The Great Read: An Artist Revisits the Ghosts of Her Waterfront Childhood
Joana Avillez took six years to illustrate a new edition of Joseph Mitchell’s “The Bottom of the Harbor,” which captures the salty New York neighborhood of her youth.
The New York Times
The Great Read
June 1, 2026, 2:01 p.m. Eastern time

On weekdays and Sundays, we recommend one piece of exceptional writing from The Times — a narrative or essay that takes you someplace you might not expect to go.

Joana Avillez, in bluejeans and a dark sweater, is seated for a portrait taken at a dock with a ship behind her.

Elias Williams for The New York Times

An Artist Revisits the Ghosts of Her Waterfront Childhood

Joana Avillez took six years to illustrate a new edition of Joseph Mitchell’s “The Bottom of the Harbor,” which captures the salty New York neighborhood of her youth.

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