Vita Poetica Journal

Rachel shares about her contemplative practice of journaling in " A Journal of Many Colors. " Rachel Berry resides in Richmond, Virginia with her sweet dog Phin. She spends her free time journaling, dancing on her treadmill, and spending time with friends and family.

Cheryl Sadowski reads her essay, "Teachers, Sages, and Serpents," a review of the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art's ongoing exhibit, The Art of Knowing in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Himalayas , which is on view in Washington, DC. Cheryl Sadowski writes about art, books, landscape, and nature. Her essays, reviews, and short fiction have been published in Vita Poetica...

Ping Yi Yee reads his poem, " Fortune Center ," and Isabel Chenot reads her poem, " pain is not an ark ." Ping Yi Yee writes poetry, travelogues and fiction, and is in public service. His work has appeared in Litro, London Grip, Meniscus, La Piccioletta Barca, and Sideways , among others, and is forthcoming in Poetry Breakfast and Harbor Review . Ping Yi is from Singapore, and...

Artist Alexis Eke shares about her digital artwork featured in our Spring 2024 issue, including on the cover. View her art can be viewed here . Alexis Eke is an artist based in Toronto, Ontario. She illustrates surrealism portraits and comic illustrations using vibrant colors, to communicate the truth of Gods Word and increase the representation of black women in the creative industry.

Bart Edelman reads his poem, " Crazy Eights ," and K.D. Battle reads his poem, " Self-Help Sonnet I ," from the Spring 2024 issue. Bart Edelman’s poetry collections include Crossing the Hackensack (Prometheus Press), Under Damaris’ Dress (Lightning Publications), The Alphabet of Love (Ren Hen Press), The Gentle Man (Ren Hen Press), The Last Mojito (Ren Hen Press), The Geographe...

Gerburg Garmann shares about her multimedia project, Miriam , which includes a 72x48" painting and a soundscape in 5 movements. This painting, and the fifth movement of the soundscape, the "Coda," are featured in our Spring 2024 issue here . In this podcast episode, Gerburg shares the background behind this project, and the "Coda" of the soundscape. Gerburg Garmann is a pa...

Scott Hales reads his poem, " Holy Envy ," and Kara Applegate reads their poem, " Misericordia ." Scott Hales is a writer, critic, and historian living in Eagle Mountain, Utah. His work has appeared in Religion and the Arts, BYU Studies, Irreantum, The Under Review, The Sandy River Review , and other academic and literary journals. His first collection of poetry, Hemingway in P...

Helen L. Conway reads her essay, "Shoah Shoes." Helen L. Conway lives in St. Helens, UK. A former Judge, she holds an MA in Creative Writing from Lancaster University and is the author or joint-author of over a dozen books and numerous articles about law, art, mental health and coaching psychology. She is also an internationally exhibited and collected visual artist working in textiles a...

Maxim D. Shrayer reads his poems, " Artists' Quarter in Old Jaffa " and " Wailing Wall ." Maxim D. Shrayer is a bilingual writer in English and Russian, a 2012 Guggenheim Fellow, and a winner of a 2007 National Jewish Book Award. He was born in Moscow and left the former USSR in 1987. A professor at Boston College, Shrayer is the author of over twenty-five books, including...

James Roderick Burns reads his short story, " Standing Water ." Please be aware this story contains brief references to physical abuse and the demonic. James Roderick Burns is the author of one flash fiction collection, To Say Nothing of the Dog , and five collections of short-form poetry, most recently Crows at Dusk ; a collection of four novellas – The Unregulated Heart – is also forth...

Terry E. Hill reads his two poems, " This Too, Capricious " and " Calligraph for a Psalm Beginning with the Letter O ." Terry E. Hill is a physician in Oakland, California, with a long history of publishing in healthcare and a more recent history in literature, e.g., in The Healing Muse and the All Shall Be Well Anthology . He grew up in rural Georgia but earned his B.A. in lit...

Chris Drew reads his short story, " Saturday Night at the Dairy Queen ," published in our Spring 2024 issue . Chris Drew is an Associate Professor of English at Indiana State University, where he teaches creative writing and English teaching methods courses. His writing has appeared in a variety of publications, including Bellevue Literary Review , Quarterly West , Concho River Review ,...

