piece of reporting. washingtonpost.com/food/2024/03/2…

Don't miss this week's newsletter featuring writers like Emily Heil, Bryan Curtis, Kent Babb, Leila Latif, Alex Schiffer, Alex Rogers + many more / guest edited by Pete Croatto mailchi.mp/sundaylongread…

A nuanced, deeply reported profile by Kent Babb washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03…

Ian Eagle is calling the men’s college basketball Final Four, a dream gig for the veteran play-by-play announcer who has long been the No. 2 guy. You’ll root for him after reading Bryan Curtis’s masterful profile (and guest editor Pete Croatto's favorite) theringer.com/college-basket…

Good morning. Here’s my edition of The Sunday Long Read, which includes an introductory essay that functions as a pep talk. mailchi.mp/sundaylongread…

Morning! This week's guest editor is Pete Croatto, a sports and pop culture writer, as well as the author of From Hang Time to Prime Time: Business, Entertainment, and the Birth of the Modern-day NBA. Here are his picks: mailchi.mp/sundaylongread…