The Best American Magazine Writing: 2005

In the magazine world, no recognition is more highly coveted or prestigious than a National Magazine Award. Annually, members of the American Society of Magazine Editors in association with the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism select the year's most dynamic, original, provocative, and influential magazine stories. The winning and finalist pieces in this anthology represent outstanding work by some of the most eminent writers in America as well as rising literary and journalistic talents. This collection celebrates excellence in several genres: investigative reporting, features, profiles, criticism, and essays. The stories cover a variety of subjects from Seymour Hersh's investigation into abuse at Abu Ghraib prison and Samantha Power's account of the genocide in Darfur to Ned Zeman's remarkable portrait of Timothy Treadwell, the man who lived with grizzlies, and David Kamp's piece on the extraordinary collaboration between Rick Rubin and Johnny Cash. Other pieces include Chris Jones on life at the International Space Station, James McManus on stem-cell research, Adam Gopnik on Times Square, Jed Perl on the redesign of the Museum of Modern Art, David Quammen on disputes about evolution, and James Wolcott on the blogosphere. Wide-ranging in their style and subjects, these pieces inform, surprise, entertain, and provide new perspectives on our world. They also reflect elements that distinguish the best in magazine writing: moral passion, investigative zeal, vivid characters and settings, persistent reporting, and artful writing. Compiled by The American Society of Magazine Editors. Introduction by Nicholas Lemann Introduction, by Nicholas Lemann Acknowledgments, by Mark Whitaker Permissions Home, by Chris Jones Stomping Grounds, by Paul Kvinta The Wronged Man, by Andrew Corsello Dying in Darfur, by Samantha Power Walking His Life Away, by Gary Smith Torture at Abu Ghraib, by Seymour M. Hersh Please Stand By While the Age of Miracles Is Briefly Suspended, by James McManus Innocence Lost, by Nina Martin The Man Who Loved Grizzlies, by Ned Zeman Times Regained, by Adam Gopnik Good Plan, Republicans. But It Didn't Work in Britain, by Jonathan Rauch American Communion, by David Kamp Modern Immaturity, by Jed Perl Was Darwin Wrong?, by David Quammen The Laptop Brigade, by James Wolcott The Gift, by Ian Parker Foaling Season, by Aryn Kyle List of Contributors 2005 National Magazine Award Finalists National Magazine Award Winners, 19662005 ASME Board of Directors, 20042005 ASME Mission Statement