I would like to thank faithful readers of The Twelve blog for supporting this little venture, and I do hope you continue to enjoy our posts every day. However, if you would like to expand your reading beyond the old fuddy-duddies here (definition: people over age 30), with our constant blogging about aging and “kids these days” and other gloomy topics, may I invite you to detour from this site to a land of youth and wonder?

Please take a few moments to visit “the postcalvin,” a new blog (launched in July) featuring wonderful young writers, all of whom have graduated from Calvin College in the last eight or so years. These are not the only good writers we graduate of course, but these are the ones our little English-department-based blog board has selected through our writing major and minor, our writing courses, and our secret writing spies all over the college.

The postcalvin is actually modeled on The Twelve! Except that instead of 12 regular bloggers, we have 28. Each person blogs on a particular day of the month, and then on the last days of the month, we feature guest writers—more great young voices.

No need to be a Calvin alum to enjoy this blog: anyone who cares about young people will find here a window onto the passions, worries, and wisdom of twenty-somethings, freshly launched into adulthood. Plus, it’s great writing, straight up.

We’ve put together a nice variety of writers, busy with various post-graduation pursuits. Some are working whatever jobs they could get after graduation. Several work in journalism and publishing. A few are getting their sea legs as new teachers. Others are in grad school for English, or planetary science, or creative writing, or communications. One is in seminary, another will be soon. Several are traveling or living abroad, one is a professional triathlete, one just finished hitchhiking across the country with no money, traveling on trust.

They write about new responsibilities and new freedoms, their adventures, mishaps, ambitions, and joys. They review concerts and celebrate weirdness. They write a lot about change: getting married, having a baby, reconnecting with relatives after many years, inviting old friends to move in with them, making new friends in new towns, and moving. Always moving.

I’m inspired by their exuberance and moved by their longing. Maybe you will be, too. So I invite you to read around a bit, and maybe leave a comment to encourage them.

To get you started, I’ll mention a few highlights among our first 60-odd days. I hate to mention only a few because there are many more treasures to find. But here are some starting points.

Sept. 3 “Tongue Ties”: Sabrina Lee on finding the communion of saints in Italy despite language barriers

Aug. 24 “Stay Gold, Ponyboy”: Lauren Boersma on decision-making, change, and loss.

Aug. 13 “On How to Remain in Control While Having a Child”: Melissa Dykhuis’s sly take on giving birth for the first time.

Aug. 9 “How’s My Driving”: Bart Tocci on driving a moving van to Chicago.

Aug. 7 “Superlative Syndrome”: Caroline Higgins on relishing a friend’s country wedding.

July 11 “Reverse Culture Baffle”: Elaine Schnabel on returning home to Indiana after two years in South Korea.

July 10 “Things to Think About”: David Greendonner on the elusive mystery of people and the purpose of art.

And finally,

July 8 “Tough World” Nard Choi’s heartbreaking post on my colleague, Bill Vande Kopple, who died suddenly in July, a week after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He was an inspiration and encouragement to so many of our English graduates as well as to his colleagues. He taught us all how to take unabashed delight in young people.

He would have dearly loved this new blog.