American internet personality and Wikipedian (born 1999)
Annie Rauwerda
Rauwerda in 2023
Born (1999-11-27 ) November 27, 1999 (age 24) Education
University of Michigan (
BS ) Instagram information
Page Years active 2020–present Followers 1.3 million Contents are in English Associated acts
Depths of Wikipedia Updated: May 12, 2024
Website
annierau .com
Annie Rauwerda (;
[1] born November 27, 1999) is an American
internet personality , journalist, and comedian known for
Depths of Wikipedia , a group of social media accounts that highlight facts from
Wikipedia . Rauwerda hosts Wikipedia-focused variety and comedy shows based on the accounts. Rauwerda was named the
2022 Media Contributor of the Year by the
Wikimedia Foundation , the nonprofit that hosts Wikipedia. Rauwerda organized a
perpetual stew in a
Brooklyn park, which
went viral on social media.
Early life and education
Rauwerda was born on November 27, 1999,
[2] and was raised in
Grand Rapids, Michigan , United States.
[3]
[4] Growing up, she attended the K–12
Grand Rapids Christian Schools . Before attending college, Rauwerda took a
gap year and served through
AmeriCorps as a
STEM tutor in Chicago. Following the conclusion of her gap year, she
matriculated at the
University of Michigan in 2019,
[4] graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in
neuroscience in 2022.
[4]
[5]
Wikipedia
Rauwerda has performed live shows inspired by her social media accounts,
Depths of Wikipedia .
Rauwerda became interested in
Wikipedia while
wikiracing in middle and high school.
[6]
[7]
[8] While a sophomore at the University of Michigan during
COVID-19 lockdowns , Rauwerda created
Depths of Wikipedia , a group of social media accounts which highlight facts from Wikipedia that she considers "weird and wonderful".
[9]
[10] The first account was launched on
Instagram in April 2020, and has since expanded to
TikTok and
Twitter .
[6]
[7] The accounts combined have millions of followers.
[11]
In addition to the Depths of Wikipedia social media accounts, Rauwerda hosts Wikipedia-focused variety and comedy shows, going on tour in 2022 and 2023.
[9]
[12] Rauwerda's first in-person comedy set was in July 2021, expanding to a series of cross-country comedy tours.
[13] Her show involves a slides presentation of Wikipedia screenshots, similar to Depths of Wikipedia's online content, and comedy commentary.
[11]
[13]
[14]
[15]
In August 2022 Rauwerda was named the
2022 Media Contributor of the Year by the
Wikimedia Foundation , the nonprofit that hosts Wikipedia.
[16] In October 2022, she wrote for
Slate about Wikipedia's article on
suspicious deaths of Russian businesspeople , highlighting the encyclopedia's usefulness as a source of information in areas facing censorship.
[11]
[17] As of 2023
[update] , Rauwerda is working on a book about Wikipedia's cultural history.
[9]
[18]
Perpetual stew
Rauwerda being interviewed by
News 12 about her
perpetual stew , 2023
On June 7, 2023, Rauwerda started a vegan
potato leek stew in a slow cooker in her apartment. Inspired by the concept of a
perpetual stew , some amount of the stew was preserved after each meal and replenished with more broth and ingredients.
[19]
[20]
[21] Rauwerda eventually expanded the "stew nights" to the public, hosting outdoor gatherings at Fermi Park in
Bushwick, Brooklyn , where people contributed to and consumed the stew.
[22]
[23]
[24] Participants were encouraged to bring vegan ingredients, with about 300 people contributing to the stew.
[25]
[19]
[26] The stew was cooked for 60 days, ending on August 6, 2023.
[20]
The events attracted considerable social media attention, in what was described as an "
internet sensation " and "all the rage among
Gen Zs ."
[23]
[26]
[22]
[27] Rauwerda documented the progress of the stew on TikTok, where some posts had millions of views.
[26]
[22] The events gained additional attention for a website documenting it that Rauwerda maintained.
[19]
[22]
Personal life
Rauwerda adopted a cat from Instagram influencer
Caroline Calloway in 2021.
[28]
[29] As of 2023
[update] , Rauwerda lives in an apartment in
Brooklyn ,
New York .
[30]
Selected works
References
^ Dzotsi, Emmanuel; Goldman, Alex; Nederveen-Pieterse, Kim (June 9, 2022).
"#188 Into the Depths" . Reply All (Podcast). Gimlet Media. Event occurs at 1:24.
Archived from the original on September 5, 2022. Retrieved September 5, 2022 .
^ Rauwerda, Annie (November 21, 2022).
"23 things i learned in 23 years" . LOL (lots of links) .
Archived from the original on August 4, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2023 .
^ Ishikawa, Rachel (March 6, 2023).
"Stateside Podcast: The depths of Wikipedia" .
Michigan Radio .
Archived from the original on July 26, 2023. Retrieved July 26, 2023 .
^
a
b
c Craker, Lorilee (March 27, 2023).
"Excavating Wikipedia for Fun and Profit" . The Banner .
Archived from the original on November 28, 2023. Retrieved July 26, 2023 .
^ Spencer, George (August 26, 2022).
