Photograph by Maryam Firuzi, “Reading for Tehran Streets,” Stranger’s Guide: Tehran
Stranger’s Guide explores how politics, power and culture shape daily life across the globe.
At Stranger’s Guide we publish stories you won’t see elsewhere, stories with nuance, humor, danger—even that revelatory confusion that comes with so many formative encounters. These are stories that ask us to listen to the complexities of the world.
Who we are
Here, you’ll see longform essays, interviews, photography, curious facts, live events and our stunning print editions. Across these platforms, we build a contemporary awareness of different places and cultures, and explore unexpected topics, from the complex and controversial to the intimate and beautiful.
We’re based in the US, but we don’t send writers on assignment to cover the world. Instead, we believe that writers, journalists and thinkers from their own countries are best equipped to explain their political and cultural realities.
Why subscribe?
When you become a paid subscriber, you’ll receive 2-3 original newsletters a week, featuring long form essays, stunning photoessays and new fiction. You’ll also get Field Guides, our weekly email that tracks a new single theme across the world be it whiskey or voting, and Vignettes, our weekly cabinet of curiosities newsletter with facts, intimate portraits of interesting people, interviews and more.
And then, there are our gorgeous print editions. As a paid subscriber you will receive our twice-annual 120-page print guides, each exploring a single location in depth through our unique approach.
On top of all that we will also send you special invitations to events, both digital and in-person, plus you’ll get full access to all of our newsletters and archives.
Most significantly, your dollars will go towards supporting journalism around the world and allow us to keep doing this important work at a time when it counts more than ever.
What people are saying
We’ve earned numerous accolades, including three National Magazine Awards as well as placement in America’s Best Travel Writing and America’s Best Magazine Writing.
“Visually stunning … Stranger’s Guide is a must.” —Monocle
“A joy to read.”—The New York Times
“A heartfelt embrace of communities around the globe” —National Magazine Awards
“Its features go deep into subcultures that, until now, only the luckiest of strangers might discover.” —The Paris Review
Check out our library of print guides!
Each of our print guides explores a single location through photography, essays, journalism and fiction. Heavy on design and photography, these are objects to hold and to keep.
As with all of our online work, our guides feature original works from local voices and recent volumes have featured world-renowned writers, including Edwidge Danticat, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Colum McCann and Wole Soyinka.
Whether exploring a city, like Tehran or New Orleans, a country, like Colombia or Ireland, or a region, like the Amazon or Scandinavia, these guides make a beautiful display on any bookshelf or coffee table.
You can explore our full library here.
