The Atavist Magazine

Stranger than fiction

Tue, 15 Nov 2016 10:12:01 -0500

Our new story about a town in Sicily plagued by mysterious fires that lasted a decade. Gorgeous illustration, too!

Trump Supporters: A Taxonomy

Fri, 07 Oct 2016 09:22:58 -0400

We asked reporter Justin Peters to help us understand the Trump coalition. Here’s what the nine types of voters he found. Read the story here.

a heartbreaking story

Wed, 17 Aug 2016 12:25:05 -0400

Spending time with another family is like traveling to a foreign country. Each has its own culture, forged over generations. Unraveling that history is the work of a lifetime—hard to do with our own families, let alone a stranger’s.

Check out our “A Family Matter,” about how an agency charged with protecting kids is tearing families apart.

Follow our RNC correspondent!

Tue, 19 Jul 2016 20:24:59 -0400

We sent a comedian and former game-show contestant (and journalist) to cover the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Follow along on instagram at @atavistmag and Twitter at @justintrevett. Welcome to the circus!

A chilling thriller for a hot day

Tue, 05 Jul 2016 13:16:10 -0400

Read our latest story, an espionage thriller almost too bizarre to believe.

The best mermaid movie you’ll never see

Tue, 24 May 2016 19:19:49 -0400

“My heart is weary and my spirit drifts like seaweed uprooted in a storm.”—”Sunk,” our latest story on an eccentric billionaire’s quest for to make China’s first international blockbuster.

The Next Big Deal

Thu, 28 Apr 2016 11:44:34 -0400

The Next Big Deal:

What happens when a global cartel leader turns state’s evidence? In the last installment of our weekly serial, you’ll find out.

Rambo’s Rampage

Thu, 21 Apr 2016 09:31:50 -0400

Not this Rambo.

This Rambo:

In Episode 6 of “The Mastermind,” a series about an international kingpin, a former soldier named Joseph “Rambo” Hunter becomes a terrifying enforcer in a global cartel. It’s called “Eyes Everywhere”

The Snowden Connection

Thu, 24 Mar 2016 13:36:51 -0400

This week, on “The Mastermind,” we figured a crazy link between a brutal cartel boss and Edward Snowden. Read all about it.

Here’s the tl;dr version:

When you don't know who your boss really is, a dream job can turn into a nightmare.

Thu, 17 Mar 2016 11:00:13 -0400

Plus drugs. Plus sharks. “I’m Your Boss Now,” Episode 2 of “The Mastermind” series is here!

Our new series is here!

Thu, 10 Mar 2016 11:47:02 -0500

Introducing “The Mastermind,” our seven-part series about a brilliant programmer who became a brutal cartel boss, and then a prized government asset. Check it out!

How far would you go?

Tue, 23 Feb 2016 12:38:52 -0500

In 1937, Satchel Paige was the best pitcher in America, playing in the Negro leagues before the sport was integrated. When he got an offer to play baseball in the Dominican Republic, it was his chance to finally taste the glory he was denied in America. He didn’t know how much this deal with the devil would cost him. Read our latest here.

Hidden Damages

Tue, 19 Jan 2016 11:40:51 -0500

Read our latest, “Hidden Damages” by M.R. O’Connor, about a father who fought to bring his daughter’s killers to justice.

The perfect gift is just a click away

Tue, 22 Dec 2015 09:51:01 -0500

This holiday season, share the most innovative journalism on the web with the ones you love. Shop now!

Best of Longform 2015

Wed, 16 Dec 2015 16:19:33 -0500

Longform has just published their Best of 2015 list, and we’re honored that Matthew Shaer’s “Whatsoever Things Are True” made the Top 10. It’s extraordinary work, which unravels a decades-old mystery and raises questions not only about America’s criminal justice system, but about the elusive nature of justice. We’re very proud to have it recognized.

Thanks to Longform for curating a brilliant list of superb journalism, and also for highlighting Ronen Bergman’s “Operation Red Falcon,” and Joshua Hammer’s “The Desert Blues.” We’re stoked to be in great company with Kathryn Schultz, Adrian Chen, Susan Dominus, among others.

Happy reading!

Our new release, “The Divorce Colony,” is beautifully...

Fri, 11 Dec 2015 13:58:21 -0500

Our new release, “The Divorce Colony,” is beautifully illustrated love story about a woman who challenged the law, her family, and her church to free herself from her husband, and, with her legacy, helped shape modern marriage in America.

Read it here: “The Divorce Colony”

Scenes from Ohio

Tue, 24 Nov 2015 14:20:21 -0500

Scenes from Ohio:

Photographer Maddie McGarvey looked inside the daily life of the mild-mannered municipal worker who risked his freedom inside a brutal regime.

A mesmerizing video from the South African Million Dollar Pigeon...

Mon, 03 Aug 2015 11:00:05 -0400

A mesmerizing video from the South African Million Dollar Pigeon Race from The Atavist Magazine’s latest story, “The Arc of the Sun.”

A meditation on a pigeon race and the longing for home in the...

Fri, 31 Jul 2015 13:21:55 -0400

A meditation on a pigeon race and the longing for home in the latest story from The Atavist Magazine, “The Arc of the Sun.”

The camp was a closed system: If we ate cherries for lunch, we’d...

Thu, 18 Jun 2015 10:00:11 -0400

The camp was a closed system: If we ate cherries for lunch, we’d be picking the pits out of the outhouse pump two days later (and getting a lecture from our manager about not swallowing pits in the first place). All human and dog waste had to be packed into barrels and flown to Juneau in a sling that dangled beneath the helicopters. On a bad day, we called it the Goddamn Ice Cube. On a good day, Summer Camp on the Moon.

—Blair Braverman, “Welcome to Dog World!”, The Atavist Magazine.