"From rabbit hole to raging success" . Michigan Today .
Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved July 23, 2023 .
^
a
b Joshi, Shamani (January 13, 2022).
"I Look For the Weirdest and Wildest Things on Wikipedia. Here's What I've Learned" .
Vice News .
Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved July 23, 2023 .
^
a
b Kambhampaty, Anna P. (March 31, 2022).
"Want to See the Weirdest of Wikipedia? Look No Further" .
The New York Times .
Archived from the original on March 31, 2022. Retrieved July 23, 2023 .
^ Cavender, Ella (October 24, 2021).
"Travel down a Wikipedia rabbit hole with the mastermind behind DepthsOfWikipedia Instagram" .
Mashable .
Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2023 .
^
a
b
c Aceves, Paula (July 13, 2023).
"Our Lady of Perpetual Stew" .
Grub Street .
Archived from the original on July 20, 2023. Retrieved July 30, 2023 .
^
"Depths of Wikipedia: Meet the Michigander who scours the web for anything weird and wonderful" . WKAR Public Media . April 11, 2022.
Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved July 23, 2023 .
^
a
b
c Villena, Cole (February 28, 2023).
"Depths of Wikipedia's Annie Rauwerda Is Obsessed With Accessible Information" . Nashville Scene .
Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved July 23, 2023 .
^
"From rabbit hole to raging success" . Michigan Today . August 26, 2022.
Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved July 23, 2023 .
^
a
b
"Instagram Memers Are Performing in Sold Out Live Shows" . Gizmodo . February 3, 2023.
Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved July 23, 2023 .
^ Calise, Gabrielle (September 21, 2023).
"Looking for weird Tampa lore? Depths of Wikipedia to uncover local oddities" . Tampa Bay Times .
Archived from the original on October 29, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2023 .
^ Ponti, Aimsel (November 27, 2023).
"Things to Do: Theater, fine art fair, disco party and a show about Wikipedia" . Press Herald .
Archived from the original on November 29, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2023 .
^ Wikimedia Foundation (August 14, 2022).
"Celebrating the 2022 Wikimedians of the Year!" . Diff .
Archived from the original on August 26, 2022. Retrieved November 28, 2023 .
^ Rauwerda, Annie (October 21, 2022).
"Russian Oligarchs Keep Dying in Suspicious Ways. Wikipedia Is Keeping a List" . Slate .
Archived from the original on July 24, 2023. Retrieved July 23, 2023 – via slate.com.
^ Mayorquin, Orlando (July 20, 2023).
"The Perpetual Stew Is More About Community Than Cuisine" .
The New York Times .
Archived from the original on July 20, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023 .
^
a
b
c Harrison, Lane (July 18, 2023).
"She's been cooking a stew for 40 days — and it's attracted hundreds of new friends" .
CBC Radio .
Archived from the original on July 20, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023 .
^
a
b Karpan, Andrew (August 9, 2023).
"Scenes From the Final Stew in Bushwick" .
Bushwick Daily .
Archived from the original on November 9, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2023 .
^ Russo, Christine (July 19, 2023).
"Annie's Perpetual Stew ignites flavorful Brooklyn community tradition" .
FOX 5 New York .
Archived from the original on July 20, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023 .
^
a
b
c
d Lamour, Joseph (July 13, 2023).
"Woman goes viral for making a 'perpetual stew' that's been cooking for 40 days" .
Today .
Archived from the original on July 20, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023 .
^
a
b Mayorquin, Orlando (July 20, 2023).
"The Perpetual Stew Is More About Community Than Cuisine" .
The New York Times .
Archived from the original on July 20, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023 .
^ McCarthy, Liz; Aujero, Sophia (July 20, 2023).
"Would you eat perpetual stew? This Brooklyn soup has been brewing for over 40 days" .
NBC New York .
Archived from the original on July 20, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023 .
^ Aceves, Paula (July 13, 2023).
"Our Lady of Perpetual Stew" .
Grub Street .
Archived from the original on July 20, 2023. Retrieved July 30, 2023 .
^
a
b
c Werner, Kaleigh (July 18, 2023).
"Woman goes viral for cooking 'perpetual stew' for 40 days straight" .
The Independent .
Archived from the original on July 20, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023 .
^ Descalsota, Marielle (July 19, 2023).
"New York Gen Zs are going wild for a stew that's been brewing for a month. Wait until they find out about Bangkok's 50-year-old soup" .
Business Insider .
Archived from the original on November 28, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023 .
^ Rauwerda, Annie (October 21, 2021).
"Siamese cats are heatmaps of themselves" .
Boing Boing .
Archived from the original on July 27, 2023. Retrieved July 27, 2023 .
^ Foussianes, Chloe (January 26, 2023).
"Annie Rauwerda Finds Treasure In The Depths Of Wikipedia" .
Bustle .
Archived from the original on November 28, 2023. Retrieved July 27, 2023 .
^ Avi-Yonah, Shera (July 13, 2023).
"This Brooklyn stew is 36 days old. The lines are around the block" .
The Washington Post .
Archived from the original on July 13, 2023. Retrieved July 23, 2023 .