We are a collection of Calvin University graduates who couldn’t stop writing when the classes were done. Since 2013, we’ve explored these restless post-diploma years in the best way we know how.

About Us

The post calvin has a heart and a soul. Unbridled life fills these pages, as mundane, as revelatory, as off-kilter as a diary entry. The content is dictated entirely by what the writers choose to write about. This leaves the post calvin in a unique space where very few other publications exist: we have the talent of a literary journal, the output of a blog, and no cohesive vision. Thirty different lives all thinly connected but for the efforts of two people. If you were to ask them, Abby and Josh would tell you we are privileged to manage this community. They would tell you that this printed collection of essays is a gift.

I would agree. I love the post calvin because it is a home for unprofessional writers. It provides a spotlight on words that might otherwise remain in dark, unpublished realms. And what a shame that would be! I’ve found cozying up to the writing of my peers to be a rewarding daily routine. I like knowing what they’re thinking about, what they’re doing. I like seeing their sentiment and reflections crafted into words. There is a togetherness about this space, as both reader and writer, which most online communities don’t have. We are all from Calvin University. We are all growing up.

Our hope isn’t for the post calvin to be compared to anything else—no other journals, blogs, or collections of writing in general—if only because it is incomparable. That doesn’t make it a vital piece of literature, but it does make it beloved. For that alone, we stoke the fire. Whatever modest warmth has been afforded here, I hope you have felt it.

Will Montei (’13)

Artist’s statement

Each contributor to the post calvin represents a unique facet of the character we often call “writer.” The adventurous spirit, the introspective philosopher, the political journalist: these people remind us that this character cannot be written into a box. The distinct ambitions and motives of each of the post calvin’s contributors has landed him or her in a different part of the globe. The architectural style of each of the buildings represent the landscapes in which each writer has attempted to create the time and space for him or herself to continue writing, thinking and processing what life brings.

Maria Smilde (’14)

Special thanks to:

Special thanks to:

Abby Zwart   Content curation and advisory board

Josh deLacy   Website, anthology, and advisory board

Will Montei   Social media and advisory board

Debra Rienstra   Advisory board

Maria Smilde   Artwork

Alissa Goudswaard   Calvin Writers Recommend

The views and opinions expressed in the media, articles, or comments on this site are those of the authors or contributors and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views or opinions held by the editorial staff, or by Calvin University or any of its faculty.