Want to read some of the best magazine writing of the year? Here are the writing finalists for the 2010 National Magazine Awards, with links to the stories online. Perfect for Instapaper! Links are to full text and print friendly versions, where available. If you find stories that I didn't, please let me know in comments.
Personal Service
5280: "Low on O2," by Lindsey B. Koehler and Natasha Gardner Men’s Health: "Dead Man Driving," by Oliver Broudy New York: "For and Against Foreskin," by Michael Idov Parents: For a three-part series by Meryl Davids Landau: "So Long, Cigarettes!"; "You Can Do It!"; "Breathe Easy" Wired: "How to Behave"
Leisure Interests
Esquire: "Esquire’s All-You-Can-Eat Breakfast" Field & Stream: "America’s Meat" New York: "The Great New York Neoclassical Neapolitan Pizza Revolution," by Bob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld with Michael Idov and Christine Whitney Texas Monthly: "The 50 Greatest Hamburgers in Texas," by Patricia Sharpe and Jake Silverstein Texas Monthly: "Step Right Up," by John Spong
Public Interest
The Boston Review: "A Death in Texas," by Tom Barry National Geographic: "Scraping Bottom," by Robert Kunzig The New Yorker: "The Cost Conundrum," by Atul Gawande San Francisco: "War of Values," by Danielle Morton Technology Review: "Dissent Made Safer," by David Talbot
Reporting
The Boston Globe Magazine: For a two-part series by Neil Swidey: "Trapped,"; "The Way Out" The New York Times Magazine: "The Deadly Choices at Memorial," by Sheri Fink The New Yorker: "Eight Days," by James B. Stewart The New Yorker: "Trial by Fire," by David Grann Vanity Fair: For a three-part series: "Madoff’s World," by Mark Seal; "Hello, Madoff!" by Mark Seal and Eleanor Squillari; "Ruth’s World," by Mark Seal
Feature Writing
Esquire: "The Last Abortion Doctor," by John H. Richardson The New York Times Magazine: "The Holy Grail of the Unconscious," by Sara Corbett Texas Monthly: "Still Life," by Skip Hollandsworth Vanity Fair: "Wall Street on the Tundra," by Michael Lewis Wired: "Vanish," by Evan Ratliff
Profile Writing
Esquire: "The Man Who Never Was," by Mike Sager New York: "A Nonfiction Marriage," by Jonathan Van Meter The New Yorker: "Man of Extremes," by Dana Goodyear Vanity Fair: "The Man in the Rockefeller Suit," by Mark Seal Vanity Fair: "Marc Dreier’s Crime of Destiny," by Brian Burrough
Essays
National Geographic: "Top Ten State Fair Joys," by Garrison Keillor The New York Times Magazine: "A Journey Through Darkness," by Daphne Merkin The New York Times Magazine: "Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch," by Michael Pollan Orion: "Out West," by Joe Wilkins Sports Illustrated: "And Yet...," by Mitch Albom
Columns and Commentary
The Atlantic: Three columns by Megan McArdle "Sink and Swim," June; "Misleading Indicator," November; "Lead Us Not Into Debt," December
The Economist: Three "Obituary" columns by Ann Wroe "Danny La Rue," June 13; "Benson," August 15; "William Safire," October 3
Newsweek: Three columns by Fareed Zakaria "Obama’s Vietnam," February 9; "The Way Out of Afghanistan," September 21; "Theocracy and Its Discontents," June 29
Popular Science: Three "Gray Matter" columns by Theodore Gray "The Other White Heat," May; "Gone in a Flash," September; "Flash Bang," October
Travel + Leisure: Three columns by Peter Jon Lindberg "In Defense of Tourism," January; "Unhappy to Serve You," September; "Stop the Music!" November
Reviews and Criticism
GQ: Three reviews by Tom Carson "The Great White Hype," May; "One Glorious ‘Basterd,’" September; "There’s a Sucker Born Every Minute," November
Harper’s Magazine: Two reviews by Jonathan Dee "Suburban Ghetto," April; "Motherless Children," September
Los Angeles: Three reviews by Steve Erickson "The Next Frontier," January; "War Games," July; "No Ordinary Fad," September
The New Yorker: Three reviews by Elizabeth Kolbert "Green Like Me," August 31; "Flesh of Your Flesh," November 9; "Hosed," November 16
Paste: Three reviews by Rachael Maddux "Cold Bore," July; "Brandi, (You’re a Fine Girl)," September; "Just Peachy," December 2009/January 2010