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Vita Poetica Journal

Vita Poetica Journal

By Vita Poetica

A quarterly publication of the Vita Poetica Arts & Faith Collective, our online journal features creative work explored through a spiritual lens. Vita Poetica connects and upholds artists of faith, enlivening spiritual conversations through the arts. Learn more about us at www.vitapoetica.org. -- Hosted by Vita Poetica Journal Editors Music by John Morris
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Chosen People by Ethan Ashkin Stanton

Vita Poetica JournalMay 03, 2022

00:00
08:06
Readers Respond

Readers Respond

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 traditions do you have around breaking bread? How have you broken a fast? What experiences have you had with heartbreak? How can we respond to the brokenness in the world around us? Share your responses with us through this quick form.

Mar 08, 202404:08
The Sacredness of All Things: A Conversation with Poet Wen-Juenn Lee

The Sacredness of All Things: A Conversation with Poet Wen-Juenn Lee

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 for 2022, and previously served as a poetry editor at Voiceworks. She was awarded the Tina Kane Emergent Writer Award for this year.


Mar 05, 202439:42
Poems by Jonathan Chan, Caleb Westbrook, & Matt Stanley

Poems by Jonathan Chan, Caleb Westbrook, & Matt Stanley

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. He is the author of the poetry collection going home (Landmark, 2022) and managing editor of poetry.sg. His poetry and essays have appeared in Ekstasis, Fathom, Inheritance, The Yale Logos, Poems for Ephesians, and the Ethos Institute for Public Christianity. More of his writing can be found at jonbcy.wordpress.com.

Caleb Westbrook is a high school teacher with degrees in both English and religion. He lives with his wife and two children in Antigua, Guatemala. His poetry has been published in Havik, Nassau Review, Glass Mountain, Time of Singing, and Grim & Gilded; and his essays have been published online for Ekstasis and Dappled Things.

Matt Stanley is a poet and artist from Baltimore. His works were recently published in Grand Little Things, Down in the Dirt, and the Seraphic Review, and will appear in the next issue of Lyric Magazine.

Mar 01, 202408:42
Poems by E.R. Skulmoski

Poems by E.R. Skulmoski

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 FOOD PRESS. You can read more of her work here: https://ofisandwas.substack.com/

Feb 27, 202405:45
Poems by Wayne Bornholdt & Susan Shea

Poems by Wayne Bornholdt & Susan Shea

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 in a forest in Pennsylvania. Since she has returned to writing poetry this year, her poems have been accepted in a few dozen publications, including Avalon Literary Review, Ekstasis, Feminine Collective, and Across the Margin.

Feb 23, 202406:35
Meditation through a Window with Samir Knego
Feb 20, 202405:52
Poems by Maxim D. Shrayer & Matthew E. Henry

Poems by Maxim D. Shrayer & Matthew E. Henry

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 poetry, Kinship, is forthcoming in April 2024 from Finishing Line Press.


Dr. Matthew E. Henry (MEH) is the Boston-born author of the full length collections the Colored page (Sundress Publication, 2022) and The Third Renunciation (New York Quarterly Books, 2023), the chapbooks Teaching While Black (Main Street Rag, 2020) and Dust & Ashes (Californios Press, 2020), and the micro-chapbook have you heard the one about…? (Ghost City Press, 2023). He also has a collection forthcoming from Harbor Editions (said the Frog to the scorpion). MEH is editor-in-chief of The Weight Journal, an associate poetry editor at Pidgeonholes, an associate editor at Rise Up Review, and is the 2023 winner of the Solstice Literary Magazine Stephen Dunn Poetry Prize.

Feb 16, 202408:09
Review of "Nervous: Essays on Heritage & Healing"

Review of "Nervous: Essays on Heritage & Healing"

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 Stories in the Bible will be published by Floris Books in 2024. Visit her website and blog at enterenchanted.com.

Feb 13, 202413:02
Poems by Justin Lacour & Conner Cowan

Poems by Justin Lacour & Conner Cowan

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 the few things that keep him grounded; to find hope and explore the mysteries of mankind's time on earth.

Feb 09, 202407:05
A Mother's Prayer by Jennifer Lendvai-Lintner

A Mother's Prayer by Jennifer Lendvai-Lintner

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 First-Year College Writing.

