The Best American Magazine Writing 2018

In a time of reckoning, this year’s National Magazine Awards finalists and winners focus on abuse of power in many forms. Ronan Farrow’s Pulitzer Prize–winning revelation of Harvey Weinstein’s depredations ( ), along with Rebecca Traister’s charged commentary for and Laurie Penny’s incisive columns, speak to the urgency of the #MeToo moment. Ginger Thompson’s reporting on the botched U.S. operation that triggered a cartel massacre in Mexico ( ) and Azmat Khan and Anand Gopal’s investigation of the civilian casualties of drone strikes in Iraq amplify the voices of those harmed by U.S. actions abroad. And Alex Tizon’s “My Family’s Slave” ( ) is a powerful attempt to come to terms with the cruelty that was in plain sight in his own upbringing. Responding to the overt racism of the Trump era, Ta-Nehisi Coates’s “My President Was Black” ( ) looks back at the meaning of Obama. Howard Bryant ( ) and Bim Adewunmi ( ) offer incisive columns on the intersections of pop culture, sports, race, and politics. In addition, David Wallace-Wells reveals the coming disaster of our climate-change-ravaged future ( ); Don Van Natta Jr. and Seth Wickersham’s reporting exposes the seamy sides of the NFL; Nina Martin and Renee Montagne investigate America’s shameful record on maternal mortality ); Ian Frazier asks “What Ever Happened to the Russian Revolution?” ( ); and Alex Mar considers “Love in the Time of Robots” ( with ). The collection concludes with Kristen Roupenian’s viral hit short story “Cat Person” ( ).