Loneliness and Apartments

The Opposite Of The Opposite Of Loneliness

Evan Harkness-Murphy | Republic Of Letters | 29th September 2025

Commencement address for people who were sad in college. “For most of their lives they have felt something like homunculi; they look human and sound human, but they don’t have the instinctual wetware the others do, the gyri and special ventricles that somehow guide real people to friends, to grabbing something to eat after class, and to every social activity of increasing complexity outward from there” (2,200 words)

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Speaking Apartment

Jane Stern | Paris Review | 30th September 2025

On the woes of finding a new apartment. Includes, helpfully, a glossary of basic apartment speak — “Cozy: so small you will keep your clothes in a plastic box under the bed. Built-ins: previous tenants added weird cabinets and shelves you can never remove. Turnkey: way overpriced with the charm of a corporate office. Hidden gem: so far from any stores or schools the police can’t find it on their map” (1,700 words)