Feb 06, 202424:30
Winter 2024 Trailer

Winter 2024 Trailer

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

Jan 31, 202405:41
Poems from Jonathan Frey & Jean Anne Feldeisen

Poems from Jonathan Frey & Jean Anne Feldeisen

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 appeared or is forthcoming in Beloit Poetry Journal, The Millions, and elsewhere. He lives in Spokane, Washington, with his wife and daughters, and has just completed work on his first novel.


Jean Anne Feldeisen is a practicing psychotherapist, a grandmother, and a writer. She has written for Next Avenue, Chicken Soup for the Soul, and is a host for the Crows Feet: Life As We Age Podcast. Her poetry has been published in Thimble Literary Magazine," “The Raven’s Perch,” "The Hopper," and "Spank the Carp." Her first poetry chapbook, Not All Are Weeping, was released in May of 2023 by Main Street Rag Publishing Company. Follow her at jeanfeldeisen.com.

Nov 24, 202307:46
A Blessing for Your Belly by Rebekah Vickery

A Blessing for Your Belly by Rebekah Vickery

Rebekah Vickery guides us in a short meditation to consider how our bellies, our gut, has held the truth of our experiences. "A Blessing for Your Belly" is published in our Autumn 2023 issue.

Rebekah Vickery is a trauma therapist, group facilitator, and acrylic artist located in the beautiful and wild Pacific Northwest. In all of her work with people, art, and words, she loves engaging themes of grief, transition, and hope.

Nov 21, 202309:03
Three Poems by Stephen M. Sanders

Three Poems by Stephen M. Sanders

Stephen M. Sanders reads his poems "Autumn in Paris, Texas"; "Tennessee Camp Meeting, 1982"; and "A Vagrant."


Stephen M. Sanders is an assistant professor of English at South Plains College in Levelland, Texas. He has had poems included in publications including Pacifica Literary Review, Penumbra Literary & Art Magazine, and the Austin International Poetry Festival di-vêrsé-city anthology. His first novel Passe-Partout was published in 2019 (Monument Place Books).

Nov 17, 202307:25
Art by Maura H. Harrison & Poem by Erica Waters

Art by Maura H. Harrison & Poem by Erica Waters

Maura H. Harrison shares about her photographs, "Reverent Marvels," inspired by Julian of Norwich's belief that “one should reverently marvel and humbly endure, ever delighting in God.” And Erica Waters reads her poem, "Gardens of Earth."

Maura H. Harrison is a writer, photographer, and fiber artist from Fredericksburg, VA. She is currently pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing at the University of St. Thomas, Houston.

Poems by Erica Waters appear in journals like Weber: The Contemporary West, Camas, CALYX, and The Fiddlehead International. Massage therapist, gardener, and mother of one, Waters breathes in our shared sky in Northern Colorado on the eastern plains of the Rocky Mountains.

Nov 14, 202309:21
Two Poems by Joel Peckham

Two Poems by Joel Peckham

Joel Peckham reads his poems, "How to Walk in Space: Untethering" and "How to Walk in Space: 3:35AM Dec 9, 2022."


Joel Peckham has published nine collections of poetry and nonfiction, including Bone Music (SFA) and Body Memory (New Rivers), and is co-editor of the anthology Wild Gods: The Ecstatic in American Poetry and Prose. Individual poems and essays have appeared in Prairie Schooner, The Southern Review, The Sun, and many others.

Nov 10, 202309:03
Poem by Edward A. Dougherty and Art by Michelle J. Chun

Poem by Edward A. Dougherty and Art by Michelle J. Chun

Edward A. Dougherty reads his poem, "Between Slaughter and Exile," and Michelle J. Chun shares her artwork, "Annunciation" and "Relics of Annunciation."


Edward A. Dougherty has lived and worked in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York for nearly 30 years. He is the author of 11 collections of poetry, including Grace Street and 10048. Vita Poetica's Interviews Editor, Emily Chambers Sharpe, discussed the spiritual wanderings he writes about in his book of essays, Journey Work: Crafting a Life of Poetry & Spirit. Find the interview in the Summer 2021 issue.


Michelle Chun is a visual maker born and raised in Southern California. She approaches her practice both as an embodied meditation on theological concepts and also as a form of investigating the idea of "histories." She received a BFA in Painting from the Rhode Island School of Design and a MAR in Visual and Material Culture from Yale Divinity School. She is currently a HATCH resident at the Chicago Arts Coalition and a Teaching Artist in Residence at Lillstreet Art Center. She has shown at Helen J Gallery in Los Angeles, Hyde Park Art Center in Chicago, and Gelman Gallery in Rhode Island, among other exhibitions.

