Annie Rauwerda

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]

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]

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]

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]

• ​ (May 11, 2021). "Billy Magic and the internet's unabashed enthusiasm for public transit". The Michigan Daily.
• ​ (July 14, 2021). "College quantified". The Michigan Daily.
• ​ (September 15, 2021). "Stars, they're just like us: Why astrology sticks around". The Michigan Daily.
• ​ (October 21, 2022). "Russian oligarchs keep dying in suspicious ways. Wikipedia is keeping a list". Slate.
• ​ (January 18, 2023). "Wikipedia's redesign is barely noticeable. That's the point". Slate.
• ​ (April 12, 2023). "In search of Wikipedia's shrug guy". Defector.