The Spring 2024 issue of the journal is here! Co-Editor Caroline Langston introduces some of the new works of this issue, which we'll be featuring here on the podcast in the coming weeks. The whole issue can be found in both text and audio formats on our website, at www.vitapoetica.org .

Contemplative Practices Editor Samir Knego shares readers' responses to the theme of " Light " in the Winter 2024 issue. The "Readers Respond" series features reflections and practices on a current theme, shared by Vita Poetica readers. Currently, we're accepting responses to the theme of "Breaking," which will be shared in the upcoming Spring issue. What trad...

Assistant Interviews Editor Darby Brown speaks with poet Wen-Juenn Lee in Australia. Wen-Juenn Lee writes poetry on unceded Wurundjeri land. In her writing, she is interested in gaps, leaks and spillage, which often take the form of place, memory, and divinity. Her work has been published in Meanjin, Cordite Poetry Review, Going Down Swinging, among others. She was a Wheeler Centre Hot Desk Fellow...

Jonathan Chan reads his poem "Ceremonial, Caleb Westbrook reads his poem "On a Shore Weighing What Matters," and Matt Stanley reads his poem "How Like a Child We Become When We Are Truly Surprised." Jonathan Chan is a writer and editor. Born in New York to a Malaysian father and South Korean mother, he was raised in Singapore and educated at Cambridge and Yale Universities...

E.R. Skulmoski reads her three poems, " In Catholic School "; " Daughters of Eve, Eat This Scroll "; and " Elegy ." E. R. Skulmoski was born in Vancouver and raised in Hong Kong. She currently lives in the Interior of British Columbia with her husband and four children. Her work has been published in Ekstasis, Foreshadow, Heart of Flesh Literary Journal, and SOLID FOO...

Wayne Bornholdt reads his poem, " Recipe ," and Susan Shea reads her poems, " Poet's Tea " and " The Good Portion ." Wayne Bornholdt is a poet and retired bookseller. He has degrees in philosophy and theological studies. He lives in West Michigan with his wife and two Golden Retrievers. Susan Shea is a retired school psychologist, born in New York City, now living...

Contemplative Practices Editor Samir Knego leads a guided " Meditation through a Window ."

Maxim D. Shrayer reads his poem, " My Woven Kipa ," and Matthew E. Henry reads his poems, " found " and " subtlety: an assay ." Maxim D. Shrayer is a bilingual author and a professor at Boston College. He was born in Moscow and emigrated in 1987. His recent books include A Russian Immigrant: Three Novellas and Immigrant Baggage , a memoir. Shrayer’s new collection of...

Lory Widmer Hess reads her review, " Listening to Our Pain ," which discusses the book Nervous: Essays on Heritage and Healing by Jen Soriano. Lory Widmer Hess currently lives with her family in Switzerland, where she works with adults with developmental disabilities and is in training as a spiritual director. Her book When Fragments Make a Whole: A Personal Journey Through Healing Stori...

Justin Lacour reads his poem, " Devil Music ," and Conner Cowan reads his poems, " 16. fire " and " 24. wrapping paper ." Justin Lacour lives in New Orleans with his wife and three children, and edits Trampoline . He is the author of Hulk Church (Belle Point, 2023). Conner Cowan is an English teacher at Seabreeze High School in Daytona Beach, Florida. Poetry is one of...

Jennifer Lendvai-Lintner reads her essay, " A Mother's Prayer ," from our Winter 2024 issue. Among other things, Jennifer Lendvai-Lintner is a writer, teacher, student, and mother. She is the 2023 recipient of the Denise Gess Literary Award for Nonfiction and a 2022 Writer's Digest Award Winner. Jennifer is earning her MA in Writing at Rowan University, where she also teaches Fir...

The first journal issue of 2024 is here! Tune in for a preview of new works at the intersection of art, faith, beauty, and spirit. Cover Art: Margaret Adams Parker Intro Music: "A Gentle Invitation" by Dawn, Dawn, Dawn Outro Music: John Morris

Jonathan Frey reads his poem " For the usher who served the Lord's Supper to my wife and daughter wearing a sidearm ," and Jean Anne Feldeisen reads her poem " from whence salvation ." Jonathan Frey holds an MFA from Eastern Washington University, and is associate professor of English at North Idaho College, teaching creative writing and composition. His work has recently a...