

How Should Schools Teach Kids About What Happened at the US Capitol on Jan. 6?
Teachers shouldn’t avoid this topic, no matter how uncomfortable it might make them to discuss it with children and teens. We talked to six education experts.
Insurgency in Washington DC: A Fitting Way to End 2020’s Non-Stop Bullshit Machine
Sean Davis examines the events in DC on January 6th and hopes that history will not only capture all of the facts, but the nuance in every ironic detail that unfolded.
What Sort of Patriotism Do You Call This?
Donald Trump is getting the chaotic, violent, blood-soaked sendoff that he always demanded—but he might have overstepped the mark this time.
Risen Apes: Miles from Nowhere
S.M. Park’s column Risen Apes about being a 70-year-old boomer. In “Miles from Nowhere,” Park talks about cigarettes, Scientology, and substance use.
2020 Year in Review: Top 10 Articles from The Big Smoke America
Ta ta, 2020. What a year. The Big Smoke America is now five years old and has published over 2,100 articles and essays. Here are the Top 10 (+20 more) from 2020.
It’s Happened Before: When New Age Thinking and Extremist Conspiracy Theory Collide
The Nazis were also convinced that society was secretly under attack by an elite class of monsters. Sound familiar?
The Heavily Disputed (and Nonsensical) History of Christmas
Christmas has many traditions, but the walk to the 2020 version has taken many a strange path over the history of the holiday.
Life Is a Sweet, Tender Bruise XLI: Grief Heals and Expands the Heart; I Love the World Again
John Michael continues his series Life Is a Sweet, Tender Bruise, reflecting on life and people encountered, with two stories for this holiday season about grief and love.
Risen Apes: Vision Quest
S.M. Park’s column Risen Apes about being a 70-year-old boomer. In “Vision Quest,” Park shares about recent doctor visits, and recalls Christmas Eve 1974 on LSD.