Since 2012, Cognoscenti has published 4,800 pieces by some 1,100 authors. From Hillary Clinton’s shimmy to the case for cohousing, these are our 15 most-read pieces of all time.
In 2020, the whole world got turned upside down. Cog became a record of what we were experiencing, collectively and individually, when there were so few answers to be had.
In the face of discriminatory legislation, racist policies and exploitative practices, waving the American flag can feel dishonest. Other times, writes Kellie Carter Jackson, it can also feel like hope....
We’d been part of these crowds for years, writes Joanna Weiss. But this time, we were the ones getting ready to step on the porch and play: five suburban moms...
There’s been a lot of news in the last 10 years. Cognoscenti has tried to hold space for the personal, the very human, even in -- maybe especially in --...
The author Anita Diamant moved to Boston in 1975, just after college. She fell in love with the architecture, the history, and all the bookstores, but the Charles River is...
Over the next few months, we’ll be looking back on a decade of essays and radio commentaries, from parents and immigrants, doctors and teachers, on topics as varied as illness...
In the hills outside of Cooperstown, New York, 11 boys reminded Ted Flanagan that there is still joy to be had in picking up the lance and jousting at windmills....
Just amble by a neighborhood ballpark on a muggy summer night. You'll hear it: ritualized incantations of unwavering support. Together they create a chorus of positivity.
Cognoscenti 10
Stories published or shared anew to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Cognoscenti, WBUR's home for ideas and opinions.
Cognoscenti’s most-read stories of all time
Since 2012, Cognoscenti has published 4,800 pieces by some 1,100 authors. From Hillary Clinton’s shimmy to the case for cohousing, these are our 15 most-read pieces of all time.
Cognoscenti at 10: Our work is ‘to pay attention’
In the past decade, we’ve done our darndest at Cognoscenti “to pay attention” as Mary Oliver wrote, for “this is our endless and proper work.”
Everything is fine, until it's not
“Pray for boring days,” my grandmother used to say. I never really knew what she meant. Now, I think I do, writes Holly Robinson.
The unbearable whiteness of being
I’m raising my sons to be proud of their Blackness, writes John Vercher. But I also know that they’ll benefit from their lighter skin.
The courage to say 'I don't know'
So much becomes possible when we honor doubt, writes Leah Hager Cohen.
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Cognoscenti at 10: Holding the ordinary and unfathomable
In 2020, the whole world got turned upside down. Cog became a record of what we were experiencing, collectively and individually, when there were so few answers to be had.
'Just Ethel': What my grandmother, who was much more than a domestic worker, taught me about Black patriotism
In the face of discriminatory legislation, racist policies and exploitative practices, waving the American flag can feel dishonest. Other times, writes Kellie Carter Jackson, it can also feel like hope....
Milton-based mom band has rocked out on porches and stages from Massachusetts to LA
Plus, what they learned about themselves in the process.
‘Five moms gone electric’: The Lazy Susans will rock you
We’d been part of these crowds for years, writes Joanna Weiss. But this time, we were the ones getting ready to step on the porch and play: five suburban moms...
Cognoscenti at 10: Making space for human voices when the news feels too big
There’s been a lot of news in the last 10 years. Cognoscenti has tried to hold space for the personal, the very human, even in -- maybe especially in --...
After 48 years, it’s official: Boston you’re my home
The author Anita Diamant moved to Boston in 1975, just after college. She fell in love with the architecture, the history, and all the bookstores, but the Charles River is...
Celebrating 10 years of Cognoscenti
Over the next few months, we’ll be looking back on a decade of essays and radio commentaries, from parents and immigrants, doctors and teachers, on topics as varied as illness...
I've been working hard — on doing less
Rest was not a concept I was raised with, writes Neema Avashia. In the past year, that changed. It had to.
'I Just Wish I Could Stay A Little Longer': Jack Thomas Considers The End Of His Life
An inevitable part of life is the end of it. No one cheats death, of course. But most of us don’t know exactly when our time will be up. Longtime...
They came in 104th out of 104 teams. And they won big
In the hills outside of Cooperstown, New York, 11 boys reminded Ted Flanagan that there is still joy to be had in picking up the lance and jousting at windmills....
Soundtrack Of The Diamond
Just amble by a neighborhood ballpark on a muggy summer night. You'll hear it: ritualized incantations of unwavering support. Together they create a chorus of positivity.