Casey Cep
Casey Cep is a staff writer at The New Yorker and the author of “Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee,” which was a New York Times best-seller and named one of the best books of the year by the Washington Post and others. She is a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Oxford, where she studied as a Rhodes Scholar. She lives with her family on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
What I Learned from My Mother and the U.S. Postal Service
The job of a mail carrier is multifaceted and challenging, but that work unites the people of this country.
What We’re Reading This Summer: Mega-Reads
New Yorker writers on long, immersive books that are worth the plunge.
Dolly Parton’s Quietly Inspiring Defense of Marriage
The death of Parton’s husband, in March, called rare attention to a steadfast union that the fame-friendly country star had kept private for decades.
The “Lady Preacher” Who Became World-Famous—and Then Vanished
Aimee Semple McPherson took to the radio to spread the Gospel, but her mysterious disappearance cast a shadow on her reputation.
The Unstoppable Rise of the State Symbol
In America, states now celebrate not just flowers but their own desserts, minerals, neckwear—even firearms. Is there any meaning to the madness?
The Deep Elation of Working with Wood
In “Ingrained,” Callum Robinson honors not just the art of carpentry but the passion of labor itself.
A Grandson’s Urgent Chronicle of Family Life in Small-Town Ohio
In Adali Schell’s “New Paris,” which documents his family in the aftermath of death and divorce, individuals are more complicated than the worst thing happening to them.
The Megachurch That Tried to Confront Racism
A political scientist spent years at Crossroads Church, talking to members of a bespoke racial-justice course. What did she find?
The Oscars for the Deep State
Who are the best bureaucrats in America? Every year, one awards show makes the case—to surprisingly moving results.
The Radical Faith of Harriet Tubman
A new book conveys in dramatic detail what America’s Moses did to help abolish slavery. Another addresses the love of God and country that helped her do so.
Deb Haaland Confronts the History of the Federal Agency She Leads
As the first Native American Cabinet member, the Secretary of the Interior has made it part of her job to address the travesties of the past.
Trump’s America, Seen Through the Eyes of Russell Banks
In his last book, “American Spirits,” Banks took stories from the news about rural, working-class life and turned them into fables of national despair.
A Forgotten Book of Christmas Poems
“American Christmas,” first published in 1965, includes both classic and nearly unknown works, and widens a reader’s sense of what the holiday might mean.
A Poet’s Faith
Nearly two decades ago, Christian Wiman was diagnosed with a rare cancer and told he probably had about five years to live. In a new book, he makes the case against despair.
The Playful and Provocative Images of “Christian Tourism”
The jarring juxtapositions of Jamie Lee Taete’s collection showcase the sometimes fine line between gimmickry and genuine belief.
What Kate DiCamillo Understands About Children
Her books for young readers have sold more than forty-four million copies. They are full of yearning, loneliness, ambivalence, and worry.
A Tender and Knowing Portrait of Rural Life in Wisconsin
Erinn Springer’s “Dormant Season” pays tribute to a patch of prairie that her family has called home for generations.
How Thomas Lanier Williams Became Tennessee
A collection of previously unpublished stories offers a portrait of the playwright as a young artist.
What I Learned from My Mother and the U.S. Postal Service
The job of a mail carrier is multifaceted and challenging, but that work unites the people of this country.
What We’re Reading This Summer: Mega-Reads
New Yorker writers on long, immersive books that are worth the plunge.
Dolly Parton’s Quietly Inspiring Defense of Marriage
The death of Parton’s husband, in March, called rare attention to a steadfast union that the fame-friendly country star had kept private for decades.
The “Lady Preacher” Who Became World-Famous—and Then Vanished
Aimee Semple McPherson took to the radio to spread the Gospel, but her mysterious disappearance cast a shadow on her reputation.
The Unstoppable Rise of the State Symbol
In America, states now celebrate not just flowers but their own desserts, minerals, neckwear—even firearms. Is there any meaning to the madness?
The Deep Elation of Working with Wood
In “Ingrained,” Callum Robinson honors not just the art of carpentry but the passion of labor itself.
A Grandson’s Urgent Chronicle of Family Life in Small-Town Ohio
In Adali Schell’s “New Paris,” which documents his family in the aftermath of death and divorce, individuals are more complicated than the worst thing happening to them.
The Megachurch That Tried to Confront Racism
A political scientist spent years at Crossroads Church, talking to members of a bespoke racial-justice course. What did she find?
The Oscars for the Deep State
Who are the best bureaucrats in America? Every year, one awards show makes the case—to surprisingly moving results.
The Radical Faith of Harriet Tubman
A new book conveys in dramatic detail what America’s Moses did to help abolish slavery. Another addresses the love of God and country that helped her do so.
Deb Haaland Confronts the History of the Federal Agency She Leads
As the first Native American Cabinet member, the Secretary of the Interior has made it part of her job to address the travesties of the past.
Trump’s America, Seen Through the Eyes of Russell Banks
In his last book, “American Spirits,” Banks took stories from the news about rural, working-class life and turned them into fables of national despair.
A Forgotten Book of Christmas Poems
“American Christmas,” first published in 1965, includes both classic and nearly unknown works, and widens a reader’s sense of what the holiday might mean.
A Poet’s Faith
Nearly two decades ago, Christian Wiman was diagnosed with a rare cancer and told he probably had about five years to live. In a new book, he makes the case against despair.
The Playful and Provocative Images of “Christian Tourism”
The jarring juxtapositions of Jamie Lee Taete’s collection showcase the sometimes fine line between gimmickry and genuine belief.
What Kate DiCamillo Understands About Children
Her books for young readers have sold more than forty-four million copies. They are full of yearning, loneliness, ambivalence, and worry.
A Tender and Knowing Portrait of Rural Life in Wisconsin
Erinn Springer’s “Dormant Season” pays tribute to a patch of prairie that her family has called home for generations.
How Thomas Lanier Williams Became Tennessee
A collection of previously unpublished stories offers a portrait of the playwright as a young artist.