ISSUE 81 · SEPTEMBER 4, 2026

STORIES. ART. WIT. LEISURE.

SMART READING WHEN TIME IS TIGHT.
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NEW STORIES (MEMBERS ONLY)

PEOPLE WHO DIED: DOLLY PARTON

COOL HAND FRANK
Artwork: “Dolly” by Kirk Stansbury.

JAN. 19, 1946 - AUG. 25, 2026
A tribute to Dolly Parton, the country icon whose songwriting, acting, philanthropy and business sense carried her through six decades of American music.
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YOUR CLOTHES HAVE NOWHERE TO GO: FUNCTION AS THE FOUNDATION OF STYLE

EMILY SLEPSKY · ATLANTA, GA.
Artwork: “Glimpse of Her” by ELIKYA Art, all rights reserved.
Why does personal style feel thinner lately? A cultural essay traces fashion's lost function, from trench coats and jeans to the Birkin bag, and asks what happens when outfits only have to survive a photo.
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GRAMMATIC NOISE

EMANUEL (MANI) ISLER · DENVER, COLO.
Photo: "message number two" by Obscure Nonspecifics, all rights reserved.
A humorous personal essay about one writer's compulsive urge to correct every grammar mistake he encounters — even when he knows better. What starts as an ordinary day takes an increasingly absurd turn.
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ONE HUNDRED WORDS | 71

COOL HAND FRANK
Artwork: "daisies and dragonflies" by Obscure Nonspecifics, all rights reserved.
A serialized thriller told in precise 100-word installments, this tale follows a successful attorney accustomed to control navigating increasingly dangerous threats to his professional and personal worlds.
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“WE WERE TOGETHER”

ALYSE ANDREE · NEW YORK CITY, N.Y.

Artwork: “four flowers” by Kirk Stansbury.

In a drought-ravaged California village, four teenage girls cling to memory, survival, and each other. "We Were Together" is a haunting story of friendship, loss, and fragile hope at the end of the world.