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.
The Artist
In his moving short story, “The Artist,” Zaher Alajlani, tells an unlikely revival story through the life of Cristian, a lovelorn youth.
To Dive Again and Other Poems
In her poems, Alexis Ragan explores the depths of the human experience and God’s saving grace.
April Crowns and Other Poems
In his poetry, Steven Searcy explores fatherhood and faith through the beauty of nature and innocence.
On First Reading Mary Oliver at The Sourwood Inn and Other Poems
In her poetry, Kimberly Phinney celebrates poetry, nature, and God’s provisions through romantic verse and imagery.
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.
From Life to Death to Life and Other Poems
In her poetry, Sarah Steele writes about revival, prayer, and journeys through evocative nature and color imagery.
Rekindled
In her poem “Rekindled,” Stephanie Nygaard captures God’s delivery and light in a season of difficulty.
Holy Spirit, Help
Nathaniel Evans poem, “Holy Spirit, Help,” reads like a fervent prayer, as he asks God’s Holy Spirit to help him through his faith walk and the difficulties of this life.
Moonbeam Benediction
In “Moonbeam Benediction,” poet Stephanie Nygaard writes about the pain of sleepless nights and worry and how God’s assuring presence greets her in the darkness.
Breakthrough and Silence
In her poems, “Breakthrough” and “Silence,” Penelope Guzzo explores the complex feelings one experiences during existential searching and difficult relationships. For Penelope, it is only when she rests in God that she finds a way through the challenges.
October Sky and A Mind Full of Sorrow
Poet Pat Severin explores the ups and downs of living in two poems. “October Sky” celebrates the beauty of the natural world and God’s creation during this time of year. While “A Mind Full of Sorrow,” explores depression and the redemption and comfort one can find in a personal relationship with the Heavenly Father.
Boating in the Open Ocean
In his poem “Boating in the Open Ocean,” Andrew Roberts crafts a compelling narrative and metaphor for man’s struggle against the natural and spiritual world.
Grief
In her poem “Grief,” musician and writer Jenny Rose Verdoni writes about the stages of grief and the healing that is promised to us as children of God.
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.
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