As part of celebrating The Daily Memphian’s fifth anniversary this week, we asked some of our longtime writers to pick a few of their favorite stories, as well as explain why they picked them. 

Jennifer Biggs

Story selections by Chris Herrington. 

With the BlueOval City megasite changing the rural community of Stanton, Tennessee, Jennifer Biggs went to profile a restaurant and ended up capturing a whole community in transition, including an unlikely mayor with big ideas.

She wrote movingly about the passing of her friend, and her city’s, Father Nicholas Vieron, and dug deep into the intense personal story of Dave and Amanda Krog when their restaurant Dory opened. 

COVID-19 hit the Memphis restaurant scene hard, and no one covered that impact, day by day, like Jennifer. This piece, one year in, captures the breadth and empathy of her coverage.

Read more about Jennifer Biggs and her legacy at The Daily Memphian.

Read more of her stories here.

Geoff Calkins 

The assignment was to pick a favorite column from the last five years. That’s impossible. In the last five years, I’ve written about the arrival of Penny Hardaway (as coach) and Ja Morant (as superstar). I’ve written about the sports world (and the whole world) shutting down because of COVID-19. I’ve written about the death (and lives) of both my parents. It’s been an emotional five years. 

The column I’ll treasure more than any other? That might be the one about taking my parents to Disney World. The trip didn’t exactly go as planned. It was perfect, just the same. 

I’ve written a lot of sports columns over the last five years, of course. Here’s one about the day that ESPN’s GameDay came to town.

But beyond everything else, I’m grateful to the Memphians who shared their stories with me. Mike Glenn told me about stepping away from FedEx to be a better father. Rob Fischer told me about his struggles with depression and suicidal thoughts. Just recently, Richie Fletcher told me about his wife, Liza. Jarvis Greer told me about prostate cancer surgery, including the memorable line, “you feel like your entire innards are coming out your thingee.” 

Oh, and let me give you three more. Just because they are sweet. Here’s a column on Gibson’s reopening for the first time during the pandemic. And here’s the best Southern ice fishing story you will ever read. And here’s a story about Jerry Lawler that just might make you cry, in a good way. 

Read more from Geoff Calkins.

Bill Dries 

The story about the Chickasaw Nation’s origins in what is today Memphis was part of The Daily Memphian’s bicentennial coverage and a chance to talk to two historians for the Nation — former and present — about what went on here before it was Memphis. It was also a bit of a follow-up to a cover story I did for the old Memphis News weekly on Chucalissa. (No story is ever simple with me.)

Also, I live now just across the street from one of the mound settlements that dates back to before Native Americans were grouped in the nations or tribes we know today — I learned that while reporting this story. It’s my favorite, as it serves as a reminder there was a civilization here before Memphis.

Meanwhile, the Mark Flanagan and Joe Cooper obituaries are bookends of a political past, although very different paths. Yes, I was covering politics before I was old enough to vote. 

Read more from Bill Dries.

Chris Herrington 

When the Grizzlies traded Marc Gasol in 2019, an era was over, even if teammate Mike Conley (briefly) remained. It gave me a reason to squeeze every idea I had about “Grit-and-Grind” into one farewell column. 

I don’t know how much we want to relieve Our COVID-19 Year(s), but spending a day suited-and-booted inside Baptist Hospital’s COVID-19 ICU when we were all still so uncertain was my most memorable reporting experience of these past five years. 

The city’s bicentennial was a good excuse to concoct an alternate, three-part history of Memphis music, one song at a time, with friend and colleague Jared Boyd. 

And the Memphis Airport’s odd decision to remove a work by artist Tommy Kha was at least an opportunity to muse on the living Memphis legacy of old, dead Elvis. 

Read more from Chris Herrington.

Elle Perry 

As someone with both extensive art and business reporting experience, many of the stories that are among my favorites combine art and place.

Add to that, really great photography accompanying it. I’m especially interested in sharing stories from culture workers and those finding creative solutions to (civic) problems. They are: 

• These artists are centering stories of Memphis’ Chinese community
• What should be done with Memphis’ 56 square miles of vacant land?
• Orange Mound’s United Equipment landmark bought for mixed-use development
• Meet seven Memphis playwrights

Read more from Elle Perry.

Otis Sanford 

I decided to only pick one column. And it’s the tribute column to my brother Louis: “Sanford: My big brother Louis’ courage, influence and love will never be forgotten.”

As the youngest in a family of seven children, I looked up to all of my siblings, particularly my brother Louis. He was the most courageous person I’ve ever known, and I tried to emulate him in every way. 

Read more from Otis Sanford.

John Varlas 

I selected this story (“Ten years ago, all ‘Haven broke loose“) because it’s one of the few — maybe only — times I’ve gotten goose bumps while watching it unfold.

And I got a few again while reliving the memories with the coach who oversaw it all and the players — now men — who made it happen. A special story told by some special individuals. 

Read more from John Varlas.

Abigail Warren 

I was once told there’s no news in the suburbs, but in the last five years, there has been plenty to write. Some stories have been happy, like the first grader who discovered a Dogwood teacher’s missing ring. The largest donation in the University of Tennessee history was in Germantown. In Collierville, a whole class wanted to support their classmate by learning Braille.

There’s also been hard stories, like the series of stories on the Kroger shooting in Collierville. Although difficult, it showed the trust the community had in us and won a Green Eyeshade Award. Perhaps the most meaningful story over the last five years was the one that was hardest to write, a personal perspective after four people from Harvest Church were killed in a plane crash on Jan. 17. What started as a way to process all my emotions became one of the most special pieces I’ve written.

In the last five years, we’ve sought to inform you, and there’s much more from outside the Interstate 240 loop to come. 

Read more from Abigail Warren.

The Daily Memphian Podcasts 

Story selections by podcast producer Natalie Van Gundy.

Geoff Calkins and Jennifer Biggs talk about when they visited a handful of folks at Tiger Lane. They ate some good food, met nice people and recorded them talking about their food and the Tigers. Bonus: Geoff saw bacon in a Bloody Mary for the first time. 

From pudding to pumpkin pie with matcha and mint in between, Jennifer Biggs, Chris Herrington and Eric Barnes eat all the Kit Kats over two episodes of Sound Bites and The Sidebar. 

In “All-Stars, Ja Raffe and grandmas,” Drew Hill and Chris Herrington discuss the Grizzlies. 

Josh Whitehead of the Office of Planning and Development offers a primer on Planning and Zoning 101 with Bill Dries, who also hosted a podcast on the city’s plan to hire a “pet reunification specialist.” 

And Eric Barnes interviewed CNN’s Phil Mudd — yes, that Phil Mudd — about his love of Memphis.

Listen to more podcast episodes from The Daily Memphian.