Introducing Spotlights

Sometimes I hear from readers, “Why don’t you organize issues based on topics?” It’s a great idea, no doubt. But my inclination is always to prioritize the best writing each week, rather than trying to collect pretty-good writing around a common theme.

But long-time subscribers know that I really like following topics over time. For instance, you know that I like featuring articles on desegregation and white supremacy—not to mention the perils of fruit juice. If you keep reading The Highlighter, you’ll see that I’m following a topic over the course of several issues. It’s like the writers are talking to each other, and we get to enjoy their conversation.

But what if you want all the best articles, all in one place? This got me thinking about bringing together the best articles on a given subject, all together in one collection. I’m calling this new feature “Spotlights.” (It’s not a bad name, right? 😀)

My goal with Spotlights is to give you just the 5-10 very best articles that have appeared in The Highlighter about a common topic. This means that once I create a Spotlight, I’ll keep curating the list—adding and subtracting articles, maybe even putting them in a different order.

If you want to go deep on an issue—if you really want to build your background knowledge, to get a sense of what people have been writing about a topic over the last couple years—Spotlight is for you.

Check out my first Spotlight, “Dieting, Body Positivity, and Fat Shaming.” If you click on an item, you’ll read my blurb and continue on to read the article.

I’m not sure how often these Spotlights will come out, but I’m excited about them, and I hope you are, too. Please let me know what you think in the comments!