Longer (Beautiful) Reads

Three gorgeous pieces I recommend. Yeah, they'll take a little bit of time to read (by internet standards), but all are so very worth it.

• "The Abyss," by Rebekah Frumkin in Granta (on working in a haunted house and being haunted humans).
• "How Long Has It Been Since You Smelled a Flower?" a mini-collection of prisoners' writing curated/introduced by Richard Shelton.
• "The Fourth State of Matter" by Jo Ann Beard in The New Yorker. This is so beautiful and moving and upsetting and perfect. (Many thanks to Richard Gilbert, whose newest blog entry sent me scrambling to read this essay!)

I'm just happy that writing like this exists. What are you reading this week that's keeping you warm, friends?