Social: Longform Article Reading Club

Discuss a longform magazine or newspaper article with a group of longreads fans in this monthly club from the Magazines and Newspapers Center. It’s like a book club, but instead of books we discuss periodical articles of approximately 10,000 words in length, which take about an hour to read.    

To participate, read the month's selection ahead of time, then join the discussion at the appointed time and location.   

The agenda of the meeting includes round-robin introductions, a forty-five minute discussion utilizing the shared inquiry method, and then a final twenty minutes to share any other thoughts the article brought up for you.   

Typically, selections can be investigative journalism, creative writing, personal essay or another genre, as long as it was originally published in a periodical.   

Sign-up for the Longform Article Club Newsletter 

Get the monthly selections and after-discussion summary delivered to your inbox. 

September 2026 Selection 

“Silicon Valley Circuits” by Hua Hsu 

Places Journal, July 2026 

Hua Hsu grew up in Cupertino when Apple was just another company in an anonymous office park—which is to say, before Highway 85 transformed the southern reaches of Silicon Valley. Now, he uses the artery’s arrival to chart the development of the region, his family and himself. With the stories of so many highways being ones of displacement and inequality (see: New York, Chicago, Oakland), it’s a treat to read one that feels more like a memoir of possibility. 

Access options: 

• Read on the Places Journal website (free) 
• Email mnc@sfpl.org to request a PDF  

Header image courtesy of Places Journal