Vita Poetica Journal

Iconographer Philip Davydov speaks with Vita Poetica co-founder and board member Lisa Shirk about the history and practice of iconography, his approach to his work, and how this ancient practice is still relevant today. Philip Davydov is a second-generation iconographer with an MA from the State Fine Art Academy of Saint Petersburg (faculty of Theory and History of Art). Since March 2022, he lives...

Barry Casey reads his poem " At Prayer ," and Elizabeth Cranford Garcia reads her poems " Tree of Faith " and " Trash Meditations ." Barry Casey is the author of Wandering, Not Lost, a collection of essays on faith, doubt, and mystery, published by Wipf and Stock (2019). His recent work has appeared in Brevity, Faculty Focus, Detroit Lit Mag, Fauxmoir, Humans of the W...

Pastor and spiritual director Holly Porter Phillips shares about expanding our understanding of prayer and guides us in a practice of lectio divina with poetry. Holly Porter Phillips is a pastor, writer and trained spiritual director (Anam Cara). She loves the slow pace of spiritual direction and the gift of walking alongside others, bearing witness to their lives. Holly serves as co-pastor at a s...

Eric Machan Howd reads his poem " Doorways ," and Fred Gallagher reads his poems " The Mystic in Between " and " Anamnesis ." Eric Machan Howd (Ithaca, NY) is a poet, musician, and educator. His work has been seen in such publications as Slab, Caesura, Stone Canoe, Vita Poetica, and Nimrod . He is currently working on a collection of poems based on flowers. Fred Gallagher is a writer whose faith i...

Micah Harris reads his short story "The Dead Hand" from our Summer 2025 issue. Micah Harris is a writer and political theorist. His first novel, Only Small Things Are Good , was praised by a former Assistant Secretary of Defense as "a must read for anyone who wants to understand life in the Pentagon." He is currently a postdoctoral associate at Duke University and lives in Carr...

Co-Editor Caroline Langston introduces our new Summer 2025 issue. Tune in for a preview of what's to come, and listen to Caroline's editorial letter, " The Quest for Discernment ."

Wayne Bornholdt reads his poems " Sunday Prayers " and " Intinction ." Wayne Bornholdt is a retired bookseller. He holds degrees in philosophy and theological studies. He lives in West Michigan with his wife, three Golden Retrievers and stacks of unread books.

Abigail Carroll reads her poem " For What Do You Give Thanks? " and Elizabeth Harlan-Ferlo reads her poems " Samsara Study " and " And Sanctify Us Also ." Abigail Carroll is author of three poetry collections: Cup My Days like Water , Habitation of Wonder , and A Gathering of Larks: Letters to Saint Francis from a Modern-Day Pilgrim . She lives and writes in Vermont. Find her at www.abigail-carrol...

Christopher Honey reads his poem " The Pause ," and Sue Proffitt reads her poems " The moor " and "Eating with the dead." Christopher Honey's work has appeared in numerous publications including U.S. Catholic, America, Poetry South, and The Rumpus. He earned his MFA from the University of Saint Thomas, Houston, and lives and works in Washington D.C. with his wife and daughter. Sue Proffitt lives b...

Jan Wiezorek reads his poem " The Chapel Matron ," and Jonathan Chan reads his poem " peace (ii) ." Jan Wiezorek writes from Buchanan, Michigan. His chapbooks, Prayer’s Prairie (Michigan Writers Cooperative Press) and Forests of Woundedness (Seven Kitchens Press), are forthcoming this year. Wiezorek’s work has appeared in The London Magazine, The Westchester Review, BlazeVOX, Vita Poetica, and els...

Jacqueline Wallen introduces the ideas behind the art of contemplative photography, and guides us in three ways to practice it. Jacqueline Wallen is a clinical social worker with a practice of psychotherapy and an Associate Professor Emerita in the Department of Family Science, School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park.

Fran Markover reads her poem " Uncle Julius Gifts Me with Awe ," and Elizabeth Hamilton reads her poem " Sunday at the SoCal Winery ." Fran is a retired psychotherapist who lives in Ithaca, NY. Her poems have been published in many journals. She has a chapbook, and has published two books, History's Trail (Finishing Line Press) and Grandfather's Mandolin (Passager Press...

Layne Matthews Boles reads her essay "The Sacrament of Silence." Layne holds an MFA from Seattle Pacific University in creative nonfiction, and is co-editor of Among Winter Cranes, the quarterly for the Christian Poetics Initiative (CPI) of the Rivendell Center for Theology and the Arts. While also working the front desk of a climbing gym, Layne enjoys life with her husband and cat in Ha...