Nov 07, 202310:06
Two Poems by Maxim D. Shrayer

Two Poems by Maxim D. Shrayer

Maxim D. Shrayer reads his poems, "Yom Kippur in Boston" & "Grapes of Sukkot."


Maxim D. Shrayer is a bilingual writer in English and Russian and a professor at Boston College. His books include four collections of Russian-language poetry and a collection of English-language verse, Of Politics and Pandemics. Shrayer's new memoir, Immigrant Baggage, was published in 2023.

Nov 03, 202306:11
Breathe: A Wild Church Reflection from Sarah Werner

Breathe: A Wild Church Reflection from Sarah Werner

Sarah Renee Werner offers a meditation and reflection on the seasonal changes we experience around us. Her piece, "Breathe" is published in our current Autumn issue.

Sarah Werner is the communications coordinator for Central District Conference of Mennonite Church USA and pastor of Olentangy Wild Church in Columbus, Ohio. She is the author of Rooted Faith: Practices for Living Well on a Fragile Planet and enjoys camping, birding, and nature photography in her free time.

Oct 31, 202306:07
Practices from Our Community: An Invitation from Samir Knego
Oct 27, 202304:03
Less and More by Angela Townsend

Less and More by Angela Townsend

Angela Townsend reads her literary essay, "Less and More," from our Autumn 2023 issue.

Angela Townsend is Development Director at Tabby’s Place: A Cat Sanctuary, where she has the privilege of bearing witness to mercy for all beings. Angie has an M.Div. from Princeton Seminary and B.A. from Vassar, and her work appears in Amethyst Review, Dappled Things, Fathom Magazine, Hawaii Pacific Review, and The Razor, among others. Angie loves life dearly.

Oct 24, 202307:22
Autumn 2023 Trailer

Autumn 2023 Trailer

The Autumn 2023 issue of the journal is out! Tune in for a preview of new works at the intersection of art, faith, beauty, and spirit.


Cover Art: Maura H. Harrison

Intro Music: "A Gentle Invitation" by Dawn, Dawn, Dawn

Outro Music: John Morris

Oct 16, 202306:07
A Blessing for Your Breath from Rebekah Vickery

A Blessing for Your Breath from Rebekah Vickery

Rebekah Vickery guides us in "A Blessing for Your Breath," from our Summer 2023 issue.

Rebekah Vickery is a trauma therapist, group facilitator, and acrylic artist located in the beautiful and wild Pacific Northwest. In all of her work with people, art, and words, she loves engaging themes of grief, transition, and hope.

Sep 01, 202304:33
Interview with Visual Artist Scott Aasman

Interview with Visual Artist Scott Aasman

Interviews Editor Emily Chambers Sharpe talks with visual artist Scott Aasman on art as attention, presence, and prayer. Some of his artwork can be seen on our website here. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Scott Aasman is an illustrator, artist, community builder, part-time chicken farmer, and zine maker. As a student of both art and theology at Redeemer University, Scott found a way to express the ideas he was reading in textbooks visually through his work in the studio. By colliding and fusing biblical and cultural meta-narratives and layering them with personal and local narrative, he attempts to open up possibilities in ways of seeing tired and ‘over-seen’ stories through surprise, mystery, meaning, and wonder. Scott has been an American Illustration AI40 Chosen winner and his work has been seen in galleries, churches and publications across North America.
Scott is also a co-founder of Salt Cellar Arts, an arts-focused community for the “spiritually attentive and creatively engaged,” whose goal is open the doors for the churched to engage more deeply in creativity, imagination and cultural literacy while championing the role of the Divine in art-making. Scott lives and works out of Hamilton, Ontario, with his wife Michelle and their two children.

Aug 29, 202339:38
Three Poems by Phillip Aijian

Three Poems by Phillip Aijian

Phillip Aijian reads his poems, "Jurisdiction," "Why Do You Ask My Name?" and "The Old Road to Garry."

Phillip Aijian holds a PhD in Renaissance drama and theology from UC Irvine, as well as an MA in poetry from the University of Missouri. He teaches literature and religious studies and has published in journals like ZYZZYVA, Heron Tree, Poor Yorick, and Zocalo Public Square. He lives in California with his wife and children. His poetry and art can be found at www.phillipaijian.com.

