Vita Poetica Journal

Maura H. Harrison shares about the art quilts featured in " The Needle's Pierce ," in our Spring 2026 issue. Maura H. Harrison is a writer and artist from Fredericksburg, VA.

Interviews Editor Christopher Honey speaks with ballerina Dorothy A. Rogers-Walker about the language of dance . Dorothy A. Rogers-Walker is a classically trained ballerina and the artistic director of St. Mark’s Dance Studio, where she has been a dedicated leader since 1983. She began as a substitute teacher and choreographer and now leads the studio while continuing to teach ballet and pointe. S...

Annette Sisson reads her poems " Gravel at Every Turn " and " Oceans of Salty Sky ." Annette Sisson’s poems appear in The Penn Review, Birmingham Poetry Review, Rust & Moth, Cider Press Review, West Trade Review, and many other journals and anthologies. Her second book, Winter Sharp with Apples , was published by Terrapin Books (2024), and her third book manuscript, Rhizome...

On the podcast today, Christine Hiester invites us to listen for the Holy Spirit through found poetry: "The hour or two we spend sifting through words is a holy practice, one that allows the Spirit to speak in and to the deepest parts of us." " Found Poetry as Spiritual Practice " is included in our Spring 2026 issue . Christine Hiester is a spiritual companion and creative pra...

Joshua Coben reads his poem " The Spatter of Waterfalls ," and E. R. Skulmoski reads her poem " Hymn (3) ." Joshua Coben is the author of two poetry collections, Maker of Shadows (Texas Review Press, 2010), winner of the X. J. Kennedy Poetry Prize, and Night Chaser (David Robert Books, 2020), a finalist for the Vassar Miller Prize, the New American Poetry Prize, and the Donald...

Pico Iyer introduces us to his contemplative practice of a daily writing meditation . We invite you to choose some daily practice you are already doing in your life and begin to view it through the lens of contemplation over the coming days and weeks. Pico Iyer is the author of 17 books, translated into 23 languages, including The Lady and the Monk , The Art of Stillness and, most recently, a work...

Lindsey Weishar reads her poem "Variations on Mercy," and Daniel Thomas reads his poem "The Other Life." Lindsey Weishar holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She has contributed to a variety of outlets including Verily Magazine, Dappled Things, and the Word on Fire blog. Her chapbook, Matchbook Night, was published by Leaf Press (Canada)...

Daniel Cooperrider reads his essay " Cloud Study " from our Spring 2026 issue. Daniel Cooperrider is a writer, ecotheologian, and pastor in the United Church of Christ. He is the author of Speak with the Earth and It Will Teach You , Gold Winner in the 2023 Nautilus Book Awards, and Live Each Season as It Passes . Cooperrider and family are based on the edge of the driftless region of Ma...

Brian G. Phipps reads his poem "Moving Day," and Andreas Fleps reads his poem "The Temple." Brian G. Phipps is the author of Before the Burning Bush (Univ. of St. Katherine Press, 2018), a collection of poems. His poetry has appeared in several journals, most recently in Presence and St. Katherine Review . “Moving Day” is part of a work-in-progress collection on the feasts of the church year and t...

Jeffrey-Michael Kane reads his essay "Cinctura" from our Spring 2026 issue. Jeffrey-Michael Kane is the author of Quiet Brilliance: What Employers Miss About Neurodivergent Talent and How to See It (CollectiveInk UK). Disabled, he writes from this learned experience as an ASD-1. His prose work has been published in more than three dozen literary journals & magazines, including Plough...

Randy Koch reads his poem "Unfaithful," and Mary Lanham reads her poem "Survivor's guilt," from our Spring 2026 issue. Randy Koch is the author of four collections of poems: Composing Ourselves (Fithian Press, 2002), This Splintered Horse (Finishing Line Press, 2011), and forthcoming in 2026, both Against the Risen Flesh (Alternating Current Press) and Amends (Finishing Lin...

Jessica Hudson reads her review, " The Still-ness of Space ," a review of the poetry collection Lost Cities by Valencia Robin (Persea Books, 2025) from our Spring 2026 issue. Jessica Hudson (she/her) currently lives and libraries in Albuquerque. Her work has been published in DIAGRAM , New Delta Review , Quarterly West , and elsewhere.

Caleb Horowitz reads his poems " Where is that boat going? " and " We are wearing history heavy like a raincoat " from our Spring 2026 issue. Caleb Horowitz is a North Carolinian poet, teacher, and penguin enthusiast. When he is not chaperoning dozens of students across the country for high school speech and debate tournaments, you can find him reading or writing poems about wh...

