Further reading: Best of 2025 Part One: Writers’ Picks, Best of 2025 Part Two; Peers’ Picks
2025’s end-of-year posts are a little special for the post calvin‘s editorial board. This blog is intended to capture a very specific time of life—the often messy and occasionally marvelous years immediately following graduation from college. In service of that, all of our writers “age out” of the blog when they turn thirty. That will be next year for this current editorial board, which makes this “Editors’ Picks” our last. We are so honored that our writers have trusted their words to us for the past six years; thank you so much for letting us be your literary home for a little while.
Below are our editors’ (and our stalwart advisor, Deb Rienstra’s) favorites of the year. Pieces are presented by editor and organized by publication day.
Alex Johnson
Hometown Appreciation | Liana Hirner
Although it’s hard to top a screaming John Mulaney tapestry, Liana’s quieter meditation on seeing her hometown with new eyes colors in an experience so many of us have in our twenties: contending with what home means and where it is and how your identity fits in and between all of that.
Timestamp | Olivia Harre
Olivia’s deep expression of joy and growth here does feel, as she says, earned. It was enormously satisfying to read as someone who has watched her—via the post calvin—find, wrestle with, accept, and let go of these different stages of twenty-something-ness.
Attending My Ex-Boyfriend’s Wedding | Carlisle Patete
What a hook, and Carlisle keeps the tension up, teetering between past and present, between awkwardness and happiness.
Three Months With Wolf Alice’s The Clearing | Luke Brandsen
While I always appreciate some boots-on-the-ground sports posting, Luke’s dissection of the band Wolf Alice’s fourth album The Clearing did what the best music reviews do: put the minute details of an album in the larger context of the band’s history and arc. The care and knowledge Luke holds is on full display in this piece.
On Buying a Chair | Noah Schumerth
It’s about the chair, but as always with Noah’s meditations, it’s also not about the chair. This piece is anchored in a saga familiar to most of us—making large furniture choices—but the questions Noah gives are both humorous and challenging, leaving me with more questions than answers about the decisions we make. Honorable mention goes to “On Texts Left Unread” as another deeply relatable piece.
Lebanese Dad Jokes | Sophia Medawar
A stealth piece about the narratives we tell inside and about our families and how time changes (and doesn’t change) them. Sophia pairs the humor she so often writes about on the post calvin with the gravity of watching your parents get older, and the tension that stays unresolved sticks with me.
My Life as Told by Shayfer James and His Strange Ability to Read my Mind | Sam Koster
I have to give a special shoutout to Sam for not only this fantastic piece about how media can intertwine with our lives but also for disproving the “Shayfer James has no idea who I am and likely will not remember any of our interactions” line with a follow-up interview piece the next month.
On Film for Invisible Ink, Case No. 142: ABBREVIATION FOR DEAD WINTER [Diminished by 1,794] (David Gatten, 2008) | Kipp De Man
One feature I love about the post calvin is writers inevitably have to plumb the depths of their material to meet monthly deadlines and often surface with niche and fascinating topics that I would have never encountered. Where else would I appreciate and halfway understand a film primarily showcasing avantgarde ink blots?
Sorry, I Don’t Think This is the Revolution (Yet) | Loran Vanden Bosch
Loran illustrates in this post a common rut that many of us found ourselves in this year when it comes to politics and news: shock, engagement, and disillusionment.
Annaka Koster
Six Little Letters | Sam Tuit
Sam’s cover photos are some of the best on the site, and this one is top tier. It’s also attached to an insightful piece about words and the power we give them, which will always be a topic worth exploring.
The Morning Glare | Madeline Witvliet
One of our favorite things at the post calvin are writers who pay attention to the often overlooked details of ordinary life. Madeline has captured that perfectly here.
On Earth As It Is In Heaven | Alex Johnson
While I was extremely tempted to shout out Alex’s gatcha game post (one of the best things about being a tpc editor is learning about everyone’s niche hobbies), I was far too charmed by Alex’s potato-induced love of Idaho.
What Died Didn’t Stay Dead: A Taylor Swift Worship Experience: Holy Week Edition | Josh Parks
I know it’s the obvious choice, but every time Josh enters his crossover era I am enthralled. I said my favorite thing about tpc was enjoying our writers’ interests and Taylor Swift x Biblical exegesis never fails to disappoint.
