The most celebrated example of long-form nonfiction in the post-World War II years was John Hersey’s Hiroshima, originally published in The New Yorker in August 1946 in its complete 30,000-word form, taking up the entire issue (to memorialize the fiftieth anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing, the magazine has posted the full piece online). Hersey’s carefully...
“Midge was, as all Mattel’s toys and books and marketing materials identified her, ‘Barbie’s Best Friend’— not simply herself. She never even had an essay written especially for her till now.” Spend some time palling around with Midge, Barbie’s best friend, and Barbie fan/scholar Susann Cokal. Besides being a literary critic, novelist, teacher, and Broad Street‘s editorial...
By Abby Otte. When people attempt to sum me up for a stranger, it usually goes something like this: “Abby is tall and blonde.” My parents like to say that when I was born I came out all limbs. My arms and legs stretched from my body like taffy. As I aged I used them...
A favorite essay from our first issue, formatted for online reading. Josh George, Buddy Patrol, mixed media on wood panel. “The Lives of Strangers,” by multiple-award-winning poet and memoirist Paisley Rekdal, explores the complexities of marriage and love—and the many forms of violence they can engender. The piece first appeared in the print version...
The third issue of Broad Street has been out for a year, filled with tales of troubles, vexations, irritations and curses. “Bedeviled” features essays and assorted musings by D. J. Lee, Alan Cheuse, Carol Moldaw, Ramsey Hootman, and Glenn H. Shepard, Jr.; poetry from Lisa Allen Ortiz, Richard Peabody, and Lea Marshall; photography by John Moser, James Prochnik, and Chad...