Darius Stewart reads his review, "Permeable Devotion": A Review of The Natural Order of Things by Donika Kelly (Graywolf Press, 2025). Darius Stewart is the author of Intimacies in Borrowed Light: Poems (EastOver Press, 2022) and Be Not Afraid of My Body: A Lyrical Memoir (Belt Publishing, 2024), which was named a 2025 Stonewall Book Award–Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Honoree and a Lambda...

Co-Editor Caroline Langston introduces our new Spring 2026 issue with her letter, "Be Quiet Like the Tree." Tune in for what's to come, including a contemplative practice by Pico Iyer , essay from Daniel Cooperrider , three reviews of poetry collections for National Poetry Month, new poetry by Daniel Thomas , Joshua Coben , Marci Rae Johnson , and many others.

Evan Leslie reads his poems " Ricercar (rēCHərˈkär) music composition derived from the verb ricercare " and " Evensong ," from our Winter 2026 issue. Evan Leslie grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and now lives in Houston, Texas, with his husband, Ryan, and their rescue pit bull, Rimbaud (formerly Rambo). A cellist and arts educator, he directs the University of Houston’s Community Ar...

Ali Beheler reads her poem " Vessel ," and Bern Mulvey reads his poem " Snowfall at Aojima Shrine, New Year’s Day. " Ali Beheler’s recent work appears in The Shore, SRPR, Rogue Agent, Tupelo Quarterly, Harpur Palate, ballast journal , and elsewhere. Winner of the SRPR Editor’s Prize (2024) and the Milton J. Kessler Memorial Prize in Poetry (2025), as well as residencies at Sund...

In this contemplative practice, " Lectio of Belonging: Resting in the Voice of Love ," John Farrelly guides us in a meditation on Psalm 100:3. John Farrelly has been married to Mary for 40 years and is a dad and grandad. He is a Special Needs Assistant working with 5th- and 6th-grade children with autism. He is a spiritual director and coordinator of the Guided Prayer Centre at Knock Shr...

Liza Moore reads her poem " Under Van Gogh's Stars ," and Johanna Caton, O.S.B., reads her poem " Little Dog " from our current Winter issue . Liza Moore is an artist and storyteller who resides with her husband and son in Round Rock, TX. She has created three children’s books, and some of her artwork, poetry, and essays have been published in various journals, including Fa...

In this episode, Luke Wood guides us in the contemplative practice of silence , from our current Winter issue . We invite you to find a quiet spot during a pause in your day to engage in this meditation. ⁠ Luke Wood is a writer and artist who serves in the fields of spiritual formation, ministry, and counseling. His work explores the integration of spiritual formation and psychology, helping other...

Trevor Cunnington reads his poem " Banlieue Blues ," and Richard Jackson reads his poem " The Centurion's Report ," from our current Winter 2026 issue. Trevor Cunnington is a writer/artist/educator who lives in Toronto. They are the poetry editor of KayTell Ink , and their work has appeared in Poetry Super Highway, The Orchards Poetry Journal, Literary Heist, BlazeVox, God&...

Rachel Grandey reads her review, " 'A kind of tribute to what we are': A Review of Marilynne Robinson's Reading Genesis . " Rachel Grandey is a UK-based doctoral researcher in Extinction Studies, exploring religious perspectives around environment and culture in South East Asia. Her writing has featured in Agape Review, Amethyst Review, Paper Dragon and Monk in the World. She...

Temima Weissmann reads her poem " It Happened ," and Dion O'Reilly reads her poem " It Is What It Is ." Temima Weissmann is an eighteen-year-old poet from Passaic, NJ. She was the Editor-in-Chief of her high school literary journal Sambatyon , and was awarded The Hersh & Fannie Fluss Memorial Award for Excellence in Hebrew Literature at her high school graduation. Previ...

In " Making Sense of Things in Community ," poet Jon Bishop speaks with Vita Poetica Interviews Editor Christopher Honey about the influence of his Catholic faith and monastic community on his writing, teaching, and intellectual life. Jon Bishop holds an MFA in poetry from the University of St. Thomas in Houston. His work has appeared in both print and online, and he lives in New Hampshi...

On the podcast today, Kelly Sawin reads her poems " In the Beginning " and " Study in Light " from our current Winter issue .⁠ Kelly Sawin's work has appeared in Ekstasis Magazine, The Windhover, River Teeth: Beautiful Things, the Appalachian Review, Susurrus, the Virginia Literary Review, and elsewhere. She was a finalist in the 2024 National Poetry Series, a semifinalist...