Vita Poetica Journal

Interviews Editor Emily Chambers Sharpe speaks with David Zahl, author of Low Anthropology and editor of the website Mockingbird . A transcript of the interview can be found online in our current Autumn issue . David Zahl is the director of Mockingbird Ministries and editor-in-chief of the Mockingbird website. Born in New York City and brought up elsewhere, David graduated from Georgetown Universi...

Adrian Harte reads his poem " Red Rite Hand ," and Shae Krispinsky reads her poem " This Is How You End Up Remembering Him ." Adrian Harte is from Monaghan, Ireland, but has lived in Switzerland for twenty years. He has recently had work accepted by the Peregrine Journal , Vita Poetica , Embryo Concepts Zine , Roi Fainéant Press , and Abridged . He has also written Small Victories: The True Story...

Ame Kitchener leads a meditation on the current season and phase of the moon. The text and audio for this meditation can also be found in our Autumn 2022 issue . Ame Kitchener is a feline-loving, intuitive introvert, listener, circle leader, and Jesus Lover.  She is a spiritual wellness life coach and space holder for Moon Celebrations , a community of Christ lovers that experience God throug...

Blake Kilgore reads his poem, " The Parade of Death Requires Labor ," and Joanne M. Clarkson reads her poem, " The Beads of War ." Blake Kilgore is the author of Leviathan (2021), a collection of poetry. His writing has appeared in Barely South Review , Flint Hills Review , Lunch Ticket , and other fine journals. Joanne M. Clarkson’s 6th poetry collection, Hospice House , is forthcoming from MoonP...

Connor Walden shares about two of his sculptures, (yearn) and Verbunden: 4+6 , which are part of a larger series called Cradles . Click on the link to see the sculptures featured in our current Autumn issue . Raised with a twin brother in a conservative Christian suburb of Dallas, Connor Walden is an artist currently based in Los Angeles. After spending his formative years as an adult in the liber...

Christopher Honey reads his poem, " I Pray to You, Saint Peter, Whom No One Loves ," and Serrah Russell talks about her visual art series, With Child , which can be viewed in our current Autumn issue . Christopher Honey is an MFA candidate at the University of Saint Thomas. His poetry, essays, and articles have appeared in numerous publications, including the Pomona Valley Review , the Building Tr...

Sandra Miller shares about her sculpture, Woman , featured in our Autumn 2022 issue. Sandra Miller is a transplant to the DMV from California, drawn by the community of Seekers Church, which provides a loving and encouraging community in support of her call to co-creation with the Holy One through art-making and working for a just world. She is a paper artist, gardener, the founder of of the Inter...

Glenn Armstrong reads his poems, " One Step from Madness " and " Sunyata ," in our Autumn issue . Glenn Armstrong has been a journalist, art model, and monk. While attending Bates College he studied with Grace Paley. He lives in San Diego.

Ruth Farmer reads her short story, " There Should Be Angels ," from our current Autumn issue . Ruth Farmer is a poet, essayist, and fiction writer. Her prose and poetry appear in journals and anthologies, and she is a regular contributor to the Addison Independent (VT). Ruth's most recent publication is a collection of poems titled Snapshots in the Wind .

The Autumn 2022 issue is here! Tune in to hear new works at the intersection of art, faith, beauty, and spirit.

E.V. Noechel reads her poems, " A Nick, to the Heart, Is a Fatal Wound " and " A Desperate Plea from Your Buddhist Serial Killer ." E.V. Noechel lives with OCD, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, severe chronic pain, and an assortment of delightful rescued animals. Her work has received multiple Pushcart nominations and generous support from the North Carolina Arts Council, Vermont Studio Center, Headlands C...

We explore the series, On Holy Ground , by visual artist Mary Jane Miller. Four pieces from this series are published in our current Summer issue: A Sword Will Pierce Your Own Soul, Outside Space and Time, A Mary’s Love of Earth, Ideas and Progressions.   Mary Jane Miller is a self-taught Byzantine style iconographer living in Mexico for three decades. Her collections are extraordinary, with...