Five Michelle Recommended Books | Michelle Ferdinands
Yeah, yeah, the librarian loves the post recommending books, sue me. Anyone who’s reading and talking about books deserves to be celebrated (plus Michelle has good taste. Seriously, go read The Death of Vivek Oji).
Notes From a Near Southerner | Eleanor Lee
Another excellent recurring (and in this case literal) theme at tpc is place. In this piece, Eleanor takes a hard look at the place she grew up in and eventually left behind, reckoning with what it means to live in a place where history is so present.
The Smell of Douglas Fir | Nathan Hilbrands
I love the scenery that Nathan evokes here (particularly in the paragraph about the plants that raised him); it’s nostalgic in the best way and insightful as well. You can almost smell the Christmas trees.
Josh Parks
IOWA | Kate Wilmot
Kate offered a singular entry in our “states” theme month: an ode not to a childhood home or a favorite vacation spot, but to the mystical idea of a place drummed up by a folk song. And like any good post about music, it sent me running to Spotify.
The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald | Philip Rienstra
Philip already highlighted this post in our writers’ picks the other day, but I can’t help myself: this is a great tribute to a great tribute, rich in trivia and Great Lakes lore.
Enjoy It First | Priscilla Chang
There are never enough reminders to academic over-thinkers like me that telling and reading a good story is enough. Priscilla delightfully captures her student’s enthusiasm and challenges us to imitate it.
How to Be an Amateur | Rylan Shewmaker
“Amateur means lover” is one of those fun word facts that isn’t automatically true (that would be the etymological fallacy). We have to make it true, and Rylan shows us how. I especially love Step 3b: true amateurs love not only their own sometimes-shoddy work, but also the love-fueled efforts of other amateurs. (To see this lesson in action, check out Rylan’s visit to a dance class.)
Co-lore-ado | Emily Joy Stroble
Emily’s posts are, without fail, packed with exquisite details and witty turns of phrase. This one weaves history, art, and anecdotes together to show how we both inherit and reshape the past, how our folklore is not our fate. Honorable mention to Emily’s almost quixotic (literally!) Tokyo travelogue.
How to Give a Stranger Your Home Address | Savannah Shustack
The pull quote from this post (“Small talk is the price one must pay to eventually become known.”) might be the post calvin‘s line of the year. Savannah’s call to see uncomfortable conversations as a way to honor shared humanity is both deeply right and—well, I’m frankly annoyed at how deeply right it is.
The Ghost in the Machine | Anna Jeffries
Better than any debate-class argument against AI, this post captures the flurry of frustration, anxiety, indignance, and bewilderment that I feel in our new AI-haunted world. Like Anna, I want to shout “why?!?” and not really have anyone give me an answer, because I’ve heard all the answers and they’re exhausting. Honorable mention to Anna’s similarly existential, similarly earnest echo of Dostoevsky.
Deb Rienstra
Crucially, Non-Cancerous (Parts I, II, and III) | Christina Ribbens
A riveting adventure in medical care. Christina managed to deliver medical detail but also medical experience, even from a groggy point of view.
The Hitchhikers | Grace Buller
Combine Latin species names with fake Nietzsche, a mythological quote, and a reference to Hopkins, and you have my vote. A top-notch liberal arts education glows through this post. Looking forward to more of Grace’s signature humor, so dry it’s satisfyingly crispy.
If a train could teach you the meaning of life | Emilyn Shortridge
Gotta have a good travel story in this list, and this one is a classic tale of travel mishaps, well told. Also appreciated “Be Nude, Not Rude.”
How to Get a Badreads Review from Me, Part Two | Noah Keene
Every time I go to a bookstore, I wonder what on earth is going on in the publishing industry. Someone had to say this stuff, so thanks, Noah. Scathing reviews are the most fun. Also appreciated Noah’s screed, “Stop Trying to Make AI Happen.”
Adventures in Amateur Bird Watching | Annaka Koster
The turkey vulture thing. So true. I disagree about robins, though: they’re actually great. Also appreciated “Good and Mad.” This is a painfully convicting essay, inviting us, with pointed honesty, to look with compassion on what most of us refuse to see.
boys who play with words | Izzy Nunez
This is what this country is like now.
Negative Buoyancy | Gabrielle Eisma
Such an interesting concept, and I enjoyed how this free-ranging meditation began with a goldfish and went philosophical. I also appreciated “Love that Backpack Dog.”
