Further reading: 2022 review, 2021 review, 2020 review, 2019 review
Welcome back to the post calvin’s annual year-end tradition! On the last three days of December, we take some time to think back on the year behind us. This year, we’re starting off by asking our writers to pick what they think is the best thing that they wrote in 2023. What did they make in the last twelve months that sparked something—grief, pride, thought, joy, a last-minute panic because oh crap it’s my day to post something tomorrow? Below we celebrate the posts that feed that little piece of the artists’ temperament that says, “I don’t care if no one else liked it. I don’t care if no one else read it. It’s mine and I liked it.” (But if someone else happens to too, all the better.)
Pieces are presented in order of publication day with a short comment from the writer about why he, she, or they picked it.
Digital Ghosts | Sam Tuit
This piece covers a lot and transitions well from point to point. I’m happy with what I accomplished here.
Aiding Athletes in All Phases of Athletic Activity (and Me When My Tummy Hurts) | Christina Ribbens
This piece combined a few of my favorite things when writing: a little bit of research, a little bit of personal connection, and a little bit of humor.
Hold Your Fire | Ansley Kelly
Sometimes posts are easy to write, and sometimes they are very, very hard. This one was a labor, but the result captures so much of my current thinking and the present state of my heart. I’m proud of this one, if not entirely of the story it tells.
At Pickerel Lake | Kipp De Man
I no longer live near Pickerel Lake, and writing this piece felt like capturing just a taste of something that has been essential to me, such that I can continue to hold on to it in words.
The Memory of a Screen | Alex Johnson
Not only am I tickled by the fact that this piece posted when I was four days into the most grueling self-imposed challenge of my life, spurred on by the place that I reflected on, but I also enjoy how I was able to both mourn this server deletion and ponder how I see memory on the internet. I feel like I did actually change my mind, which doesn’t often happen for me in these posts.
Master of None | Josh Parks
I like this piece because I still need to hear it. I need constant reminders that the goal of research and writing is not mastery, but care.
I Can’t Stop Thinking about Palestine | Gwyneth Findley
Amid a genocide funded by my tax dollars and co-signed by my elected officials, how could I write about anything else?
I Was Wrong About: John Cage and 4’33” | Philip Rienstra
This was one of my more ambitious pieces, for obvious reasons, and it’s probably the one I worked the hardest on.
Costco Wedding Rings | Gabrielle Eisma
I don’t often write with a specific reader in mind, but I did for this one—my dad and his siblings. They cried, laughed, and one of them even printed it out to save right alongside of photo albums because it was just so “grandpa.” I’m proud of the piece being able to carry even the smallest bit of his spirit.
Message in a Bottle | Jack Kamps
I’ve been recently impressed with books written in second person POV (Harrow the Ninth, The Raven Tower) for how the perspective shifts and obfuscates information differently than first or third person, and was pleased with my own foray into the form.
Grief is Like Glitter | Olivia Harre
I was proud of the way I captured a complicated feeling, and it felt like it resonated with people—always a goal of mine when I write.
Multiverse Grief | Noah Keene
It was the concept I liked the most.
Homesick | Courtney Zonnefeld
I often write about themes of home, belonging, and change, and I’m still proud of how this piece addresses those ideas by weaving together memories, song lyrics, and reflections.
First Boyfriends and Flaming Lanterns | Tiffany Kajiwara
I like writing things that are sentimental with a sense of humor, and I thought this one was fun!
An Eight Month-Late, Spoiler-Filled Review of Cocaine Bear | Carlisle Patete
My review of Cocaine Bear stands out among my tpc contributions mostly because I could not stop laughing while I wrote it and this piece just flowed out of me so easily and simply.
Please Don’t Read This | Isaac DeBoer
I picked this piece because I always appreciate it when others are vulnerable; it was my time to take a turn.
The Mortifying and the Mundane | Hannah McNulty
I’m pretty proud of all my pieces, but I enjoyed working on this one because it captures the downright silly ways social anxiety can manifest in a way that was fun to write about.
Nice to Meet You, I’m Parker | Parker Yeo
First piece this year + meant a lot to me personally!
Baby Queer’s First Drag Show | Kate DeHaan
This is my favorite piece because it weaves together the story of meeting a celebrity and my own journey with my sexuality. I think it was a creative way to express both stories, and hopefully inspired others to live authentically.
Lost Media and the Search for Pretty Good Episode 4 | Mitchell Barbee
It’s nice to see other people are still looking for Pretty Good Episode 4 (and this is the thing that pops up first on Google now).
“Bye-Bye Puppy Girl” | Natasha (Strydhorst) Unsworth
It’s bittersweet, saying goodbye—especially for the last time; this piece held so many memories of my first dog (and evoked even more for those of us who knew her).
The Place Where I’ll Be Buried | Annaka Koster
Of the three pieces I wrote in 2023 that feature trees, this is my favorite—probably because it’s also about cemeteries and I know my brand. The only thing we’re missing is books.
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall | Anna Jeffries
I 100% forgot about the memo for the June theme, so my belated apologies. But! It was serendipitous and funny and ironic and relevant and I think I had some good turns of phrase in it.
Dear Blue Ridge | Jon Gorter
Poetry and gratitude are natural companions, and I think they work well together in this piece.

Bravo, writers!