Bright Wings 2022 Poetry Contest Panel Judges
Ryan Diaz is an award-winning writer and poet from Queens, NY. He holds a BA in History from St. Johns University and is completing a MA in Biblical Studies. His writing has appeared in publications like Transcendentals, Dappled Things, Ekstasis, Christianity Today, and Premier Christianity. He is the author of two poetry books, For Those Wandering Along the Way, and Skipping Stones.
Ryan’s poetic work seeks to find the divine in the ordinary, the thin place where the transcendent and the mundane meet. His academic interests include the literature of J.R.R. Tolkien and the Inklings, the Christian Mystical tradition, and the relationship between Art and Faith. He currently lives in Queens, NY with his wife Janiece.
AWARDS:
Winner of Fathom Magazine’s Writing Contest (2021)
Rachel Marie Kang is a New York native, born and raised just outside New York City. She is an author, poet and founder of The Fallow House online creative community. Her writing has been featured in Christianity Today, Proverbs 31 Ministries, and (in)courage.
A mixed woman of African American, Native American (Ramapough Lenape Nation), Irish, and Dutch descent, she is a graduate of Alliance College with a Bachelor of Arts in English with Creative Writing and a minor in Bible. She lives and writes in North Carolina with her husband and two children.
Her recent book, Let There Be Art: The Pleasure and Purpose of Unleashing the Creativity with You was published by Revell.
Paul J. Pastor is the author of several books, including Bower Lodge: Poems, A Kids Book About God, The Listening Day series, and The Face of the Deep. His poetry has been published in many fine outlets, and has been anthologized by The New York Quarterly Review.
He serves Penguin Random House as an editor for two of their Christian imprints, where he focuses on publishing diverse authors who encourage spiritual renewal and express real, grounded wisdom for our time of pain and opportunity.