Best of 2018

Because Great Canadian Longform is a hobby, rather than a paying job, I don’t get to do all the extra things I’d like with it. That includes pulling myself away from my own writing to sit down and create this list of my favourite pieces from 2018.

I’ve come back to this list a lot over the last several months, in part because it’s not an easy task to single pieces out. There’s been at least one different piece shared on the site everyday since our launch in January 2018. That’s a lot of writing to sift through.

Using the term “great” instead of “best” Canadian longform was an intentional decision from the start. I think there are many elements, separate or combined, that make a piece great. These include the writing, the research, the subject, or experiments with format or style. With GCL I try and shine a spotlight on pieces that are great in a variety of ways.

But, I also think it’s important to single out some of the stories from 2018 that are particularly noteworthy. The following list, in alphabetical order of the author’s name, comprises 10 pieces from 2018 that are especially notable for their quality and craft.

I also think this list, if looked at as a whole, presents an interesting time capsule on Canada in 2018 and what sorts of issues were on people’s minds. Happy reading.

Rob Csernyik
May 18, 2019

GREAT CANADIAN LONGFORM’S BEST OF 2018

A Body Like a Home

Gwen Benaway, Hazlitt

The Unsolved Murder of an Unusual Billionaire

Matthew Campbell, Bloomberg Businessweek

Improbable Cause

Amy Dempsey, Toronto Star

Dark Matters

Alicia Elliott, Hazlitt

Between Two Worlds

Anais Granofsky, Toronto Life