Aug 25, 202314:06
Drawing Praise: Contemplative Exercise from Samir Knego

Drawing Praise: Contemplative Exercise from Samir Knego

Our Contemplative Practices Editor Samir Knego leads us in a creative meditation on Psalm 148, published in our Summer 2023 issue. Text for the psalm can be found here (various translations available).

Contemplative Practices Editor Samir Knego spends his days photographing archival materials and thinking about the past. His essays, poems, and visual art have appeared all over the place, including in Religion Dispatches, Anti-Racism Daily, and Wordgathering: A Journal of Disability Poetry and Literature, and he has had solo shows at the Hillsborough Arts Council Gallery, Art Therapy Institute of NC, and Eno Arts Mill Gallery.

Aug 22, 202306:32
Poem by Joseph Byrd & Art by Lucy Bell

Poem by Joseph Byrd & Art by Lucy Bell

Joseph Byrd reads his poem, "Prayer for a Prisoner," and Lucy Bell introduces her art, "The Mythology of Memory," featured in our Summer 2023 issue.

Joseph Byrd’s work has appeared or is forthcoming in Punt Volat, Pedestal, South Florida Poetry Journal, DIAGRAM, Clackamas Literary Review, Many Nice Donkeys, and Novus Literary Arts. He’s a Pushcart Prize nominee, was long-listed for the Erbacce Prize, and was in the StoryBoard Chicago cohort with Kaveh Akbar. An Associate Artist in Poetry under Joy Harjo at the Atlantic Center for the Arts, he is on the Reading Board for The Plentitudes.

Lucy Bell is an artist based in Northern California. She is primarily a painter but also utilizes textiles and clay to convey her ideas. After receiving her BFA from UC San Diego, Bell’s work has been published internationally and throughout the US. She has had work shown along the West Coast, notably in San Francisco, Santa Cruz, and San Diego.

Aug 18, 202305:49
Review of Smithsonian's Spirit in the Dark Exhibit by Mary Amendolia Gardner

Review of Smithsonian's Spirit in the Dark Exhibit by Mary Amendolia Gardner

Mary Amendolia Gardener reads her review, "Spirit in the Dark Brings Religious Influence to Light," a review of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture's exhibit, Spirit in the Dark: Religion in Black Music, Activism and Popular Culture. The exhibit is on view through November 2023. A companion searchable digital exhibit is also available through the Searchable Museum website.

The Rev. Dr. Mary Amendolia Gardner is an Anglican priest and Spiritual Director with Coracle. She recently completed her DMin. in Curating Community through the Arts at Wesley Theological Seminary and is also a practicing artist.

Aug 15, 202312:19
Two Poems by Rachelle Scott & Paul Hostovsky

Two Poems by Rachelle Scott & Paul Hostovsky

Rachelle Scott reads her poem, "Alternate Sources of Light," and Paul Hostovsky reads his poem, "Open."

Rachelle Scott is writer, teacher, and editor from central Texas. Her work appears in The Lyric, Adanna, Third Wednesday, Apeiron Review, The Wayfarer, Literary Juice, Anima, Panther City Review, Her Texas, Shot Glass Journal, Red Rock Review, Crack the Spine, r.cv.r.y, Rock & Sling, Ilya's Honey, Red River Review, Figures of Speech, Mudlark, Literary Juice, Gravel, RiverSedge, and Southwestern American Literature.

Paul Hostovsky's poems have won a Pushcart Prize, two Best of the Net Awards, the FutureCycle Poetry Book Prize, and have been featured on Poetry Daily, Verse Daily, The Writer's Almanac, and Best American Poetry.

Aug 11, 202305:25
To See Beyond Walls: Cheryl Sadowski Reviews Illuminations by Mary Sharratt

To See Beyond Walls: Cheryl Sadowski Reviews Illuminations by Mary Sharratt

Cheryl Sadowski reads her review, "To See Beyond Walls: A Review of Illuminations: A Novel of Hildegard von Bingen by Mary Sharratt.

Stay tuned for details about our Zoom book discussion about Illuminations led by Cheryl this fall! Subscribe to our email newsletter or follow along on FB or IG to get event announcements and more.

