Great Reads

Proctor, Tanyard, Clear, and Intrenchment creeks all begin downtown and flow out from the city like spokes—west, north, east, and south. The creeks predate the railroads and highways that have nearly buried them, but their exact sources remain a mystery.

A member of Myanmar’s persecuted Rohingya community, Abu Talib endured a harrowing journey at sea to start a new life in Clarkston. But conditions continue to deteriorate for the family he left behind.

Over the centuries, the South River Forest has been many things: Indigenous land, a prison farm, a dumping ground—and the keystone of an ambitious proposal to incorporate nature into Atlanta’s growth. But in 2021, people living nearby were surprised to learn that the city had different plans for it: a massive new police training facility.

Granite is one of the hardest rocks on Earth. Much of what is mined around the world is crushed for gravel or cut into countertops, sidewalk curbs, and building stones. But in Elberton, Georgia—where, 325 million years ago, a great mass of magma rose through the earth’s crust, cooled, and solidified—90 percent of the granite coming out of the area’s numerous quarries is crafted into cemetery memorials. One could say death keeps Elberton itself alive.

Despite another year of extreme heat, storms, floods, and wildfires, the climate crisis is still a neglected topic in electoral politics. But state leaders, from the governor on down, should be taking action.

What has changed in the 40 years since a pair of "gay devil worshipers" built a life together in the North Georgia mountains? A look back at the Corpsewood Manor murders, which occurred in 1982 outside Trion, Georgia.

"Already, this tragedy felt like none of my business, like I had a front-row seat to someone else’s trauma. These were real people with real lives and real pain, all physically in the same room as us. All but the victim." An Atlanta writer describes what it's like to be a juror in a murder trial and what she learned about the legal system.

The roughly 1,500 Afghans who’ve arrived in Atlanta since last fall mark a substantial increase in the metro’s small Afghan population. Familiar comforts are sparse: The only Afghan grocery in the area is Kabul Market off Lawrenceville Highway, known for its freshly baked Afghan bread. Since the beginning of Operation Allies Welcome, Georgia hasn’t been a top destination like Virginia, Texas, or California—but Atlanta itself has been among the top 10 cities for Afghan resettlement, and the only major one in the Southeast. Here is the story of how one family is building a life here.

Facing ongoing encampment sweeps, an affordability crisis, and the punishing effects of the pandemic, members of Atlanta’s unhoused community are amping up their activism and finding support in mutual aid organizations like Sol Underground

Andre Dickens is still acquainting himself with his job as mayor of Atlanta. But his mission is clear: Fight crime, produce affordable housing—which, experts say, would help prevent crime—and create good-paying jobs (another noted crime deterrent). Simply put, he must make Atlanta safer and more equitable.