Who do you want to be today?

Historian Jess Venner discusses how “critical fabulation” can help reveal the lived experiences of Pompeii’s voiceless residents.

These initially sympathetic characters take readers down a dark path.

Jan Morris's biographer confronts the limits of storytelling while trying to capture a life defined by contradiction and reinvention.

The top priority was to maintain the agenda.

Classic literature reveals how resilience can be both a source of strength in troubled times — and a dangerous ideal.

A preview of the latest novel by the New York Times bestselling author.

Throughout history, the ability to tell increasingly believable stories has become available to more people. Kevin Ashton says that’s a blessing and a curse.

In this excerpt from Flourish, Daniel Coyle shares how stillness, presence, and attention help people build meaningful connections.

People don't want you to buy their stories — they want you to listen to them.

Bryan Washington, author of “Palaver,” reflects on how moving to Japan and learning a new language shaped his writing.

David S. Goyer explains how paying attention to mystery, and not brushing it aside, became the foundation for the way he builds stories, characters, and worlds.

These expert-recommended books reveal how big ideas can shape — and sometimes redefine — human progress.

“When you start to accept that you have profound influence on the world, but very limited control, you start to see the world differently.”

A preview of the latest novel by the National Book Award finalist Brandon Hobson.

“As a reporter, you can look into the eyes of the people you're talking to and try to evaluate what they're thinking when they say what they say. But you are not really gonna get into their brain. There's only one artistic form that allows you to do that. “

In this excerpt from "America's Most Gothic," Leanna Hieber and Andrea Janes examine the history and folklore of Maine's vanished schooner.

A dialogue with Angus Fletcher — author of the bestseller "Primal Intelligence" — exploring the unique engines of human progress.

The latest "Superman" film sets Metropolis in the First State.

Sikh American scholar and historian Simran Jeet Singh on helping kids imagine — and create — a more empathetic world.

These short books offer insights and meditations on timeless themes, without the time commitment.

Author and geopolitical strategist Paulo Cardoso do Amaral urges us to ask: Will we shape AI with wisdom, or will AI reshape us with strategy?

Some books are remembered for their lyrical prose or engaging stories. Others are remembered for simply being weird.

Want to study philosophy but skip some of its heavier tomes? These five novels are a great place to start. (Existential despair guaranteed.)

"The stars made our minds, and now our minds look back."

The Gospels aren’t historical biographies but genre-defining works that blend myth, theology, and a promise of hope.

According to Tolkien, fantasy requires a deep imagination known as "sub-creation." And the genre reflects a fundamental truth of being human.

Reading obituaries can boost creativity by exposing you to distant ideas, fueling the associations that lead to unexpected breakthroughs.

Barthes is dead — long live the artist.

"It's a true fact, but a bizarre one, that the reason why hundreds of thousands of people died in Hiroshima and Nagasaki rather than Kyoto and Kokura, is because of a 19-year-old vacation and a passing cloud."