Favorites From the Archives

Each month we post a new selection from The Sun’s archives, which date back to 1974. Some of the works are staff favorites or suggestions from readers. Others are chosen from our three Best Of The Sun anthologies. 

What’s your favorite piece from The Sun and why? Tell us, and we may post your suggestion on our website.


When They Get To The Corner

by Sy Safransky, July 2004 (Issue 343)
(Essays, Memoirs, & True Stories)

Posted on: November 01, 2009

Recommended by: Wendy Loughlin, a Sun reader
Why she likes it: “I suffered a stroke in 2002 at the age of twenty-nine; so much of what Safransky writes reminds me of my own father and what he must have gone through with me.”

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Jesus Incognito

by Alison Luterman, January 1999 (Issue 277)
(Poetry)

Posted on: October 01, 2009

Recommended by: Brent Winter, Proofreader
Why he likes it: “Alison Luterman writes ‘Jesus Incognito’ as a Jew contemplating the central figure of another religion; I read it as someone who, with sadness, renounced that religion. Yet this poem’s vigor, humor, and compassion bring us together somewhere in the middle, in a place that feels a lot like love.”

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Why Schools Don't Educate

by John Taylor Gatto, June 1990 (Issue 175)
(Essays, Memoirs, & True Stories)

Posted on: September 01, 2009

This essay appears in the anthology Stubborn Light: The Best of The Sun, Volume III.

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Final Dispositions

by Linda McCullough Moore, February 2009 (Issue 398)
(Fiction)

Posted on: August 01, 2009

Recommended by: Holly McKinney, Administrative Assistant
Why she likes it: “I love this story because each time I read it, I walk away with a smile on my face and a swollen heart. McCullough Moore’s Margaret is one of the most likeable characters I have ever encountered.”

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The Mayfly Glimmer Before Last Call

by Poe Ballantine, November 1998 (Issue 275)
(Fiction)

Posted on: July 01, 2009

Recommended by: Krista Bremer, Associate Publisher, Circulation & Marketing
Why she likes it: “Poe Ballantine writes about the ragged intersection of substance abuse, longing, and despair with extraordinary insight and humor. Like the drugs his characters so voraciously consume, his writing is intoxicating, mind-altering, and dangerously addictive.”

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Saving The Indigenous Soul

An Interview With Martin Prechtel

by Derrick Jensen, April 2001 (Issue 304)
(The Sun Interview)

Posted on: June 01, 2009

Recommended by: Luc Saunders, Editorial Assistant
Why he likes it: “This interview with Martín Prechtel is a poignant evocation of the Mayan worldview, reminding us of the power of ritual, the eloquence of grief, and the sacredness of everyday life.”

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Stealing Souls

Thoughts On Photography

by John Rosenthal, March 1983 (Issue 88)
(Essays, Memoirs, & True Stories)

Posted on: May 01, 2009

This interview appears in the anthology A Bell Ringing In The Empty Sky: The Best of The Sun, Volume II.

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The Myth Of Therapy

An Interview With James Hillman

by Sy Safransky, April 1991 (Issue 185)
(The Sun Interview)

Posted on: April 01, 2009

This interview appears in the anthology Stubborn Light: The Best of The Sun, Volume III.

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Under The Apple Tree

by Laura Pritchett, August 2006 (Issue 368)
(Fiction)

Posted on: March 01, 2009

Recommended by: Brenda Nelson, a Sun reader
Why she likes it: “I love this story because it’s sensual, erotic, and filled with unbearable longing. Every so often I reread it just for the high.”

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How To Bury A Dog

by Holly Ann Hyde, February 2003 (Issue 326)
(Essays, Memoirs, & True Stories)

Posted on: February 01, 2009

Recommended by: Zoe Griss-Bush, a Sun reader
Why she likes it: “I read it on the bus on the way to high school years ago, and by the end of the story I was sobbing. My dog was getting old, and we were all anticipating that her end was near. This story spoke directly to my heart.”

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