THE WAY BACK TO OURSELVES

Literary Journal

The Way Back to Ourselves Literary Journal Presents:

COMING FALL 2024…

M A S T H E A D:

Editors: Sarah Steele, Kimberly Kralovic, and Ashley Whittemore

Founder and Editor-in-Chief: Kimberly Phinney

THE PEACE OF WILD THINGS

by Wendell Berry

When despair for the world grows in me

and I wake in the night at the least sound

in fear of what my life and my children’s lives might be,

I go and lie down where the wood drake

rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of wild things

who do not tax their lives with forethought

of grief.  I come into the presence of still water.

And I feel above me the day-blind stars

waiting with their light. For a time

I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

MAY YOU HEAR THE PEACE OF WILD THINGS SPEAK INTO YOUR SOUL.

Listen to the poets of the Spring Collection: Renaissance read their work with our NEW podcast, The Poetry Corner from The Way Back Podcast, hosted by Edward L. Holmes II and Deidre Braley.

New Chronology
poetry Kimberly Phinney poetry Kimberly Phinney

New Chronology

In his poem “New Chronology,” Nicholas Trandahl meditates on the passage of time and the changes both man and nature experience in the searching.

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The Artist
short story Kimberly Phinney short story Kimberly Phinney

The Artist

In his moving short story, “The Artist,” Zaher Alajlani, tells an unlikely revival story through the life of Cristian, a lovelorn youth.

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Loss to Gain
poetry Kimberly Phinney poetry Kimberly Phinney

Loss to Gain

In her poem “Loss to Gain,” Ashley Whittemore learns there is great and unexpected beauty in loss.

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The Orange Tree
poetry Kimberly Phinney poetry Kimberly Phinney

The Orange Tree

In her poem “The Orange Tree,” Tiana Minks uses the evocative metaphor of an orange tree to communicate the human experience of depression in light of a God who saves.

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Mother
poetry Kimberly Phinney poetry Kimberly Phinney

Mother

In her poem “Mother,” Laurie Widmer Hess explores the spiritual complexities of motherhood.

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Rekindled
poetry Kimberly Phinney poetry Kimberly Phinney

Rekindled

In her poem “Rekindled,” Stephanie Nygaard captures God’s delivery and light in a season of difficulty.

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Mountain Laurel Living
poetry Kimberly Phinney poetry Kimberly Phinney

Mountain Laurel Living

In her poem “Mountain Laurel Living,” Bethany Peck writes about loss, suffering, and faith through the metaphor of the Mountain Laurel.

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