Out of everything we published this year, our editors chose the following pieces from each section for being standouts among their peers. As we see it, they best represent what In The Fray is all about: stories that further our understanding of other people and encourage empathy and compassion.

Commentary: How to Say ‘Divorced’ in Spanish, by Alexandra Levine

News: All I Know Is Here, by Scott Winter and Shelby Wolfe

Photo Essay: Rough Guides: Sherpas for Hire in the Himalayas, by Stephanie Lowe

Culture: Born Again: A Conversation with Writer Joy Castro, by Mandy Van Deven

Blog: Love like Exclamation Points: Growing Up with Mental Illness, by Joshunda Sanders

Your support ensures our nonprofit, volunteer-run magazine can continue to publish this kind of insightful and moving content: original reporting, photo essays, personal narratives, and reviews that make us think differently about the world, and perhaps ourselves. Please make a tax-deductible gift today.

From all of us at In The Fray, may you and your loved ones have a peaceful holiday season and a healthy and happy 2014.

Victor Tan Chen Victor Tan Chen is In The Fray's editor in chief and the author of Cut Loose: Jobless and Hopeless in an Unfair Economy. Site: victortanchen.com | Facebook | Twitter: @victortanchen