Posts in Bright Wings Poetry
S13 E11: A Brutal Love with Kimberly Phinney

Kimberly Phinney is a professor, counselor, poet and writer. She’s been published in Ekstasis Magazine, Fathom, Humana Obscura, and many other publications. She is the editor and founder of the literary community The Way Back To Ourselves.  Earlier this year, Kimberly’s poem “An Ode to Hard, Dark Nights” won the Audience Choice Award in our Bright Wings Poetry Contest in partnership with Ekstasis magazine. 

In this episode, Kimberly shares how the vision for her creative community and her recent book of poems, Of Wings and Dirt were born out of her journey through an intense season of illness.  As a community leader, Kimberly shares her thoughts on how artists and creatives can move against the modern bent toward isolation and disembodiment. 

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Bonus: Poetry Reading with Jeri Jones Sparks - Bright Wings Contest Winner

Jeri Jones Sparks is a Tamil Indian-Australian poet and writer living on Wangal Country.

She is the winner of the third annual Bright Wings Poetry Contest hosted in partnership with Ekstasis Magazine.

She works as the Outreach Pastor at St James Anglican Church in the Inner West of Sydney.

In this bonus episode, Jeri shares her winning poem, January Born.

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BRIGHT WINGS POETRY CONTEST

We’re excited to open submissions to our third annual Bright Wings poetry contest in partnership with Ekstasis Magazine!

Our panel judges for this year’s contest are:

Rachel Marie Kang

Ryan Diaz

Paul J. Pastor

Deadline for Entry: November, 25th, 2022

Entry Fee: $20 for up to three poems

Winner will receive a $500 honorarium, read the winning poem on an episode of the Makers & Mystics podcast and have the poem featured in an issue of Ekstasis Magazine.

Second and third prize winners will be featured on Makers & Mystics and Ekstasis Instagram stories and newsletter.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER

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S10 E07: Resiliency and The Arts with Michael Hayes

Michael Hayes is the founder and director of Umoja Health, Wellness, and Justice Collective. He is a visionary agent of change who has found powerful ways to infuse the art of storytelling and the science of resilience into opportunities for healing and recovery.

He is the author of the HOPE module (Healing Our Past/Personal Experiences,) a Certified Peer Support Specialist, a Wellness Recovery Action Plan facilitator and a Reconnect for Resilience Skills Educator.

Michael is also the founder of the Urban Arts Institute and continues to provide opportunities for healing and growth in the arts.

In this episode Michael and I discuss resiliency and the role of the arts in healing from past traumas as well as our collaborative work with the Institution of Regenerative Design and Innovation’s Seed Project.

Submissions to the Bright Wings Poetry Contest are now open until November 25th. Winner receives a cash prize plus publication in Ekstasis magazine and opportunity to read the winning poem on an episode of Makers and Mystics.

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S10 E06: The Poetics of Restoration with Malcolm Guite

Malcolm Guite is an English poet, academic and priest in the Church of England. He is a fellow of Girton College in the University of Cambridge and has published widely in the field of theology and literature.

His research interests include the intersection of religion and the arts and the examination of the works of J.R.R. Tolkein, C.S. Lewis and Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

In this episode Malcolm and I discuss what I’ve termed as the poetics of restoration and how poetry and literature hold keys to understanding and even bridging the gaps between tradition and originality.

Patrons of the podcast can enjoy three additional interview segments with Malcolm, one on the moral imagination (which members of our creative collective will recall from discussions in our last book club.) also Malcolm’s thoughts on imagination as empathy, and practices to can we establish to achieve longevity for the artist and writer.

Bright Wings Poetry Contest!

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S10 E05: Let There Be Art with Rachel Marie Kang

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.

In this episode, Rachel and I discuss her book, Let There Be Art: The Pleasure and Purpose of Unleashing the Creativity Within You.

In keeping our season ten theme of Restoration for the heart of the artist, Rachel and I discuss what it is like to create in the space between life and death, joy and grief and how creativity can serve as a bridge between the two poles.

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Bright Wings Poetry with Khalisa Rae

Khalisa Rae is an activist, poet, and educator in Durham, North Carolina, and a graduate of the Queens University MFA program. She is the winner of the 2020 Bright Wings Poetry Contest.

In this Bonus episode, Stephen Roach and Ashley Blake talk with Khalisa Rae about poetry and the importance of telling our story. Khalisa performs two of her poems, including her winning poem, The Way Out and the title poem from her upcoming collection, Ghost In A Black Girl's Throat.

You can read Khalisa's and the other winning poets at: http://www.makersandmystics.com/brightwings

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