Cariad Lloyd and Rachel Parris look back: ‘We’ve been through a lot – trying for children, losing parents … but our friendship is constant’ (www.theguardian.com)
There are those on the left and right who offer only grievance: Labour is getting on with the job of economic renewal Keir Starmer (www.theguardian.com)
The Costco Effect Highlights How New Costco Stores Transform Local Economies: ''Surrounding Businesses Raise Wages Up To 40% More'' (finance.yahoo.com)
Tom Stoppard’s Radical Invitation - The playwright offered a kind of on-ramp to the literary canon, a way into a life of unabashed, unstoppable thinking. (www.newyorker.com)
“Safety,” by Joan Silber - It horrified me to be from a species that did such things, over and over, but what good did my horror do? (www.newyorker.com)
Jorie Graham on Elizabeth Bishop’s “At the Fishhouses” - The poem confirmed the ascent of a rare new voice—a mesmerizing voice that became indispensable to American verse. (www.newyorker.com)
How Noah Baumbach Fell (Back) in Love with the Movies - The writer-director talks about the art of dialogue, his love of marital fight scenes, and how his new film, “Jay Kelly,” helped him rekindle his affection for the medium. (www.newyorker.com)
How the Ceramicist Alev Ebüzziya Siesbye Makes Bowls That Hold Time - Over decades and through thousands of repetitions, the Turkish artist has whittled down her distinctive stoneware bowl to its very essence. (www.newyorker.com)
The Undermining of the C.D.C. - The Department of Health and Human Services maintains that it is hewing to “gold standard, evidence-based science”—doublespeak that might unsettle Orwell. (www.newyorker.com)
My Mother’s Memory Loss, and Mine - When I began forgetting words in midlife, I wondered if it was menopause—and worried that it was something more. (www.newyorker.com)
A Holiday Gift Guide: Presents for Music Lovers - Our music critic gives a roundup of tactile, old-fashioned ways to honor sound, and the people who make it. (www.newyorker.com)
Louis C.K. Débuts a Standup Special, “Ridiculous,” and Book, “Ingram” - In a new standup special, and a début novel, the comedian navigates murky, post-#MeToo terrain: not quite exiled, not quite welcomed back. (www.newyorker.com)
The Offices Only a Newsperson Could Love - Ann Hermes spent six years documenting American newsrooms, from Juneau to St. Louis, forming a witty and elegiac portrait of local journalism in action. (www.newyorker.com)
Noah Baumbach on “Jay Kelly,” His New Movie with George Clooney - The director talks with the New Yorker editor Susan Morrison about his new film, in which a famous actor wonders whether he’s made the right choices. (www.newyorker.com)
Ian McEwan on Imagining the World After Disaster - The novelist talks about his new book, set a century in the future, and why writers should try to describe the wider world—not just themselves. (www.newyorker.com)
God Bless “A Christmas Carol,” Every One - Also: the galloping Americana of Ryan Davis, Michael Urie’s tragic “Richard II,” a holiday roundup, Inkoo Kang’s TV picks, and more. (www.newyorker.com)
The Newest States in the U.S.A. - Bunly: State Nickname: The Creamy Leftovers State. State Motto: “Oops, I left it in Bunly.” State Gemstone: The humble pebble. (www.newyorker.com)
What are Putin’s Ultimate Demands for Peace in Ukraine? - The Trump Administration has claimed that it’s nearing a deal to end the war, but, for now, the conflict’s essential impasse still holds: Moscow won’t accept what Kyiv can stomach. (www.newyorker.com)
A Chef’s Guide to Sumptuous Writing - How the restaurateur Gabrielle Hamilton—of the beloved New York City establishment Prune—became a noted memoirist. (www.newyorker.com)
Sam Shepard’s Enactments of Manhood - “Coyote,” a new biography by Robert M. Dowling, recounts how the cowboy laureate of American theatre invented himself. (www.newyorker.com)
Traci Brimhall Reads Thomas Lux - The poet joins Kevin Young to read and discuss “Refrigerator, 1957,” by Thomas Lux, and her own poem “Love Poem Without a Drop of Hyperbole in It.” (www.newyorker.com)
Ken Jennings on Why Facts Still Matter on “Jeopardy!” - The man who’s been called “America’s hardest-working nerd” joins Tyler Foggatt live onstage at The New Yorker Festival. (www.newyorker.com)