News & Notes

The Ghostly and the Ghastly

Selections from the Archives

In this month’s interview [“Local Haunts,” interview by David Mahaffey], historian Colin Dickey examines why certain locations become associated with the supernatural. We’ve highlighted archive selections that explore the ghostly — and the ghastly — through shades of a graveyard, the horrors of Jaws and embarrassing parents, and email spam from the other side.

Exploring Awe

Selections from the Archives

Mark Leviton’s September interview with Dacher Keltner explores awe, including its physical and psychological benefits. This month’s archive selections expound on the different ways we experience it — whether profound, unexpected, or painful.

The Power of Silence and Sound

Selections from the Archives

This month’s interview with Gordon Hempton, reprinted from 2010 as part of our ongoing celebration of The Sun’s fiftieth year of publication, is on the search for silence in a noisy world. The selections from the archives offer other ways to think about the power of silence — and of sound.

More from the Streets of San Francisco

Joseph Johnston’s photo essay about unhoused people, “On the Streets of San Francisco” [February, 2023], struck a chord with readers. We heard from one man who lives in Joseph’s neighborhood and recognized people in the photos. . . . When we passed along all the letters we received, Joseph thanked us for lifting his spirits and sent us a new image from the series.

Musical Notes

Selections from the Archives

Just like a good mixtape, the selections we’re sharing this month blend genres as they explore a common theme. They all offer surprising answers to the questions raised in our July interview with Kelefa Sanneh on what popular music can teach us about each other.

Kelefa Sanneh Interview Playlist

My conversation with Kelefa Sanneh covered so many artists and so many genres that we thought readers would enjoy a playlist. My hope is that something here gets stuck in your head long enough to prompt some investigating of your own.

What’s Brewing at The Sun

If this month’s Readers Write is any indication, many of you love a strong cup of coffee as much as we do. We couldn’t resist sharing a few of our favorite mugs. Tag us on Instagram with your own!

Understanding Our Place in the Ecosystem

Selections from the Archives

Dash Lewis’s June interview with Rebecca Priestley on finding hope amid the climate crisis felt timely even before New York and the U.S. East Coast roiled in wildfire smoke from Canada. This month’s archive selections offer more perspectives on how people think of their place within Earth’s ecosystems. The vivid descriptions in Synne Borgen’s “Observations on Ice” this month led us to pieces about the Arctic landscape in particular.

Through the Years

Stephen Gaskin and Ina May Gaskin

In our November issue, Rupert Fike discusses The Farm in his poem “He Arrived in a Hollowed-Out Studebaker Lark.” From 1971 to 1983 The Farm existed as a spiritual commune, home to more than a thousand “voluntary peasants” on 1,750 acres in southern Tennessee. It continues today as a reorganized cooperative with members in charge of their own finances. The Farm was founded by Stephen Gaskin with the help of his wife Ina May Gaskin, both of whom are Sun contributors. We present links to content by and about Stephen and Ina May through the years.

October’s Most Popular Reads

Competing perspectives take center stage in this month’s most-read selections.