An Open Letter to My Neighbors
Hello. You do not know me and I do not know you.
Annaka Koster (’18) graduated from Calvin with majors in English and history and the University of Michigan a couple years later as a “master” of information science. She’s now a public librarian in her hometown of Holland, Michigan. Outside the library, Annaka can be found doing a sundry of nerdy things, including reading comics, playing board games, and raising her pet snail, Clive.
Holy Mola Mola
The scene, at first, is more akin to Jaws than Blue Planet—a silent silhouette from out of the hazy depths.
Ten Incredibly Specific, Fake Phobias that I 100% Have
7. Egochristicolaphobia — The Fear of Being Associated with the Word “Christian”
Memorial Day
Meaning, it turns out, doesn’t always accompany mortality.
Snail Saga, Pt. 3: Snails in the Shadow of COVID-19
There isn’t much I’ve enjoyed more recently than watching Clive—Clive Snails Lewis, to give him his full title—wrap his slimy self around a carrot.
Snail Saga, Pt. 2: Cohabitating with Tiny Corpses
When confronted with a dozen or so unexpected snails, one faces questions of moral principle one never thought one would.
My Favorite Color Is No Longer Purple
Six years later and I’m still using that toolkit at least once a month, but something has changed.
Snail Saga, Pt. 1: Carl Sagan the Ukrainian Mail-Order Snail
myhappysnails.com had assured me: “There is no smell in the place where snails live in.”
Tokyo Godfathers and the Art of the Christmas Miracle
Perhaps even more powerful than its familial themes and more impressive than its artwork and animation is how Tokyo Godfathers twists the rules of good story writing and bends them to its thematic will.
Frozen, Again
Like so many great dynasties before it, Disney’s empire is built on a chorus of tiny voices.
Second Person
After all, wounds weep before they’re healed.
X is for X
X is for kisses. X is for porn. X is your signature and where you sign.
Michigan Gods
I’m not scared of the gods that inhabit these places per se; I’m just wary of the humans who built them.