Linda McCullough Moore reads her poem, " A Case for Repetition ," and Michael Hettich reads his poem, " Heaven ," from our current Summer issue. Winner of the Pushcart Prize, Linda McCullough Moore , is the author of a novel, two story collections, a collection of essays, and more than 400 shorter works. Teacher and mentor, she loves helping other writers, and is hard at work on a poetry collectio...

Rhian Swierat talks about her embroidered pieces from two series published in our current Summer issue: Paper Samplers and Pressed Memories . Rhian Swierat grew up in the Hudson Valley and is now based in Brooklyn, NY. She holds a BFA in graphic design from the Rhode Island School of Design. Her mom taught her embroidery as a child, sharing with her a love of textiles and patterns. Her work has be...

Kathleen Hellen reads her poem, " compass my eyes to speed of light ," and Marda Messick reads her poems, " Spiritual Exercise " and " Beachfront Prophecy ," from our Summer 2022 issue. Kathleen Hellen’s collection meet me at the bottom is forthcoming in Fall 2022 from Main Street Rag. Her credits include The Only Country Was the Color of My Skin , her award-winning collection Umberto’s Night , pu...

Phocas reads his prose poem, " Dustfully ," published in the current Summer issue . Phocas lives in central Michigan.

G.R. Kramer reads his poem, " Traffic Light ," and John C. Mannone reads his poem, " Second Thoughts ," from our current Summer issue. G. R. Kramer grew up in Canada, Kenya and the U.S., the child of refugees from fascism and communism. A lawyer by vocation, his passion for writing poetry has rekindled in late middle-age. His first poetry chapbook is forthcoming from Finishing Line Press. Go to ht...

"Creativity is an invitation from God to participate in adding beauty to the world." —Patrice Gopo Our Interviews Editor, Emily Chambers Sharpe, talks with writer Patrice Gopo about storytelling, the search for belonging, and creativity as a sacred invitation from God to participate in sacred work. A transcript of the interview is published in our current Summer issue. Patrice Gopo is the child of...

Ellis Purdie reads his poem, " Praise as Acrostic ," and Remi Recchia reads his two poems, " From Isaiah " and " From Psalms ." Ellis Purdie is a graduate of The Center for Writers at The University of Southern Mississippi. Along with writing and teaching, he spends a good deal of time looking for herpetofauna in east Texas, where he lives with his wife, son, and daughter. Remi Recchia, author of...

Nathan Geeting reads his short story, " God Help Him ," from our current Summer issue . When Nathan Geeting can pull himself away from the kitchen (where he cooks for family and friends), the dining room (where he puzzles with his wife), or the living room (where he plays with his red-headed poodle, Brûlée), he spends his time writing. His nonfiction has been featured in the Englewood Review of Bo...

Andy Oram reads his poem, " Half Life ," and Gabriella Brand reads her poem, " Where We Come From " -- both from our Summer 2022 issue. Andy Oram is a writer and editor in the computer field. Print publications where his writings have appeared include The Economist, the Journal of Information Technology & Politics , and Vanguardia Dossier . He has lived in the Boston, Massachusetts, area for a...

Sarah Law reads her essay, " The Soul a City ," from our Summer 2022 issue.  Sarah Law lives in Norwich, UK, and is an Associate Lecturer for the Open University. She has published six collections of poetry, and her novel, Sketches from a Sunlit Heaven , is forthcoming from Wipf and Stock. She edits the online journal Amethyst Review .

Our Summer 2022 issue is here! Tune in to hear new works at the intersection of art, faith, beauty, and spirit. 

Grace Phong leads a guided sitting meditation from the Zen tradition. Listen here on the podcast or watch the video in our Spring issue . Born in Hong Kong, Grace Phong has a strong passion for body and holistic well-being. She is a spiritual director and a mental health therapist, and has been doing Zen meditation for 20 years.

Our Interviews Editor Emily Chambers Sharpe speaks with poet Libby Kurz about her poetry, her experiences as a cardiothoracic nurse, and other influences in her writing. You can find the transcript to this interview in our Spring 2022 issue. Libby Kurz is a writer, poet, registered nurse, and US Air Force veteran. She holds a BS in Nursing from UNC-Charlotte and an MFA in Creative Writing from Nat...