Submissions

Buddy Guy’s Burden of Greatness

Luke Epplin watches Buddy Guy, the “world’s greatest living guitarist,” combat his increasing irrelevancy with bombastic guitar solos.

Days of the Month

Bored by only seven distinct days of the week, Mark Peters proposes 24 more days to fit in the month.

I Finally Bought an iPhone

After years of resisting, Kyle Chayka gives in and purchases his first smartphone.

My Lost Year: A Brief Memoir of Disconnection and Return

In the mid-’90s, Michael Stutz abandoned his computer for an entire year to write his first novel. Coming back wasn’t so easy.

A Love Story in 15 Presidents

Kim McMurray falls in love and, at the same time, sets out to read the biographies of every single U.S. president.

Advice from an Ulterior Motivational Speaker

According to Eli Terry, the key to succeeding at everything involves a lot of ham.

The Kotex Belt

Before pads, there were Kotex belts. Before adulthood, there were Jessica Schein’s embarrassing pre-adolescent experiences.

Digital Archives of the Personal

Nishant Batsha tries to remember exactly he did exactly one year ago and finds that digital records don’t add up to a complete memory.

How I Lost My Blog’s Only Fan

Leah Caldwell confuses a human with a spambot, which begs the question: what does it mean to be human?

The Growing Creepiness of Pandora’s Music Recommendations

Jeremy Blachman notices his Pandora recommendations becoming increasingly sinister.

Jay McInerney Celebrates Chinese New Year and Reads Your Zodiac Sign

Jonathan San talks to Jay McInerney, who brings the bitter, depressed prose of his novels to horoscopes.

Burgled in Philly

When John Davidson’s apartment gets robbed, he learns that the easiest way to get his stuff back is to have one drug dealer lie to another drug dealer while he lies to the police.