Cognoscenti: WBUR’s Weekly Ideas Newsletter
Bobby Hall changed the world
The running community lost a legend last week: Bob Hall, the first person to ever race the Boston Marathon in a wheelchair, died at 74. Cog editor Cloe Axelson talked...
Moments of moon joy
Cog editor Sara Shukla wrote an essay this week about the Artemis II mission, and there were countless moments of “moon joy” she wished she could have included. Here are...
The ghosts of literary history: Q&A with Emily Franklin, author of 'Love & Other Monsters'
"This is what we owe the people of the past," says Emily Franklin, in an interview with Cog editor Sara Shukla. "Not only giving them voices, but bringing their stories...
Lemons, a love story
"Are you aware that lemons were a botanical accident?" asks Cloe Axelson, who returned from a recent family vacation dreaming of lemons.
March is for basketball — and family
Cog editor Kate Neale Cooper isn't a big college basketball fan — she spent more time writing this than filling out her bracket — but she's a big fan of...
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Racket sports are hot. I finally get it
"There are so few areas in adulthood where my input can come even reasonably close to predicting the output. Words are squishy, people are complicated, my kids exist to push...
My mom never had a driver's license. I'm better for it
"My mom’s inability to drive me around gave me an age-appropriate freedom I couldn’t have enjoyed buckled up in the backseat of a station wagon," writes Kate Neale Cooper. "I...
The thrill of competence
In her post-Olympics stupor, Cog editor Cloe Axelson has turned to “competence porn," entertainment that features characters who are very, very good at what they do.
Understanding grief, the most human of emotions
Cog has published many essays on the topic of grief over the years. "These are a few of my favorites," writes Cloe Axelson. "If you're in a season of grief,...
Peeking through the window on “The Pitt”
My ER doctor husband and I have different ways of watching "The Pitt," writes Cog editor Sara Shukla. "While I’m sinking into the couch and pulling a blanket up near...
'Do you believe in miracles?' It's that time
The 'quad god,' cross-country superstar Jesse Diggins and skimo -- there's plenty to pay attention to at the Winter Olympics, writes Cloe Axelson.
The case for winter
"I love how a big snow makes everything and everyone stop. There’s very little in our world that inspires that slowness," writes Cog editor Cloe Axelson.
Look for the experts
We seem to be living in a time when many Americans have the attitude that expertise isn’t valuable, writes Cloe Axelson. But I’m looking for experts -- for the people...
Q&A with Janice Page, author of 'Year of the Water Horse'
An interview with Janice Page, the arts editor of The Washington Post, about her memoir, "Year of the Water Horse."
What we believe
Whether it's Tarot cards, the Celtics or fact-based journalism, this is a good time to figure out what you believe, writes Cog editor Cloe Axelson.
Cog's best essays of 2025
We published 227 pieces of original writing in 2025, by nearly as many contributors. Our “Best of 2025” post is a chance to revisit a favorite essay, or discover a...
Birds never had a chance
Some 96 million Americans claim to engage in "birding" as a hobby. Cog editor Cloe Axelson is not one of them, and may never be.
The serendipity of Little Free Libraries
I’ve probably only taken three books from LFLs in the past decade, but I always stop at each one I pass to see what’s inside. The literary voyeur in...
Looking for blue sky
The country is in a terrible mood. According to the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, two-thirds of Americans think the country is "pretty seriously off on the wrong track." Cog's...
The winter blues are here again
Seasonal affective disorder was clinically recognized by psychiatrists in the mid-1980s, but the link between the seasons and our moods has been observed for millennia — one article I read...