The 12.10.23 Issue

Highlights

Michael Stipe Is Writing His Next Act. Slowly.
How do you reinvent yourself after being a global superstar? The former R.E.M. frontman is still figuring that out.
By Jon Mooallem
CreditChristopher Anderson for The New York Times
The Border Where Different Rules Apply
When detained by the U.S. Coast Guard at sea, even children fleeing violence have no right to asylum — and often face an uncertain fate.
By Seth Freed Wessler
Credit
Podcasters Took Up Her Sister’s Murder Investigation. Then They Turned on Her.
‘True crime’ has become a big business — and an emotional minefield for victims’ families.
By Sarah Viren
CreditBenjamin Lowy for The New York Times
The Ethicist
My 70-Year-Old Mother Spends Too Much on Porn. What Should I Say?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on how to broach a sensitive subject with one’s parent.

CreditIllustration by Tomi Um

Don’t Underestimate the Power of a Good Praline
A good praline, with a perfect pinch of salt, thoughtfully toasted pecans and a touch of cream, is a thing of beauty.
By Lisa Donovan
CreditLinda Xiao for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Sophia Eleni Pappas.
Eat
I Can’t Control the World, But I Can Leave Stickers on It
A perfectionist lets go and helps make the city a little more chaotic, one goofy graphic at a time.
By Keith Plocek
CreditMaggie Shannon for The New York Times
Letter of Recommendation
He Was Diagnosed With Lyme Disease. Why Did the Treatment Have No Effect?
Shortly after he retired, the man’s health began to fail him. An accidental finding on a CT scan revealed the true culprit.
By Lisa Sanders, M.D.
CreditPhoto illustration by Ina Jang
Diagnosis
The Out-of-Fashion Film Trick That Makes ‘The Holdovers’ so Affecting
The dissolve fell out of fashion decades ago. Alexander Payne’s latest movie is a gorgeous example of why it’s worth keeping alive.
By M.D. Rodrigues
CreditPhoto illustration by Mark Harris
Screenland
These Poems
The act of being inspired by others is akin to collecting pebbles of experience, letting them escape into flowing consciousness and resurfacing them again in one’s writing.
By June Jordan
CreditIllustration by R.O. Blechman
Poem

Judge John Hodgman on Efficient Gift Giving
Does it matter if you wrap a present when it’s going in a shipping box anyway?
By John Hodgman
CreditIllustration by Louise Zergaeng Pomeroy
Judge John Hodgman