Wendy Macnaughton

To connect with strangers, try spending one minute drawing them. Really.

An illustrated guide to letting loose.

An assignment for all of us to help capture an extraordinary time.

I spent a week at Gitmo’s military court, drawing the people involved in the Sept. 11 trial. It was a challenge in every way imaginable.

At many institutions, video systems have replaced face-to-face interactions between the incarcerated and their loved ones.

Seven days a week, Jim Halbrook stands outside a housing development, turning himself into a form of blight.

An illustrated visit to Openhouse, an organization for L.G.B.T.Q. seniors.

Mia Birdsong, an activist in Oakland, sees a lot of meaning in a hive.

Silicon Valley has a lot to say about self-driving semis. I went to truck stops in three western states to hear from drivers themselves.

It’s got custom cabinetry and enough juice to run color-balanced lights. See you on the road.

Dirt is dead, but soil is alive — packed with nutrients and boasting properties that keep carbon out of the atmosphere.

It takes the goop of hundeds of thousands of lac bugs to create the coating on your favorite shiny candy.

James Lang doesn’t make a lot of money with his letterpress printing business. But it’s an art form.

Many local companies, including our historic movie theater, are facing recovery with no flood insurance.

They range from an elephant figurine to a portrait of a slave ancestor. Maybe your desk has an oddly powerful item, too.

President Daniel Ortega’s regime is devastating the country’s economy — even the fledgling skateboarding industry.

Whitehead’s Cutlery in Butte, Mont., is 128 years old and will gladly sharpen scissors sold generations ago.

For a transcendant trip, head away from light pollution and crane your neck towards the stars.

The E.P.A. warns that radon causes cancer. But some tourists head to mines in Montana to soak it up.

They take months or even years to create. ‘I don’t even measure. I just do it by feel.’