After three years of publishing daily pieces online, the post calvin is proud to present the post calvin: selected essays. Editors Josh deLacy, Will Montei, Debra Rienstra, and Abby Zwart, along with suggestions from writers, chose pieces that represent the heart of soul of the post calvin.
the post is a daily online journal that features twenty-eight regular writers. Each writer is responsible for one day of the month, and the remaining two or three days are filled with guest writers. Three years in, the post has featured a total of ninety-eight writers—all Calvin alumni, and all under thirty.
This new anthology, featuring eighty-eight pieces arranged into fourteen sections, highlights both the diversity of topics covered on the blog as well as the common threads tying them all together. “I am a quilt of a person,” reads the epigraph to the first section (“Growing Pains.”) Indeed, each writer weaves a picture of themselves through their writing, describing new love or a new job, adventures with potato salad or with potty training. Part of what makes the post calvin unique is this range of writers who are willing and able to write beautifully about any number of topics. Observations about technology lie next to ones about nature, a movie review follows a story about sex.
It may seem from the outset that perhaps an alma mater and a similar age is all these writers have in common, but the real draw here is the connections perceptive readers will start to make. Be it Budapest or Kentucky, they all travel (“Departures”). Be it students or a congregation, they all teach (“Classroom 101” and “Nine to Five”). Be it depression or alcoholism, they all struggle (“Gray Matters”). Be it a tour guide or a teacher, they all know some incredible people (“Portrait Gallery”).
With meticulous book design by Josh deLacy and beautiful illustrations by Maria Smilde, the post calvin: selected essays is a book that any lover of Calvin College, millennials, or good writing can be proud to have on their shelf.
NPR called Josh deLacy “a modern-day Jack Kerouac” after he hitchhiked 7,000 miles across the United States, and a few dozen surprised drivers told him he didn’t smell bad. Since that experience, he found homes in the Pacific Northwest, the Episcopal Church, and the post calvin. Josh deLacy’s writing has appeared in places such as The Emerson Review, Front Porch Review, and Perspectives. His website: joshdelacy.com.
Will Montei graduated with a major in writing and a minor in philosophy. He currently lives in Seattle, taking full advantage of the abundant local coffee and surrounding mountain hikes. He is an avid daydreamer, an old soul, and a creative potty mouth.
Debra Rienstra has published books on motherhood, Christian spirituality, and language in worship. She writes regularly about all sorts of topics for The Twelve, and she teaches literature and writing at Calvin College, where she has served on the faculty since 1996. Her website is debrarienstra.com.
Abby Zwart is a high school English teacher in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She spends her free time making lists of books she should read, cooking, and managing the post calvin.
