Dorothy Wickenden
Dorothy Wickenden is a staff writer at The New Yorker. Her recent pieces are about the last lighthouse keeper in America, the food entrepreneur Stephen Satterfield, India’s rewilding movement, the writer Wendell Berry, and the pre-Civil War battles against white supremacy. She is also the author of “The Agitators: Three Friends Who Fought for Abolition and Women’s Rights” and “Nothing Daunted: The Unexpected Education of Two Society Girls in the West,” a New York Times best-seller. Wickenden was previously the executive editor of The New Yorker for twenty-six years and hosted its podcast The Political Scene from 2007 to 2022. Earlier in her career, she was the executive editor of The New Republic, where she edited “The New Republic Reader: Eighty Years of Opinion and Debate,” and she was the national-affairs editor of Newsweek from 1993 to 1995. She has received fellowships from MacDowell and the Nieman Foundation.
The Last Lighthouse Keeper in America
In a technological age, impassioned devotees renew an ancient maritime tradition.
Stephen Satterfield Puts Black Cuisine at the Center of U.S. History
The host of Netflix’s “High on the Hog” draws seductive stories from a bittersweet legacy.
The Promise and the Politics of Rewilding India
Ecologists are trying to undo environmental damage in rain forests, deserts, and cities. Can their efforts succeed even as Narendra Modi pushes for rapid development?
Can Liberal Democracy Survive?
Amid autocratic movements around the world, Evan Osnos, Susan B. Glasser, Jane Mayer, and Dorothy Wickenden discuss the past, present, and potential future of the American experiment.
Can Democrats Win Back Rural Voters?
Chloe Maxmin and Canyon Woodward, the authors of the forthcoming book “Dirt Road Revival,” talk about intensive grassroots organizing as the key to Democratic success at the polls.
How Biden Stumbled on Immigration Reform
President Biden campaigned on the promise of undoing the draconian immigration policies of the Trump era. As the midterms approach, is it too late?
Can Genocide Be Prevented?
What the history of mass atrocities reveals about Putin’s war in Ukraine.
An Ivy League Student Accused of Lying About Her Past
Some believed that Mackenzie Fierceton concealed details of her upbringing to get a Rhodes Scholarship. But the truth was more complicated.
Jill Lepore on Parents’ Rights and the Culture War
The historian and staff writer looks at a century-old battle in schools between parents and the state.
The Good News About Renewable Energy
Renewable energy is quickly becoming cheaper than oil and gas, and we have the technology to make a rapid switch.
The West Wages Economic War on Russia
As Ukrainians defend their country from invasion, much of the rest of the world hits Putin with severe sanctions.
What Does China Think of Putin’s War?
While most of the world has ostracized Russia, China’s response has been hard to parse.
How Should President Biden Respond to Putin’s War?
The invasion of Ukraine has begun. President Biden and Europe now face the biggest foreign-policy crisis since the Cold War.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on the Path Forward for the Left
With the Democratic Party’s razor-thin majorities in Congress in peril, many progressive priorities now seem just out of reach.
Wendell Berry’s Advice for a Cataclysmic Age
Sixty years after renouncing modernity, the writer is still contemplating a better way forward.
What Putin Is Really After in Ukraine
In the face of Russian lies about troop withdrawals, the U.S. and Europe, along with Ukraine, prepare for an invasion. Why would the Kremlin do it?
What the Beijing Olympics Reveal About China
As Xi Jinping clashes with the West, China’s leadership is using the Olympics to project national unity and strength.
Black Thought Takes the Stage
The legendary rapper of the Roots turns to musical theatre with “Black No More,” which is based on a novel from the Harlem Renaissance.
The Joe Rogan Controversy and Spotify’s Stranglehold on the Music Industry
Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, and other artists have removed their songs from the platform to protest the spread of COVID misinformation. Do such boycotts affect how Spotify conducts its business?
Russia’s Intentions in Ukraine—and America
“They push buttons,” the historian Timothy Snyder, who takes a long view of Russian aggression, says. “What button of ours are they pushing here? What are they trying to get us to do?”
The Last Lighthouse Keeper in America
In a technological age, impassioned devotees renew an ancient maritime tradition.
Stephen Satterfield Puts Black Cuisine at the Center of U.S. History
The host of Netflix’s “High on the Hog” draws seductive stories from a bittersweet legacy.
The Promise and the Politics of Rewilding India
Ecologists are trying to undo environmental damage in rain forests, deserts, and cities. Can their efforts succeed even as Narendra Modi pushes for rapid development?
Can Liberal Democracy Survive?
Amid autocratic movements around the world, Evan Osnos, Susan B. Glasser, Jane Mayer, and Dorothy Wickenden discuss the past, present, and potential future of the American experiment.
Can Democrats Win Back Rural Voters?
Chloe Maxmin and Canyon Woodward, the authors of the forthcoming book “Dirt Road Revival,” talk about intensive grassroots organizing as the key to Democratic success at the polls.
How Biden Stumbled on Immigration Reform
President Biden campaigned on the promise of undoing the draconian immigration policies of the Trump era. As the midterms approach, is it too late?
Can Genocide Be Prevented?
What the history of mass atrocities reveals about Putin’s war in Ukraine.
An Ivy League Student Accused of Lying About Her Past
Some believed that Mackenzie Fierceton concealed details of her upbringing to get a Rhodes Scholarship. But the truth was more complicated.
Jill Lepore on Parents’ Rights and the Culture War
The historian and staff writer looks at a century-old battle in schools between parents and the state.
The Good News About Renewable Energy
Renewable energy is quickly becoming cheaper than oil and gas, and we have the technology to make a rapid switch.
The West Wages Economic War on Russia
As Ukrainians defend their country from invasion, much of the rest of the world hits Putin with severe sanctions.
What Does China Think of Putin’s War?
While most of the world has ostracized Russia, China’s response has been hard to parse.
How Should President Biden Respond to Putin’s War?
The invasion of Ukraine has begun. President Biden and Europe now face the biggest foreign-policy crisis since the Cold War.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on the Path Forward for the Left
With the Democratic Party’s razor-thin majorities in Congress in peril, many progressive priorities now seem just out of reach.
Wendell Berry’s Advice for a Cataclysmic Age
Sixty years after renouncing modernity, the writer is still contemplating a better way forward.
What Putin Is Really After in Ukraine
In the face of Russian lies about troop withdrawals, the U.S. and Europe, along with Ukraine, prepare for an invasion. Why would the Kremlin do it?
What the Beijing Olympics Reveal About China
As Xi Jinping clashes with the West, China’s leadership is using the Olympics to project national unity and strength.
Black Thought Takes the Stage
The legendary rapper of the Roots turns to musical theatre with “Black No More,” which is based on a novel from the Harlem Renaissance.
The Joe Rogan Controversy and Spotify’s Stranglehold on the Music Industry
Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, and other artists have removed their songs from the platform to protest the spread of COVID misinformation. Do such boycotts affect how Spotify conducts its business?
Russia’s Intentions in Ukraine—and America
“They push buttons,” the historian Timothy Snyder, who takes a long view of Russian aggression, says. “What button of ours are they pushing here? What are they trying to get us to do?”