Vita Poetica Journal

Libby Kurz reads her poems, "Joy" and "Born Blind. And Barbara Sabol reads her poem, "Flare." 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 National University. Her poetry chapbook, The Heart Room chronicles her experiences working as a cardiothoracic nurse in Norfolk, Virginia. She now liv...

Heather Morton reads her essay, " My Slow Uncertain Journey into the Writing Life: Pimps and Johns, Morals and 'Messages,' Faith, Hope, and Divine Partnership ." Heather Morton's work has appeared in Plough , Fathom Magazine , and other publications. A native Oregonian, she lives with her husband and their three children in Cheverly, Maryland. Read more of her writing at www.heatherfmorton.com .

Samir Knego reads his poem, " Post ," and Peter Bankson reads his poem, " Garlic Lover ." Both are published in our Spring 2022 issue. Samir Knego is a multidisciplinary artist and zinester. His current exhibition, The Divine - dreams of disabled gods , combines poetry and visual art and explores disability and ableism through the language and imagery of religion. When he’s not making art, Samir w...

Ethan Ashkin Stanton reads his creative nonfiction story, " Chosen People ." Ethan Ashkin Stanton is a husband, father, teacher, writer, and Jewish pantheist with a side of skepticism. He lives in San Jose, California, and studies poetry at San Francisco Creative Writing Institute.

Devon Balwit reads her two poems from our Spring issue : " Reading Flannery O'Connor while Trapped under the Heat Dome " and " A Reading of Revelation ."  Devon Balwit walks in all weather. Her most recent collections are Rubbing Shoulders with the Greats (Seven Kitchens Press 2020) and Dog-Walking in the Shadow of Pyongyang (Nixes Mate Books, 2021). For more of her poems and reviews, please...

Season 4 of our podcast features works from our Spring 2022 issue. Starting us off is Ken Hines, reading his poem, " Notes on Borrowed Wisdom ." A 2021 Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee, Ken Hines has written poems that appear in AIOTB , Ekphrastic Review , Psaltery & Lyre , and other magazines. His poem “Driving Test” won the Third Wednesday Journal Annual Poetry Prize. All this scri...

Sean Sexton reads his poem, " Ars Poetica, Obstetrics, Painting, and the Rough Draft ."  Sean Sexton of Indian River County, FL, divides his time between managing his family’s 700-acre cattle ranch, painting, and writing, and is author of two volumes of poetry: Blood Writing and May Darkness Restore . His third collection, Portals is due out in Autumn, 2022, from Press 53. He has performed at...

Our poetry editor reads Jenna K. Funkhouser's poem, " Falling Star, by Romare Bearden " (based on the artwork of Bearden). And Jonathan Chan reads his poem, " apophasis ." Jenna K. Funkhouser is a Pacific Northwest native, author, and poet. Her work has recently appeared in Saint Katherine Review , As It Ought To Be , and Geez Magazine . Jonathan Chan is a writer, editor, and graduate student at Y...

Hospitality of the Soul : Visual designer and mental health professional Judy Ko speaks with artist Maria Eugenia Fee about art, theology, and hospitality. This excerpt of their conversation is from a video created by videographer Allen Wong. As an artist, theologian, and educator, Maria Eugenia Fee embraces the term mestizaje to reference her bi-culture identity, a multi-ethnically rich urban upb...

James Owens reads his translation of R. M. Rilke's poem, " Soloist ," and Maria Giura reads her poem, " Last Supper ." James Owens's newest book is Family Portrait with Scythe (Bottom Dog Press, 2020). His poems and translations appear widely in literary journals, including recent or upcoming publications in The Christian Century, Dappled Things, and Grain. He earned an MFA at the University of Al...

Marjory Zoet Bankson leads this contemplative practice, " Made by Hand: A Meditation with Clay ." Listen here on the podcast or follow along with the video on our website. Marjory Zoet Bankson is a published author, working artist, and seasoned spiritual guide. As a skilled potter, her biodegradable burial urns have been shown in Baltimore and Washington, DC. A graduate of Radcliffe College (Harva...

James Hannon reads his poem, " Satsang with Guruji ," and Julie L. Moore reads her poem, " The False Prophetess Noadiah ," both from our Winter 2022 issue. James Hannon is a psychotherapist in Massachusetts, where he accompanies adolescents and adults recovering from addictions, disappointments, and deceptions. His poems have appeared in Blue Lake Review , Blue River , Cold Mountain Review , and o...

