The Big Smoke America celebrates seven years and almost 3,000 original articles and essays published. Here are the Top 10 (+13 more) from 2022.

The Big Smoke America launched on November 9th, 2015 and published its last article at the end of September 2022, at least under The Big Smoke America banner; we will be relaunching the publication with a new website under a new brand name in 2023. Stay tuned! Quality articles and essays will resume again soon.

A huge THANK YOU to all of our contributors, you continued to craft beautiful, heartfelt, witty, brilliant, thought-provoking work over the past seven years and we love you for it.

During our seven-year run, we published almost 3,000 articles and essays tackling a range of topics and contributing to a number of debates and discussions. Each year, we review traffic through our website and social media and find our most popular articles.

Here are the Top 10 most widely read and shared articles in 2022 listed from # 1 – 10.

1. Jeffrey F. Barken
Entangled Reform
As cities improve conditions with climate reforms and police reforms, elected Alderperson of Ithaca’s 3rd Ward, Jeffrey F. Barken, reiterates the importance of free speech and a free press.

2. Jesse Valencia
My Top Five Brian Jonestown Massacre Albums
In case you hadn’t heard, The Brian Jonestown Massacre were on tour for the first time in years. To celebrate, Jesse Valencia shared his top five favorite BJM albums.

3. Trisha de Borchgrave
Wherefore Art Thou, King Charles III?
Trisha de Borchgrave considered what came next for King Charles III as people around the world reflected on the legacy of the longest-reigning British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II.

4. Jason Arment
From Mortuary Transporter to JonBenét Ramsey Suspect: An Interview with JT Colfax
Jason Arment interviewed JT Colfax surrounding the series of events and choices that wound him from being a mortuary transporter to a JonBenét Ramsey suspect, and more.

5. Maureen Haeger
Backstreet’s Back, Amen
After seeing a Backstreet Boys concert, Maureen Haeger reflected on her experience as a Child Christian in the 1990s, worshiping at the altar of chaste preteen horniness, when it was Christian Summer Camp versus Every Boy Band.

6. James Jay Edwards
The Beauty of Don’t Worry Darling Almost Covers Up Its Plot Holes
Film critic James Jay Edwards reviewed Don’t Worry Darling, a psychological thriller film directed by Olivia Wilde, written by Katie Silberman, and starring Florence Pugh.

7. Kimberly Sheridan
Tattoo Ink: Isn’t What It Used To Be
Kimberly Sheridan explores the world of tattoos in her column Tattoo Ink. In “Isn’t What It Used To Be,” she considered nostalgia and tradition (and gatekeeping) with tattooing.

8. Corie Skolnick
Communiqués From Geezerville: What It’s Like Getting Old
Corie Skolnick, through her ongoing column Communiqués From Geezerville, talked candidly about what it’s like getting older and conversations had between generations in “What It’s Like Getting Old.”

9. Dhananjay Kumar Singh
Phubbing: Is Loyalty Fading Between Spouses in the Shadow of Smart Gadgets?
Psychologists say that phubbing is ruining the real-life bonds of partners and decreasing marital satisfaction. Dhananjay Kumar Singh explores this topic.

10. Sean Davis
Why No One Should Be Surprised About This
Dispatches From the Apocalypse columnist Sean Davis in “Why No One Should Be Surprised About This” wrote about Russia invading Ukraine and all of the signs that led up to it.

The following 2022 essays and articles ranked # 11 – 23:

11. Travis Laurence Naught – After the Lap Dance
12. Joseph Edwin Haeger – Book Review: Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth
13. John Michael – Have You Cut Yourself Off from the Truth? Learn How to Have Some Fun
14. Chris Dupuy – Juneteenth—So Much More To Do
15. Russell Thorburn – Chili Night and John Lennon
16. Adam Strong – Why You Took Up Smoking
17. John S. Blake – Everybody Loves Will: Smith on TikTok
18. Zain Hamdia – The Big Smoke Next Gen: The Clandestine Side of 3D Printing
19. Nancy Townsley – Reversing Roe v. Wade: Stripping the Capacity to Decide for Ourselves
20. S.M. Park – Risen Apes: Odor Eater
21. Ben Tanzer – A Failure To Not Feel So Desperate
22. Chad M. Christensen – Boy With Shovel: The Mouse Trap (In Spite of the Tennis)
23. Dian Greenwood – Roe v. Wade: Letter to My Granddaughters

Thank you for your loyal readership; be sure to check us out when we relaunch soon.