Jonathan Chibuike Ukah reads his poem "The Valley of the Living," and Maryella Desak Sirmon reads her poem "Uncertain Opposites." Jonathan Chibuike Ukah is a Pushcart-nominated poet living in the United Kingdom. His poems have been featured in TAB: The Journal of Poetry and Poetics , Unleash Lit , The Pierian , Propel Magazine , Atticus Review , The Journal of Undiscovered Poet...

Corey Flintoff reads his short story " Beulah Land " from our current Spring issue . Corey Flintoff is a former foreign correspondent for NPR. His fiction has appeared in the Virginia Quarterly Review, Glimmer Train, Ploughshares, and other journals.

Linda Laderman reads her poem " How you go on about the other woman ," and Ryan Harper reads his poems " Atonia, Eve of St. Mark " and " Early Easter ." Linda Laderman is a Michigan poet. Her poetry has appeared in numerous literary journals, including The Burningword Literary Journal, MER, SWWIM, ONE ART, Rust & Moth, Minyan, and Action-Spectacle . She is a past...

Alice Wyman reads her essay " How to Buy a Rainbow " from our Spring 2025 issue. Alice Wyman is an essayist and poet whose work explores the revelation of outlandish grace in small, daily things. Her work has appeared in Darling, The Washington Post, and other publications. She makes her home in the Carolinas with her husband and three children.

Co-Editor Caroline Langston introduces our new Spring 2025 issue . Tune in for a preview of what's to come and listen to Caroline's editorial letter, " Or Does It Explode? "

Sharon Dolin reads her poem, " Before ," and Timothy deVries discusses his art in " When Art Eschews Theology ." Sharon Dolin is the author of seven books of poetry, most recently Imperfect Present; a memoir entitled Hitchcock Blonde; and two books of translation, most recently Late to the House of Words: Selected Poems by Gemma Gorga. Dolin is associate editor of Barrow Street Press and teaches p...

Sometimes after doing a practice for a while, you may be invited to lead others in that practice. And leading contemplatively is its own practice. In this meditation, Kevin Driedger offers his approach to " The Practice of Leading Contemplative Prayer ." Kevin lives on the Canadian prairies with his lovely wife June. He tries to bring a contemplative, compassionate, and creative spirit to everythi...

Maya Bernstein reads her poem, " The Primordial Catastrophe in the Process of Creation ," and Douglas Thornton reads his poem, " The Tantra of Abiding ." Maya Bernstein’s writing has appeared or is forthcoming in By the Seawa ll, The Ekphrastic Review, Pensive: A Global Journal of Spirituality and the Arts, Tablet Magazine , and elsewhere. She is a recent graduate of the MFA program at Sarah Lawre...

In this contemplative practice, Samir Knego invites us to embrace the ordinary act of cooking as a time for contemplation. In " ⁠It Shall Be Food for You: A Brief Cooking Meditation⁠ ," Samir guides us through the process of cooking dried black beans, prompting us to thoughtfully consider our actions in each step, and to use times of waiting to reflect on God's process of creation in Genesis. Sami...

Riv Wren reads his poem, " The Lead Pastor's Visit ," and Maxim D. Shrayer reads his poem, " The Conductor from Zion Square ." Riv Wren lives in Loveland, Ohio. That is a real place. Wren's most recent poems appear in Pensive Journal and Cathexis Northwest. Maxim D. Shrayer, a Professor of Russian, English, and Jewish Studies at Boston College and a bilingual writer, has authored and edited almost...

Lory Widmer Hess reads her book review, " Seeking Creative Freedom : A Review of The Release: Creativity and Freedom After the Writing Is Done by Elizabeth Jarrett Andrew." Lory Widmer Hess lives with her family in Switzerland, where she works with adults with developmental disabilities and recently completed a training in Spiritual Direction. She is the author of When Fragments Make a Whole: A Pe...

Spencer Barnhill reads his poem, " Hedge of Protection ," and Rachel Prizant Kotok reads her poem, " Bat Mitzvah Dreams ." Born and raised in Edmond, Oklahoma, Spencer is studying finance and English at Oklahoma Baptist University. He is an aspiring writer who loves long-distance running and meaningful storytelling, and will have poetry featured in Ekstasis, SLAB, and Outrageous Fortune. Rachel Pr...