A poem that started as a Facebook rant is now a poem published in Oddball Magazine.
“an open letter to the karen who just inspired me ten minutes ago” is now out in the world for all who respond to the annoying christian nationalists in their lives.
Five poems published in Rawhead
Ming Smith, America Seen Through Stars and Stripes, New York City, New York Painted, 1976, WikiArt
I’m proud to have five poems appearing in the latest issue of Rawhead Journal.
“there goes the neighborhood”
“exposure therapy” (previously published in Rigorous)
“J.B. explains why he left the rally”
“if her father had but spit in her face…”
“when asked about white feminism”
"waking with nightmares" published in Vita Poetica
“The Hypocrites address Dante,” Gustave Dore [Dante's Inferno]
"waking with nightmares" written after a section of G.K. Chesterton’s book The Everlasting Man and is now published in Vita Poetica along with a reading of the poem.
It’s a little dark, but that’s kind of the point. . .
"The Appointment" [flash] published in DEREGINALD
My dialogue driven, flash fiction piece “The Appointment” was published in the latest issue of DREGINALD. It's an increasingly chaotic mediation on the history of the word “placebo” among other things.
"the first letter of Paul to the Church of [name withheld on advice of counsel] published in The New Verse News
Another poem is now appearing in The New Verse News. This time some biblical fanfiction— what the apostle Paul might say to a certain Christian denomination within the US.
“the first letter of Paul to the Church of [name withheld on advice of counsel] is about the ICE detention of Pastor Daniel Fuentes Espinal and uses direct quotes from people my publisher wouldn’t allow me to use. But I still have them. They’re still public on social media. You can do a search.
Two poems in Pirene’s Fountain: A Journal of Poetry
“‘there is a goodness that doesn’t need me...’” and “floating” are ekphrastic poems that have been published in Pirene’s Fountain: A Journal of Poetry .
Click on the link below to read the full issue.
I'm on The My Bad Poetry Podcast again!
Listen me explain why these three ekphrastic poems were cut out of a manuscript in progress:
“life is bigger than you” - an erasure of REM’s “Losing My Religion”
“a new hope” - based on Chase Kahwinhut Earles’ Dominion, hand-built and kiln fired porcelain, 1976.
“if we're being honest” - on Master of Figline’s Saint Francis of Assisi 1335, egg tempera and gold leaf on panel.
But I end with a reading of “Job confronts Maggie Smith at a conference,” which is after Maggie Smith’s “Good Bones” and the Book of Job in the Hebrew Bible.
"So Bound is Creation by the Cry of Trumpets" published in Stone Circle Review
My ekphrastic poem “So Bound is Creation by the Cry of Trumpets” was just published in Stone Circle Review.
It is after the 2022 dip pen and India ink creation of James Dye by the same name.
"if Havah had a daughter" Published in Mom Egg Review
My ekphrastic poem "if Havah had a daughter" is appearing in the latest issue of Mom Egg Review. It is based on William-Adolphe Bouguereauex's painting Temptation and imaginings on the book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible.
"Job confronts Maggie Smith at a conference" published in Presence 2025
I’m honored to have another poem appearing Presence . This time it is my ekphrastic poem “Job confronts Maggie Smith at a conference,” which is after Maggie Smith’s “Good Bones” and the Book of Job in the Hebrew Bible.
The Third Renunciation reviewed in Pedestal Magazine
The Third Renunciation was just reviewed in Pedestal Magazine and I’m at a loss for words. It’s always humbling when a review “gets” a collection in a special way.
“memo from the principal of Antonin Scalia High School, Charity, Ok RE: amended Course of Study for the 2024-2025 academic year,” in The New Verse News
I don’t flex my academic accomplishments, but it’s relevant to understand where this poem comes from.
BA in English and Secondary Education (double major), with a minor in Philosophy
Master of Fine Arts in Poetry
Master of Theological Studies in Hebrew Bible and Theology and the Arts
PhD in Educational Leadership, dissertation focused on the history of how the Religion Clauses of the First Amendment are/aren’t taught to pre-service teachers and apply to public school settings
That said, I how could I not write a poem about the biblical nonsense happening in Oklahoma right now?
“memo from the principal of Antonin Scalia High School, Charity, Ok RE: amended Course of Study for the 2024-2025 academic year” was just published in The New Verse News.
Be sure to check the footnotes at the bottom of the poem…
Poem nominated for a Pushcart Prize by Pensive Journal
My poem "dispatches from the desk of Danel: the self-designated disciple and messianic anger-management translator" was nominated for the Pushcart Prize by Pensive: A Global Journal of Spirituality & the Arts.
And yes, it’s “Danel” in the title, not “Daniel.”
"YHWH breaks the fourth wall" in The Windhover
In seminary, I wrote a narrative about a modern prophet through poems. Hopefully, some version of that collection will see the light of day. Until then, one of those poems— “YHWH breaks the forth wall”— has found at home in the latest issue of The Windhover.
Guest Post for AGFCG Card Talk Series
I have a guest blog post for A Game for Good Christians’ Card Talk series entitled “God Planning Your Pain to Make A Point.” It employs one of my theological sonnets that appears in The Third Renunciation.
I previously had the privilege of editing AGFGC’s literary anthology This Present Former Glory: An Anthology of Honest Spiritual Literature.
If you don’t know A Game for Good Christians, imagine what you get if you crossed Cards Against Humanity with the Bible.
"the Prophet confronts his attacker" in New York Quarterly
“the Prophet confronts his attacker” was published in New York Quarterly latest issue. This is one of my theological sonnets that also appears The Third Renunciation (from New York Quarterly Books, 2023).
CW: themes of sexual assault.
Two poems in Vita Poetica Journal
I am working on a series of poems I am calling midrash qatan, or “a little story/exposition.” They are expositions, retellings, and reimagings of stories from the Hebrew Bible and Christian New Testament. The name pays homage to Rabbinic genre of Midrash Rabbah (“a great midrash”).
Two of these poems have just been published in Vita Poetica Journal:
“found” (a midrash qatan on Luke 15)
and
“subtlety: an assay” (a midrash qatan on Genesis 3)
Both pages include an audio recording of me reading these poems.
New poem in Pensive Journal
My poem “dispatches from the desk of Danel: the self-designated disciple and messianic anger-management translator” was published in the latest issue of Pensive Journal out of Northeastern University. Click on the link below and turn to page #77.
Have you watched the Key & Peele sketches involving President Obama's anger translator Luther? That’s the vibe here.
Note: Here are the passages the speaker is … “interpreting”
Best Spiritual Literature anthology nomination
Presence Journal is nominating my poem [Say pity is not action, is not love] for possible inclusion in Orison Books' annual Best Spiritual Literature anthology!
This is a first for me and I’m honored.
Fevers of the Mind Poetry Showcase
As a few people are aware, one of the projects I'm currently working (yes, I said “one of…"“) is a collection of ekphrastic poems: I’m expanding Dust & Ashes into a full-length collection.
To that end, I've spent a good part of the summer visiting a bunch of art museums in three different states (so far) to balance the literary art responses with some visual art. Some fruits of that labor were published today in Fevers of the Mind. Here is the link to the poems:
Below are the links to the works they are based on (each opens in a new window).