How Wide Is North Carolina?
The Ongoing Case of Vince Gilmer
In an updated postscript to his book, Dr. Benjamin Gilmer delves into the continuing fight to get Vince Gilmer out of prison.
When the Office Is Home
In North Carolina’s largest cities, developers are converting empty downtown offices into much-needed apartments and condos.
The Uncomfortable Truth About Why Buying Furniture Is So Miserable
Shopping for a simple couch or dresser is driving us mad. What does the future hold for one of North Carolina’s most important industries?

Who we are
The Assembly is a digital magazine about the people, institutions, and ideas that shape North Carolina. Founded in 2021, we feature interesting, deeply reported, nuanced stories about our state.
We’re telling big stories and giving our journalists space to be ambitious. We want everything published at The Assembly to surprise, inform, and leave you with a better understanding than when you started.
Politics
Tangled Up In Blue
North Carolina Democrats are tired of losing, and some blame Gov. Roy Cooper’s hand-picked party leader. Will they risk their future on an untested 25-year-old, or hope that staying the course yields better results?
The Vote Wrangler
House Minority Leader Robert Reives can’t afford to lose a single Democratic vote. Can he keep his party together?
The Paradox of Power
As the U.S. House struggled to elect a speaker, some former N.C. legislators recalled a dramatic coalition that overthrew an entrenched leader and created a memorable moment of bipartisanship.
Recent Stories
Parable of the Sower
Like most startups, the majority of new churches fail. Can a young pastor get his to take root in an unexpected place?
How to Sell a University
Nido Qubein remade High Point University from a struggling college to a booming campus known for “wow” amenities. He’s not done yet.
A Cultural Institution at a Crossroads
Work at Duke University’s Center for Documentary Studies has all but stopped, staff have quit, and more are being laid off.