“I’m confident in every single thing I do.” That was the first thing Marcus Nelson told me when I asked how he would describe himself beyond his work. Confidence, for him, wasn’t developed over time or learned through adversity. It was foundational—passed down, reinforced, and lived from childhood onward. For Nelson, “home” wasn’t just a house. It was a constellation of people—parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins—woven tightly under one roof. He grew up in Jerseyland, a h

Hunter grad Phil Campbell is earning his PhD at Yale As I exit the station, the cold air hits me with a whoosh, knocking the post-train exhaustion right out of me. It's a quick walk to Campbell's apartment at Yale, only 15 minutes or so. A student walks by, their knee-length trench coat buttoned up and dress shoes shiny.  On this night, most students at the university are crowding outside college bars, Christmas wreaths and lights around their necks, dressed in t-shirts and t

Theodore’s Books doesn’t shout politics - it whispers history. Its shelves are lined with staff picks; the air carries the scent of fresh paper and coffee; quiet conversations buzz about literary indulgences. A staff member tells Alexa to play Spotify, and classical music fills the room. Huddled in the corner, store owner Steve Israel chats with customers. Near the door, a sign taped to the wall proclaims the store's only rule: No Jerks Allowed.  Israel, who spent eight terms

Hobson got out of a van at Nassau airport in the Bahamas. She boarded a Challenger 604, adjusted the rudder pedals, and prepared her...

“Pure, moldy rock. Asbestos. All of that good, moldy bullshit.” Almost 10 years later, Mike Taverna remembers what his first match...

When 20-year-old Muna Rahman welcomes clients into her Bronx family home, she asks them how they found her. Many travel hours from...

The Burger King at the corner of Liberty and Church streets looked like it had been bombed. Emergency workers gathered, silent,...