Medium employees, by and large, are readers. It’s one of the reasons, if not the reason, we work here. The idea of building a platform that helps deepen people’s understanding of the world through quality writing — lyrical, literary, journalistic, practical, technical, personal, and pretty much any other kind you can think of — isn’t just a job. It’s also, if you’ll forgive the blatant earnestness, a labor of love.

You may have heard of something called Artificial Intelligence. There was a headline or two about it this year. How the benefits and costs of that technology will play out remains to be seen. But here’s something 200,000 years of the history of our species has already proven beyond a doubt: Human intelligence is pretty cool.

With that in mind, and with the current human year drawing to a close, we asked Medium staffers to share their favorite stories of 2023. Here, in alphabetical order by last name, are their responses:

“How I Became a Dog Person,” by Jacqueline Dooley

I usually read stories related to my job, but I stumbled upon this story. It is about grief as a parent. As it is time to reflect on my reads and pick the best one, I don’t see any other topping it as it is the most sincere and touching piece I can think of.

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Sophie Aguado , Product Designer