Cheryl Sadowski writes essays, reviews, and short fiction. Her writing explores the plain weave of everyday life with literature, art, and the natural world. Cheryl’s lyric poem “Tenants” was awarded a first place Grantchester Prize by The Orchards Poetry Journal. Other works have appeared in About Place Journal, EcoTheo, After the Art, and Bay to Ocean Journal. Cheryl lives in Northern Virginia, where she works as a communications consultant. She recently completed her Master of Liberal Arts degree at Johns Hopkins University.


Aug 08, 202309:59
Acyanoblepsia by Jack Stewart

Acyanoblepsia by Jack Stewart

Jack Stewart reads his poem "Acyanoblepsia" from our Summer 2023 issue.

Jack Stewart was educated at the University of Alabama and Emory University and was a Brittain Fellow at The Georgia Institute of Technology. His first book, No Reason, was published by the Poeima Poetry Series, and his work has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies, including Poetry, The American Literary Review, Nimrod, Image, and others.

Aug 04, 202303:39
Scotus by James Roderick Burns

Scotus by James Roderick Burns

James Roderick Burns reads his short story, "Scotus."

James Roderick Burns’s novella and story collection, Beastly Transparencies, is due from Black Spring Press in 2024. He is the author of five collections of poetry (most recently Crows at Dusk, 2023) and a short fiction chapbook, A Bunch of Fives. His stories have twice been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. He can be found on Twitter @JamesRoderickB and his newsletter offers one free, published story a fortnight, at abunchoffives.substack.com.

Aug 01, 202324:31
Poems by Hannah Hinsch
Jul 28, 202307:50
Shelter by Emily Ver Steeg

Shelter by Emily Ver Steeg

Emily Ver Steeg reads her short story, "Shelter," from our Summer 2023 issue.

Emily Ver Steeg grew up outside Atlanta, GA, and now lives in Brooklyn, NY, where she teaches writing for immigrant and international students. She received her MFA from The Writer's Foundry at St. Joseph's University.

Jul 25, 202325:08
Summer 2023 Trailer

Summer 2023 Trailer

The Summer 2023 issue of Vita Poetica is here! Tune in for a preview of new works at the intersection of art, faith, and spirit.


Cover Art: Untitled (flame 1) by Lucy Bell

Intro Music: "A Gentle Invitation" by Dawn, Dawn, Dawn

Outro Music: John Morris

Jul 17, 202305:55
Poem by Ellen June Wright & Photography by David A. Goodrum

Poem by Ellen June Wright & Photography by David A. Goodrum

Ellen June Wright reads her poem, "The Lake," and David A. Goodrum shares about his photography published in our Spring 2023 issue.

Ellen June Wright consulted on guides for three PBS poetry series. Her work was selected as The Missouri Review’s Poem of the Week in June 2021. She is a Cave Canem and Hurston/Wright alumna and received Pushcart Prize nominations in 2021 and 2022. Follow her at https://twitter.com/EllenJuneWrites.

David A. Goodrum, photographer/writer, lives in Corvallis, Oregon. His photography has graced the covers of several art and literature magazines, most recently Cirque Journal, Willows Wept Review, Blue Mesa Review, Ilanot Review, Red Rock Review, The Moving Force Journal, Snapdragon Journal, and has appeared in many others. Additional work, both photos and poems, are available at www.davidgoodrum.com. His artistic vision has always been to create a visual field that momentarily transports you away from hectic daily events and into a place that delights in an intimate view of the world.

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May 26, 202306:14
Poems by Zachary Dankert

Poems by Zachary Dankert

Zachary Dankert reads his poems "Matthew 2:13-23 (Olives)" and "The Gospel of Mary Magdalene II."

Zachary Dankert is a writer living on unceded Miami territory known as Indianapolis, IN. Published work can be found in Breakbread Literary Magazine, Tofu Ink Arts Press, and West Trade Review, among others. His goal in life is to write a single funny poem.

May 23, 202305:46
Poems by Jesse Caverly & Jonathan McGregor

Poems by Jesse Caverly & Jonathan McGregor

Jesse Caverly reads his poem "Orphanage," and Jonathan McGregor reads his poems "Nebuchadnezzer" and "Catch for Us the Foxes."

Jesse Caverly was born an hour outside of Boston, but he and his mother quickly became nomads. He doesn't remember much about Tucson and everything about Hawaii. There, he had a small white terrier as a pet. There, he collected comic books and ate guavas fresh off the branch. Then they moved to California, high school was all right, college didn’t happen, but life did. He is now a storyteller, proud father of a wilding, and an occasional poet. He resides in Arcata, Humboldt County.

