Paige Williams
Paige Williams joined The New Yorker as a staff writer in 2015. She is the author of “The Dinosaur Artist,” which the Times named as one of its 100 Notable Books of 2018. Her journalism has won the National Magazine Award for feature writing and has appeared in anthologies including “The Best American Magazine Writing” and “The Best American Crime Writing.” She was a fellow at MacDowell, and a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University.
The Crime Rings Stealing Everything from Purses to Power Tools
In Los Angeles, a task force of detectives is battling organized retail theft, in which boosted goods often end up for sale online—or commingled on store shelves with legitimate items.
An Unpermitted Shooting Range Upends Life in a Quiet Town
Residents of Pawlet, Vermont, were accustomed to calm and neighborly interactions. Then a new resident moved in.
Among the Cabin Fanatics of Mississippi’s Giant Houseparty
For more than a hundred years, the Neshoba County Fair has drawn revellers from all over the country. Why do they keep coming back?
A Small-Town Paper Lands a Very Big Story
In Southeast Oklahoma, a father-son reporting duo’s series on the county sheriff led to an explosive revelation.
A Bronx Cop Recalls Five Thousand Killings
William Sean O’Toole, the longtime commander of the Bronx Homicide Squad, gets a bagpipe sendoff and recounts running into mayors at murder scenes.
The Right-Wing Mothers Fuelling the School-Board Wars
Moms for Liberty claims that teachers are indoctrinating students with dangerous ideologies. But is the group’s aim protecting kids—or scaring parents?
The Grim Journey of the Accused Brooklyn Subway Shooter
Frank James, the man charged with carrying out the Sunset Park attack, appears to have inhabited a world of conspiracy theories, grievance, and mental illness.
How to Avoid “Stupid” Catastrophes
In a world marred by preventable miscalculation, Juliette Kayyem’s “The Devil Never Sleeps” provides a playbook for making it out alive.
Killing Wolves to Own the Libs?
The predators were reintroduced to the state in the nineties—and have been the object of political controversy ever since. An aggressive new law allows people to hunt or trap as many as they can.
The Outsized Meaning of the Rittenhouse Verdict
A Wisconsin self-defense law made it difficult for the jury to convict—an outcome that was celebrated by the Republican Party’s violent fringe.
The Complex Task Facing the Kyle Rittenhouse Jury
The panel may consider lesser charges when determining whether the teen-ager committed crimes or acted in self-defense.
The Trial of Kyle Rittenhouse Begins with Gruesome Videos and a Plea for Fact-Finding
The rifle-wielding teen-ager killed two men and grievously wounded a third during racial-justice protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Preserving the Selfless Heroism of the Passengers of United Flight 93
In Shanksville, Pennsylvania, the valor of the passengers and crew has become central to the history of 9/11.
Mississippi’s Hospital System Is Rapidly Approaching Statewide Failure
Despite the efforts of Miss U.S.A. and the state’s top medical experts, COVID-19 cases are soaring.
Kyle Rittenhouse, American Vigilante
After he killed two people in Kenosha, opportunists turned his case into a polarizing spectacle.
The Veterans Organizing to Stop Trumpism
A former Navy SEAL oversaw the creation of a new code of conduct that puts loyalty to democracy above politics.
“Bring Hearts and Souls Back”: Ohio’s Former Top Public-Health Official on How America Can Avoid Dual Cataclysms
Dr. Amy Acton argues that immediate bipartisan leadership—and acknowledging the country’s pain and division—must be part of the way forward.
The Changing Meaning of the American Flag Under Trump
To a Colorado veteran, flags represent freedom, but the nation’s most enduring symbol is taking on partisan significance.
Inside the Lincoln Project’s War Against Trump
Progressives are wary of the conservative group hammering the President, but its founders say they’re fighting for all Americans.
Urgent Care from the Army Corps of Engineers
While Trump flails in the pandemic, the military’s builders are getting it done.
The Crime Rings Stealing Everything from Purses to Power Tools
In Los Angeles, a task force of detectives is battling organized retail theft, in which boosted goods often end up for sale online—or commingled on store shelves with legitimate items.
An Unpermitted Shooting Range Upends Life in a Quiet Town
Residents of Pawlet, Vermont, were accustomed to calm and neighborly interactions. Then a new resident moved in.
Among the Cabin Fanatics of Mississippi’s Giant Houseparty
For more than a hundred years, the Neshoba County Fair has drawn revellers from all over the country. Why do they keep coming back?
A Small-Town Paper Lands a Very Big Story
In Southeast Oklahoma, a father-son reporting duo’s series on the county sheriff led to an explosive revelation.
A Bronx Cop Recalls Five Thousand Killings
William Sean O’Toole, the longtime commander of the Bronx Homicide Squad, gets a bagpipe sendoff and recounts running into mayors at murder scenes.
The Right-Wing Mothers Fuelling the School-Board Wars
Moms for Liberty claims that teachers are indoctrinating students with dangerous ideologies. But is the group’s aim protecting kids—or scaring parents?
The Grim Journey of the Accused Brooklyn Subway Shooter
Frank James, the man charged with carrying out the Sunset Park attack, appears to have inhabited a world of conspiracy theories, grievance, and mental illness.
How to Avoid “Stupid” Catastrophes
In a world marred by preventable miscalculation, Juliette Kayyem’s “The Devil Never Sleeps” provides a playbook for making it out alive.
Killing Wolves to Own the Libs?
The predators were reintroduced to the state in the nineties—and have been the object of political controversy ever since. An aggressive new law allows people to hunt or trap as many as they can.
The Outsized Meaning of the Rittenhouse Verdict
A Wisconsin self-defense law made it difficult for the jury to convict—an outcome that was celebrated by the Republican Party’s violent fringe.
The Complex Task Facing the Kyle Rittenhouse Jury
The panel may consider lesser charges when determining whether the teen-ager committed crimes or acted in self-defense.
The Trial of Kyle Rittenhouse Begins with Gruesome Videos and a Plea for Fact-Finding
The rifle-wielding teen-ager killed two men and grievously wounded a third during racial-justice protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Preserving the Selfless Heroism of the Passengers of United Flight 93
In Shanksville, Pennsylvania, the valor of the passengers and crew has become central to the history of 9/11.
Mississippi’s Hospital System Is Rapidly Approaching Statewide Failure
Despite the efforts of Miss U.S.A. and the state’s top medical experts, COVID-19 cases are soaring.
Kyle Rittenhouse, American Vigilante
After he killed two people in Kenosha, opportunists turned his case into a polarizing spectacle.
The Veterans Organizing to Stop Trumpism
A former Navy SEAL oversaw the creation of a new code of conduct that puts loyalty to democracy above politics.
“Bring Hearts and Souls Back”: Ohio’s Former Top Public-Health Official on How America Can Avoid Dual Cataclysms
Dr. Amy Acton argues that immediate bipartisan leadership—and acknowledging the country’s pain and division—must be part of the way forward.
The Changing Meaning of the American Flag Under Trump
To a Colorado veteran, flags represent freedom, but the nation’s most enduring symbol is taking on partisan significance.
Inside the Lincoln Project’s War Against Trump
Progressives are wary of the conservative group hammering the President, but its founders say they’re fighting for all Americans.
Urgent Care from the Army Corps of Engineers
While Trump flails in the pandemic, the military’s builders are getting it done.