
THE WAY BACK TO OURSELVES
Community Literary Journal
THE WAY BACK TO OURSELVES PRESENTS:
THE SPRING COLLECTION: IN HIS GARDEN
coming in April…
The Spring Collection: IN HIS GARDEN Print Journal Coming in May 2025
The Way Back to Ourselves is proud to present our FIRST print journal arriving in May 2025. Enjoy the free digital collection in this stunning keepsake for purchase on Amazon in paperback and hardcover from The Way Back Books, an imprint of TheWayBack2Ourselves.com.
Listen to the poets of The Way Back to Ourselves Literary Journal perform their work with our NEW podcast, The Poetry Corner, a spin-off from The Way Back Podcast, hosted by Edward Holmes and Deidre Braley.

In His Garden: A Letter from the Editor
Start here, with founder and editor-in-chief Kimberly Phinney, as she welcomes you into IN HIS GARDEN with her letter to you and The Way Back to Ourselves Community.

Thorns and Honey
In her lush and evocative poem “Thorns and Honey,” Mariana Mosli finds herself in the Garden of Eden as the Lord searches earnestly for her.

Sowing Across the Rows: Essay and Poetry
In her essay “Sowing Across the Rows,” Mckenzie Hunt draws us into the seasons of life as it relates to nature’s rhythms when she remembers precious time spent with her mother in the garden. In her poem “Garden Dreams,” she reminds us of God’s unyielding love.

Creatura
In her poem “Creatura," folklorist Ashley Sposato becomes one with nature and the garden, as she explores what it is to be a poem in the ways nature and God offer themselves as poetry.

The Pastoral
With her insightful essay “The Pastoral,” Rev. Christine Davies draws on the parallels of life on the farm and life as a hospital chaplain in the delicate dance of beauty and grief.

The Praying Tree and Other Poems
Alexis Ragan ventures into Gethsemane and the art of liturgy in her poetic mediations, such as “The Prayer Tree” and “An Exhortation of Saints.”

Through Grief and Grace
In his deeply moving poem, “Through Grief and Grace," Edward Holmes laments and praises God through a painful loss and his hopes for future gardens.

A Simple Case for the God We Cannot See
In her essay “A Simple Case for the God We Cannot See,” Jessica Jolley leads us through nature and life, reminding us that God’s presence is undeniably present, like gravity and the wind.

Iron Creek Blues
In “Iron Creek Blues,” Nicholas Trandahl writes of a grounded yet ethereal encounter with nature as Mother Earth and Father God as he delves into the wild gardens of his heart.

CULTIVATE 2025: GRAB YOUR EARLY BIRD TICKETS NOW!
Don’t miss CULTIVATE 2025 with Tanner Olson, Stephen Roach, Sarah E. Westfall, and many more. This is an EXCLUSIVE virtual event (live and recorded). Early bird tickets are on sale NOW! This year’s theme is CULTIVATING UNRELENTING HOPE.

Mother Tongue of the Father and Other Poems
In her poems “Mother Tongue of the Father" and “First Intentions,” Deidre Braley imagines what it means to go back to the Garden, as she learns God’s language and the sweet release of his gardens.

Vernalization and Other Poems
In her poems "Vernalization," "On the Existence of Almonds," and "Perennial People," Courtney Moody dreams of peace and harmony as she meditates on what happens in the garden in all seasons.

A Garden in the Forest
In his moving short story, “A Garden in the Forest,” Zaher Alajlani tells the story of Edward, a man who must come to grips with deep grief and loss and how he finds ultimate solace in an unlikely garden.

Blooming From the Bones and Other Poems
In “Blooming From the Bones” and “Tulip Petals,” Hayley Rawnsley reflects on the hope of rebirth after desolation brings great loss.

Guernica's Garden and Other Poems
In her poems "Guernica's Garden," "Morning in the Garden," and "Propagation," Elizabeth Wickland inspires patience and connection instead of strife and isolation.

The Tree at the Beginning and End of Time
In “The Tree at the Beginning and End of Time,” writer Mark Stucky invites us to return to the garden where it all began and find ourselves in God’s eternal story.

I Am a Wildflower, in Need: Poetry and Fine Art
Erin Stinson finds what she needs in the wild gardens of nature and tells about it in her poetry and fine art.

Into a Little Chaos
In “Into a Little Chaos," Civil Winters asserts that gardens are less about forcing order and more about embracing the beauty and blessings of chaos.

POETRY COFFEE HOUSE NIGHT: April 26 at 8:00 pm EST with Tanner Olson
Join Tanner Olson, Kimberly Phinney, and TWBTO Community for an uplifting night of poetry and community on April 26 at 8:00 pm EST. There will be performances and Q&A on all things poetry, publishing, platform, and writing craft. Don’t miss this!

God Has Working Hands: Poetry and Fine Art
In her poetry and fine art, Hannah Sanders imagines the working hands of Jesus in the Garden.
Start your journey.
It starts today— in the small steps you take, the hands you hold, the prayers you say, the art you make, and the hard things you conquer… The way back isn’t as far as you think.
Get involved. Write for us. Attend our workshops and retreats. Hire us for creative counseling, editing, or speaking engagements.