This year has been another complicated passage of time, rife with economic and environmental anxiety, genocidal violence supported by Western interests, and the shuttering of several beloved publications, but also the creation of MANY new publications and Substack newsletters, shows of heartening resilience and solidarity across the globe, and new media to inspire, comfort, and guide us through the years to come, which we’ve curated a selection of below.
This year, we read paradigm-shifting books of poetry, spoke to Lexii’Foxx about what it means to actually be an ally to queer sex workers, picked the brain of Professor Mindy Seu on the associations between coding, sex, and politics, and recommended books on critical theory that wouldn’t send you doom-spiraling, among many other interviews and features that changed our perspectives and gave us hope for the year to come. We are honored that we’ve gotten to tell these stories for eight years now (it was our anniversary last month!) and can’t wait to continue alongside you in 2024.
the best of 2023 *founder edition
For more of the best of 2023, our founder, Clémence Polès, shares her favorite music and films on her tumblr. A yearly tradition she has kept up for over a decade.
most read 2023 interviews
most read 2023 features
an unfiltered guide to egg freezing and IVF
a guide to second-hand bookstores in NYC
passersby on their close friendships
most read 2023 newsletters
what books we read in 2023
passersby on the year 2023
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As we look toward 2024, passerby continues its commitment to its mission of celebrating the women who pass us by – melding the extraordinary with the ordinary and uplifting women's stories.
passerby is a DIY operation produced by a small group of writers, editors, and artists who believe in the importance of a space for thoughtful, intimate storytelling in an increasingly crowded online environment. We have so much in store, but we rely on the support of our generous subscribers to ensure that we can continue to produce this work.
If you’re looking to support our magazine, consider becoming a member of the passerby club, an exclusive subscription that not only gives you access to our Discord (where our members get to connect and chat) among other perks, but also helps our editorial team with the day-to-day publishing process and allows us to pay our writers and contributors. When you become a member, you’ll get access to our archive, exclusive members-only content & events, including monthly recommendations from our founder and weekly recommendations from the editorial team, and so much more.
As a generous reader, we’d love to have you join our club community. Or, if you’re interested in supporting passerby without a membership, consider making a a tax-deductible donation via PayPal.
Thank you for being part of this community – our readers are the backbone of our work, and we’re so grateful to have you by our side as we enter 2024.
With love and gratitude,
The passerby Team
Joining the passerby community was a big 2023 boost! Happy holidays to the whole team and wishing a successful joyous 2024 of creating ✨