On the new triangle trade, and the surprising connection between modern slavery and ecological disaster.

Adele Oliveira’s daughter, Violet, was born at 25 weeks and five days — more than three months ahead of her due date. In “Violet,” Adele tells the story of becoming a mother in the face of uncertainty.

“As long as guns exist, I don’t have a chance of saving the world. I feel useless against daily tragedy, against assault rifles and bullets. Here is something humiliating: I am afraid to write all this. Some people love guns. I do not love guns.” A reading list at Longreads, by Emily Perper.

Meaghan O’Connell had a perfect pregnancy and the perfect birth plan — and then she went into labor. Dive into A Birth Story, a hilarious 57-minute Longreads Original from 2014.

“If there were any time for the myth of California to crumble, now seems to be it.” In this illustrated Longreads Exclusive, journalist Susie Cagle explores California’s complicated history and politics, rural life and identity in America, and life after water.

In this Longreads interview with Jessica Gross, Vivian Gornick keeps it real: she talks about the problem with writing programs, her potential for dishonesty in memoir, and finding her way as a writer.