Annette Sisson reads her poems "Gravel at Every Turn" and "Oceans of Salty Sky."

Annette Sisson’s poems appear in The Penn Review, Birmingham Poetry Review, Rust & Moth, Cider Press Review, West Trade Review, and many other journals and anthologies. Her second book, Winter Sharp with Apples, was published by Terrapin Books (2024), and her third book manuscript, Rhizomes and Bones, is currently seeking a publisher. In 2019 she won The Porch Writers’ Collective’s poetry prize, and since then she has won and placed in numerous contests.

On the podcast today, Christine Hiester invites us to listen for the Holy Spirit through found poetry: "The hour or two we spend sifting through words is a holy practice, one that allows the Spirit to speak in and to the deepest parts of us." "Found Poetry as Spiritual Practice" is included in our Spring 2026 issue.

Christine Hiester is a spiritual companion and creative practice guide who believes in the power of deep listening to heal and restore the world, one conversation at a time. Sometimes these deep conversations are shared over coffee, and sometimes they happen in color, metaphor, form, or song. However they happen, Christine wants to be right in the middle of them. She loves to be found on Instagram @shapingtheriver or at her website www.shapingtheriver.com.

Joshua Coben reads his poem "The Spatter of Waterfalls," and E. R. Skulmoski reads her poem "Hymn (3)."

Joshua Coben is the author of two poetry collections, Maker of Shadows (Texas Review Press, 2010), winner of the X. J. Kennedy Poetry Prize, and Night Chaser (David Robert Books, 2020), a finalist for the Vassar Miller Prize, the New American Poetry Prize, and the Donald Justice Poetry Prize. He lives in Massachusetts. Visit him at joshuacoben.com.

E. R. Skulmoski lives in the Interior of British Columbia with her husband and four children. Her work has been published in Ekstasis, Barely South Review, and Voice & Verse, among others.

Pico Iyer introduces us to his contemplative practice of a daily writing meditation. We invite you to choose some daily practice you are already doing in your life and begin to view it through the lens of contemplation over the coming days and weeks.

Pico Iyer is the author of 17 books, translated into 23 languages, including The Lady and the Monk, The Art of Stillness and, most recently, a work about silence, monasticism and wildfire, Aflame. Vita Poetica published a review of Aflame in our Spring 2025 issue.

Lindsey Weishar reads her poem "Variations on Mercy," and Daniel Thomas reads his poem "The Other Life."

Lindsey Weishar holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She has contributed to a variety of outlets including Verily Magazine, Dappled Things, and the Word on Fire blog. Her chapbook, Matchbook Night, was published by Leaf Press (Canada) in 2018.

Daniel Thomas’s third poetry collection, River of Light, was published by Shanti Arts Publishing in 2025. His previous books are Leaving the Base Camp at Dawn and Deep Pockets. He has published poems in many journals, including Southern Poetry Review, Nimrod, Poetry Ireland Review, Amethyst Review, Radix, Atlanta Review, and others. More info at danielthomaspoetry.com

Daniel Cooperrider reads his essay "Cloud Study" from our Spring 2026 issue.

Daniel Cooperrider is a writer, ecotheologian, and pastor in the United Church of Christ. He is the author of Speak with the Earth and It Will Teach You, Gold Winner in the 2023 Nautilus Book Awards, and Live Each Season as It Passes. Cooperrider and family are based on the edge of the driftless region of Madison, WI.

Brian G. Phipps reads his poem "Moving Day," and Andreas Fleps reads his poem "The Temple."

Brian G. Phipps is the author of Before the Burning Bush (Univ. of St. Katherine Press, 2018), a collection of poems. His poetry has appeared in several journals, most recently in Presence and St. Katherine Review. “Moving Day” is part of a work-in-progress collection on the feasts of the church year and the seasons of the solar year as experienced by a person with seasonal affective disorder.

Andreas Fleps is a poet/writer based in the suburbs of Chicago. He studied theology and philosophy at Dominican University, and his debut collection of poems entitled Well into the Night (via Energion Publications) was released at the end of 2020. His work has appeared in publications such as Marathon Literary Review, The Rappahannock Review, Waxing & Waning, Wild Roof Journal, The Windhover, and the award-winning anthology Glissando!, among others.

Jeffrey-Michael Kane reads his essay "Cinctura" from our Spring 2026 issue.

Jeffrey-Michael Kane is the author of Quiet Brilliance: What Employers Miss About Neurodivergent Talent and How to See It (CollectiveInk UK). Disabled, he writes from this learned experience as an ASD-1. His prose work has been published in more than three dozen literary journals & magazines, including Plough, Vita Poetica, Dappled Things, and Metonym. He lives with his dogs and family in New Orleans, where he works as an attorney.

Randy Koch reads his poem "Unfaithful," and Mary Lanham reads her poem "Survivor's guilt," from our Spring 2026 issue.

Randy Koch is the author of four collections of poems: Composing Ourselves (Fithian Press, 2002), This Splintered Horse (Finishing Line Press, 2011), and forthcoming in 2026, both Against the Risen Flesh (Alternating Current Press) and Amends (Finishing Line Press). His poems have appeared in The Caribbean Writer, Chiricú Journal, The Texas Observer, Revista Interamericana, Sundial Magazine, and many others. A longtime columnist for LareDOS: A Journal of the Borderlands, he earned an MFA at the University of Wyoming and twice has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize.

Mary Lanham is a queer writer, editor, and collage artist based in Minnesota. She is originally from the South; her accent is still around if you know where to look. Mary's poetry has appeared most recently in Sheila-Na-Gig and Amethyst Review, and her online home is inspiritedword.com.

Jessica Hudson reads her review, "The Still-ness of Space," a review of the poetry collection Lost Cities by Valencia Robin (Persea Books, 2025) from our Spring 2026 issue.

Jessica Hudson (she/her) currently lives and libraries in Albuquerque. Her work has been published in DIAGRAM, New Delta Review, Quarterly West, and elsewhere.