City Confessions

6,000 Miles Across New York City

William B. Helmreich | LitHub | 11th August 2023

Professor of sociology describes how he visited almost every block in New York's five boroughs on foot in order to better understand the city. He originally planned to visit "twenty representative streets", but soon found there was no such thing. Averaging 32 miles a week over four years, he wore out nine pairs of shoes and taped hundreds of conversations with the people he met (2,110 words)

Confessions Of Cancelled Priests

Suzy Weiss | Free Press | 8th August 2023

Dispatch from a conference held by "the Coalition for Cancelled Priests". These clerics have been banished by the Vatican not because of abuse allegations, but for "railing against homosexuality, abortion, IVF". They despise Pope Francis but cannot abandon his institution: "As much as they detest the state of the Church, the idea of leaving it is unthinkable". They want to get it back" (2,340 words)