Stories and literature
History of ideas
idea
Ancient Indian texts reveal the liberating power of metaphysics
by Jessica Frazier
Thinking and intelligence
idea
How conspiracy theories bypass people’s rationality
by Jan-Willem van Prooijen
Stories and literature
guide
How to gain more from your reading
There’s more to words than meets the eye. Deepen your appreciation of literature through the art of slow, attentive reading
by Robert DiYanni
Traditional arts
film
A joyously animated myth retells why painting is prayer to India’s Bhil people
9 mins
Stories and literature
idea
The plague novel you need to read is by Bachmann, not Camus
by Lyndsey Stonebridge
Stories and literature
idea
Get medieval on your haters: lessons from Beowulf and Chaucer
by Irina Dumitrescu
Stories and literature
guide
How to create compelling characters
It’s not only writer’s intuition. Use personality psychology to create just the right blend of surprise and believability
by Kira-Anne Pelican
Poetry
film
An English teacher asks his class: ‘What’s the opposite of a gun?’
5 mins
Spirituality and religion
idea
This is not the end. Apocalyptic comfort from ancient Iran
by Domenico Agostini & Samuel Thrope
Trauma and PTSD
idea
Trauma unmakes the world of the self. Can stories repair it?
by Anna Gotlib
Memoir
guide
How to heal through life writing
Learning to write about trauma helps you to process the painful experience, and gives you the life skills to overcome it
by Uddipana Goswami
Poetry
film
Childhood collides with the adult world in this haunting Bukowski adaptation
6 mins