Cheryl Sadowski reads her book reviews, " Finding Meaning in Modernity: Two Books about Quest ." She reflects on the books Why We Are Restless: On the Modern Quest for Contentment by Benjamin Storey & Jenna Silber Storey and God, Human, Animal, Machine: Technology, Metaphor, and the Search for Meaning by Meghan O’Gieblyn. Cheryl Sadowski writes essays and reviews from Northern Virginia, where...

B.J. Buckley reads her two poems, " Be as a ringing glass... " and " Funeral " from our Winter issue . B.J. Buckley is a Montana poet who has worked as a teaching artist in Arts-in-Schools and Communities programs throughout the West and Midwest for over four decades. She has recent/forthcoming work in Calyx , Grub Street , Sugar House Review , and Whitefish Review .

Rebecca Moon Ruark reads her essay, " An Ode to an Ode about Hands ." Rebecca Moon Ruark is a Catholic writer of nonfiction and fiction, a Mass cantor, and a kitchen dancer. She lives with her husband and twin sons in Maryland, where she is at work on a novel about the healing power of song.

Alfonso Sito Sasieta reads his two poems, " Pa' Huele " and " A Toddler's Doubt ." Alfonso “Sito” Sasieta is a caregiver, poet, dancer, and father. He lives in Maryland, outside of Washington DC, and he works in a L’Arche community where adults with and without intellectual disabilities share their lives together. Half Lutheran and half Chinese-Peruvian, he enjoys writing poems that explore the mi...

Stephen J. Wallace reads his short story, " Living Locks ," a piece of biblical historical fiction retelling the story of Sampson.  Stephen J. Wallace is a speaker and author. He says he’s a “writer trapped in an engineer’s body, or vice versa.” He enjoys writing technical articles and short stories. He recently finished his first novel, Shelter In Place , which was a finalist in the&nbs...

Welcome to the Winter 2022 issue of Vita Poetica . Here's a preview of what we have in store for you this season! The individual audio recordings accompany each piece online and are also heard in a straight audio issue you can stream on our website, www.vitapoetica.org . Exclusive to the podcast are the contributors' own introductions to their pieces and glimpses into what inspired their work...

Susan Delaney Spear reads " A Protestant Attends a Funeral Mass ," and Jeremy Szuder reads " Find Yourself " and " Easter Fools ." Susan Delaney Spear is an Associate Professor of English at Colorado Christian University. She is the author of Beyond All Bearing , a collection of poems, and co-author of Learning the Secrets of English Verse , a creative writing/poetry textbook. You can find her at...

Dancer Emily Wright introduces us to moving meditation as a contemplative practice. You can also join her in creative exploration through movement in the video from our Autumn 2021 issue (scroll all the way down to find the video at the bottom of the page linked). Based in Charlottesville, VA, Emily Wright is a dancer, movement educator, and author with a passion for the transformative power of da...

Fiona Vigo Marshall reads her poems, " Blue Orchids " and " The Sailors' Church ." Fiona Vigo Marshall’s poems have been published in a variety of outlets including Aesthetica, Ambit, Orbis , and Theology Journal . Her short story “The Street of Baths” won the V.S. Pritchett Memorial Prize 2016, and her story “The Marvellous Book,” Phantom Drift 2017, was nominated for the Pushcart Prize. Her nove...

Our Interviews Editor, Emily Chambers Sharpe, speaks with dancer Emily Wright about dance as a heightened form of attention and a vehicle for making meaning together. A transcript of their conversation , as well as a Moving Meditation from Emily Wright, can be found in our Autumn 2021 issue. Based in Charlottesville, VA, Emily Wright is a dancer, movement educator, and author with a passion for th...

Jacqueline Wallen reads " Naaman Hits Bottom ," and Kate Maxwell reads " Her Abundance ," both poems from our Autumn 2021 issue. 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. Kate Maxwell has been published in Australian and Interna...

Chad Holley reads his short story, " The Children of the Sun Begin to Wake ."  Chad Holley lives in Los Angeles, where he is completing a novel and a collection of stories. His work has appeared in, among other places, Shenandoah, storySouth, Greensboro Review, and Houghton Mifflin's Best American Mystery Stories.

Ed Meek reads his poems " Passing Away " and " In the Forest " from our Autumn 2021 issue. Ed Meek has had poems in The Baltimore Review , The Sun , and The Paris Review . His new book, High Tide , came out last September.