Jonathan McGregor's creative work has appeared in Gulf Coast, Image Journal, Ruminate Magazine, Relief Journal, Dappled Things, Genealogies of Modernity, and Hyped on Melancholy. He is the author of the academic book Communion of Radicals: The Literary Christian Left in Twentieth-Century America (LSU Press, 2021). He teaches writing at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and is a poetry editor at War, Literature, and the Arts.

May 19, 202310:09
A Blessing for Your Face by Rebekah Vickery

A Blessing for Your Face by Rebekah Vickery

On the podcast today, Rebekah Vickery guides us in "A Blessing for Your Face" from our current Spring issue. Rebekah Vickery is a trauma therapist, group facilitator, and acrylic artist located in the beautiful and wild Pacific Northwest. In all of her work with people, art, and words, she loves engaging themes of grief, transition, and hope.

May 16, 202303:38
Poems by Ace Boggess and Mark Mansfield

Poems by Ace Boggess and Mark Mansfield

Ace Boggess reads his poem "Anybody Raptured Yet?" and Mark Mansfield reads his poem "The Tryst."

Ace Boggess is author of six books of poetry, most recently Escape Envy. His writing has appeared in Michigan Quarterly Review, Notre Dame Review, Harvard Review, Mid-American Review, and other journals. An ex-con, he lives in Charleston, West Virginia, where he writes and tries to stay out of trouble.

Mark Mansfield is the author of three full-length collections of poetry, Strangers Like You, Soul Barker, and Greygolden, and one chapbook, Notes from the Isle of Exiled Imaginary Playmates (all published by Chester River Press). His poems have appeared in The Adirondack Review, Anthropocene, Bayou, Fourteen Hills, The High Window, Innisfree Poetry Journal, Iota, London Grip, Magma, Measure, Obsessed with Pipework, Peacock Journal, Salt Hill Journal, Sarasvati, Tulane Review, Visitant, and elsewhere. He has been a Pushcart Prize nominee. He is a former musician and publications specialist. Currently, he lives in upstate New York.

May 12, 202307:02
Kolya Braun-Greiner's Book Review of This Here Flesh by Cole Arthur Riley

Kolya Braun-Greiner's Book Review of This Here Flesh by Cole Arthur Riley

Kolya Braun-Greiner reads her book review, "An Enfleshed Spirit: Reflections on Cole Arthur Riley's This Here Flesh: Spirituality, Liberation, and the Stories that Make Us."

Kolya Braun-Greiner is a member of Seekers Church and former program coordinator with Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake. She has created curricula and facilitated trainings for people of many faiths to explore connections of their tradition with care for the environment. She is currently working on a book about contemplating nature as a way to foster reverence and healing for Earth.

May 09, 202318:04
Poems by Paula M. Rodriguez & James Hannon

Poems by Paula M. Rodriguez & James Hannon

Paula M. Rodriguez reads her poem "Stamps," and James Hannon reads his poem "Sinai."

Paula M. Rodriguez is an educator in greater Los Angeles. Her first poem in the United States appeared in The Blind Man's Rainbow in 2006. Since then, her poems have been featured in multiple anthologies and journals, including Scintilla, Bacopa Review, New Note Poetry, Mercury Retrograde, and Humble Pie to name a few. Her first book of poems, The Joy of Seasons. A Treasure of Haiku, appeared last November and has received great reviews.

James Hannon is a psychotherapist in Massachusetts where he accompanies adolescents and adults who are recovering from addictions and mood disorders and seeking meaningful and joyful lives. His poems have appeared in Blue Lake Review, Cold Mountain Review, Pensive, Psaltery and Lyre, and other journals and in Gathered: Contemporary Quaker Poets. His second poetry collection, To My Children at Christmas, was published in 2022 by Kelsay Books. Learn more about him at Jameshannonpoetryplus.com.

May 05, 202306:28
A Wolf's Heart by O Thiam Chin

A Wolf's Heart by O Thiam Chin

O Thiam Chin's short story, "A Wolf's Heart," is published in our current Spring issue. Vita Poetica's Managing Editor Julie Wan reads the story in today's episode.

