Alternative newsweeklies—from stalwarts such the Village Voice, LA Weekly, and the Chicago Reader to more recent additions like Seattle’s The Stranger—have long covered the most provocative stories with some of the country’s sharpest writing and reporting. And with the decline of the mainstream media, alternative weeklies now serve as a bulwark against the disappearance of local print coverage.

Best AltWeekly Writing 2009 & 2010 showcases articles that won the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies’s AltWeekly Awards in 2009 and 2010. These pieces embody the in-depth investigative journalism, narrative style, and defiant viewpoints that define alternative weeklies. Interviews with the authors illuminate the methods and personalities behind the stories. Articles feature music criticism from the Village Voice and election coverage from City Pages and the Texas Observer, as well as pieces from Westword, LA Weekly, San Francisco Weekly, and LEO Weekly. Interviews include journalists Anne Schindler, Sarah Fenske, Joel Warner, Jonathan Gold, John Dickerson, Jeffrey C. Billman, Erik Wemple, David Koon and Rob Harvilla.