O Thiam Chin is the author of four novels, including We Are Not Alone Here (PRH SEA, 2022) and six short-fiction collections. His debut novel, Now That It’s Over, won the inaugural Epigram Books Fiction Prize in 2015. His work has appeared in Granta, The Cincinnati Review, Mānoa, The Brooklyn Rail, World Literature Today, and elsewhere.

May 02, 202329:47
Poems by Will Neuenfeldt & Eric Machan Howd

Poems by Will Neuenfeldt & Eric Machan Howd

Will Neuenfeldt reads his poem, "Ritual," and Eric Machan Howd reads his poems, "Initiation" and "Personal Theology," from our Spring 2023 issue.

Will Neuenfeldt studied English at Gustavus Adolphus College and his poems are published in Capsule Stories, Months to Years, and Red Flag Poetry. He lives in Cottage Grove, MN, home of the dude who played Steven Stifler in those American Pie movies and a house Teddy Roosevelt slept in.

Eric Machan Howd (Ithaca, NY) is a poet, musician, and educator. His fifth collection of poetry, Universal Monsters, was published by The Orchard Street Press in 2021. He is currently working on an erasure project using a work by author H.P. Lovecraft.

Apr 28, 202306:06
House of Worship by Heidie (Raine) Senseman

House of Worship by Heidie (Raine) Senseman

Heidie (Raine) Senseman reads her essay, "House of Worship," published in our Spring 2023 issue.

Heidie (Raine) Senseman is an Ohio-based writer who works primarily in the realm of creative nonfiction. She dreams of becoming a master pie-baker and being able to do 20 push-ups in a row. Heidie's work has previously appeared in Chapter House Journal, Marathon Literary Review, Still Point Arts Quarterly, and others.

Apr 25, 202304:29
Spring 2023 Trailer

Spring 2023 Trailer

The Spring 2023 issue of Vita Poetica Journal is here! Tune in for a preview of new works at the intersection of art, faith, beauty, and spirit.


Cover Art: David A. Goodrum

Music: John Morris

Apr 17, 202305:30
Poems by Lila Robinett & Charm Chandler

Poems by Lila Robinett & Charm Chandler

Lila Robinett reads her poem, "Watching the Pastor's Daughter," and Charm Chandler reads his poem, "As a Form of Great Immensity and Understanding."


Lila Robinett is a native East Texan living in Hattiesburg, Mississippi where she attends the University of Southern Mississippi as a Ph.D. student in Creative Writing. Her work can be found in Five South magazine, Ekstasis, and Impostor magazine.


Charm Chandler (he/it) is a lover of words and lives in the Sunset Reality. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in English. When he is not writing, he is perpetually confused.


Mar 24, 202306:40
Poems by Chris Vrountas

Poems by Chris Vrountas

Chris Vrountas reads his poems "Lenten Eve, 2021" and "Meadow Aers" from our Winter 2023 issue.

Chris Vrountas is a writer and lawyer. He lives in Essex County, MA, with his wife, who still laughs at his jokes after 32 years. He has practiced law for just as long and serves as a mediator of discrimination disputes for the Human Rights Commission. He grew up in an immigrant faith tradition that has evolved over the years, and he writes about impermanence, hope, and rebirth.

Mar 21, 202305:45
Poems by Jen Schneider and Kath Higgins

Poems by Jen Schneider and Kath Higgins

Jen Schneider reads her poem "on time & quiet passings :: fly monarch(s), fly," and Kath Higgins reads her poem "Owl Spotting."

Jen Schneider is an educator who lives, writes, and works in small spaces throughout Pennsylvania. Recent works include A Collection of Recollections, Invisible Ink, On Habits & Habitats, On Always Being an Outsider, and Blindfolds, Bruises, and Breakups.

Originally from the UK and now living in South Africa via Cameroon, Kath Higgens is a retired field linguist. Her love of poetry and her spiritual path sometimes spills out into writing.


Mar 17, 202304:50
Two Poems by Michael Sandler

Two Poems by Michael Sandler

Michael Sandler reads his two poems, "A Jetty Stone's Hymn" and "Recipe for Marinara." 

Michael Sandler is the author of a poetry collection, The Lamps of History (FutureCycle Press 2021). His work has appeared in scores of journals, including recently in THINK, Literary Imagination, and Smartish Pace. Michael lives near Seattle; his website is www.sandlerpoetry.com.

Mar 14, 202305:29