The Vita Poetica Journal is an online quarterly publication of creative work explored through a spiritual lens. This may be engaging directly with religious faith or a broader inquiry into meaning and the human experience.

Vita Poetica Journal is an online quarterly publication dedicated to creative works explored through a spiritual lens. The journal welcomes submissions that engage directly with religious faith or offer broader inquiries into meaning and the human experience. It seeks a sensibility that is open and thoughtful rather than didactic, valuing diversity in experiences, backgrounds, and spiritual perspectives, as well as in genres and art disciplines. The journal is open year-round to submissions in poetry, fiction, nonfiction, visual arts, multimedia, reviews, interviews, and contemplative practices. Submissions are accepted through their submissions management platform, Submittable. (vitapoetica.org) The journal's editorial team includes Co-Editors-in-Chief Caroline Langston and John Morris, Managing Editor Julie Wan, Poetry Editor Maggie Swofford, Visual Arts Editor Ellie Goings, Interviews Editor Emily Chambers Sharpe, Assistant Interviews Editor Darby Brown, Prose Reader Katie Fisher, Poetry Reader Danielle Isbell, and Editorial Assistant Emma Russell. (vitapoetica.org) Vita Poetica Journal is an extension of the Vita Poetica community, aiming to connect artists of faith and enliven spiritual conversations through the arts. The journal's mission is to provide a platform for curated work that has been revised and polished, serving as a space for creative expression at the intersection of art and faith. (vitapoetica.org)

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Vita Poetica Journal

Vita Poetica Journal is an online quarterly publication of creative work explored through a spiritual lens. This may be engaging directly with religious faith or a broader inquiry into meaning and the human experience. We appreciate a sensibility that is open and thoughtful rather than didactic. Those interested in submitting are encouraged to read previous issues to gain a sense of the kind of work we're looking for.
Please submit creative nonfiction (including personal essay, memoir, reportage, and other types of literary nonfiction) of up to 5,000 words in a standard word-processing format (.doc or .docx).

Creative Nonfiction

Vita Poetica Journal is an online quarterly publication of creative work explored through a spiritual lens. This may be engaging directly with religious faith or a broader inquiry into meaning and the human experience. We appreciate a sensibility that is open and thoughtful rather than didactic. Those interested in submitting are encouraged to read previous issues to gain a sense of the kind of work we're looking for.
Please submit fiction of up to 5,000 words in a standard word-processing format (.doc or .docx).

General call

Vita Poetica Journal is an online quarterly publication of creative work explored through a spiritual lens. This may be engaging directly with religious faith or a broader inquiry into meaning and the human experience. We appreciate a sensibility that is open and thoughtful rather than didactic. We seek diversity in experiences, backgrounds, and spiritual perspectives, as well as in genres and art disciplines. We also welcome cross-genre, cross-discipline, or multimedia experimentation. Those interested in submitting are encouraged to read previous issues to gain a sense of the kind of work we're looking for.
Please submit up to 3 poems at a time, as a single file, in a standard word-processing format (.doc or .docx). Pdf files are permitted if special formatting is required. All efforts are made to preserve formatting in publication across platforms (web, social media), but we may at times be subject to limitations within a particular platform.

Poetry

Vita Poetica Journal is an online quarterly publication of creative work explored through a spiritual lens. This may be engaging directly with religious faith or a broader inquiry into meaning and the human experience. We appreciate a sensibility that is open and thoughtful rather than didactic. We seek diversity in experiences, backgrounds, and spiritual perspectives, as well as in genres and art disciplines. We also welcome cross-genre, cross-discipline, or multimedia experimentation. Those interested in submitting are encouraged to read previous issues to gain a sense of the kind of work we're looking for.
We welcome visual art, including but not limited to painting, drawing, photography, ceramics, textile, and sculpture. Previously published pieces (in a magazine/journal, print or online) are not eligible. The work should engage, whether directly or indirectly, with our publication's focus on art and spirituality. We ask that artists be familiar with our publication and the art we've featured in past issues before submitting.
Submit up to 5 pieces as a zip file or private link(s). Lower-resolution images may be submitted first, with high-resolution files (300dpi) required upon acceptance. Please include an artist statement of at least 1 paragraph or up to 250 words addressing your work as a whole and the submitted pieces in particular. Submissions without an artist statement will not be considered.

Visual Art & Multimedia

Fully Human, Washington, D.C.
Opportunity type: Call for Entry/Open Call
Opportunity Disciplines: All 2D media
Application Deadline: August 15, 2026 11:59pm ET
Prizes: Cash prize for 1st & 2nd Place; Opportunity for publication in Vita Poetica Journal
Description
Picasso once said “I have spent all my life learning to paint like a child.” He seemed to be pointing us to his desire to go backwards, into the “cloud of unknowing,” into mystery. Here, polished performance and trained technique are stripped away to reveal the inspired vitality that comes out of a person truly free and alive to our Maker and creation around us. This is a person so fully human, no quest is needed to prove it. It is simply lived.
The empire and its cultural norms would have us believe that we need more to be our best as humans—more efficiency, more product consumption, more resources, more influence, more time… But what if we stripped away “the more” and allowed what waters us down to bubble up and burn off as vapor? What essential human qualities remain through this process of distillation? What truly makes a human rich with vitality? And how do we show our whole self to one another?
Artists are invited to probe and interpret these queries in two-dimensional artworks for a show in Washington, DC, opening October 4th and on view until November 15. The show will open in conjunction with the Takoma Park Street Festival and an open gallery. An artist reception for artists available to attend may be scheduled while the show is on view.
Accepted Artwork: We welcome submissions in various 2-D forms, including but not limited to drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, collage/mixed media, and digital media. All artwork should be original and created within the last 5 years. Artwork may not exceed 36 inches in any direction. The use of AI is discouraged in any part of the creation process and must be disclosed in your application.
The jury will select artwork based on quality of work, interpretation of the theme, and the overall cohesion of the exhibition. The jury will also award a special commendation and cash prize to up to two winning artists; $200 for 1st prize and $100 for 2nd prize. Artists selected for the show may be publicized, and winning artists may be featured in a future Vita Poetica journal issue. All submissions are automatically considered for publication in the journal.
Submission Deadline
August 15, 11:59 PM (ET)
Artists will be notified of their acceptance status no later than August 31, 2026.
Artwork must be received in DC no later than September 26, 2026.
Exhibition Date
October 4 – November 15, 2026
Artists are responsible for delivering ready-to-hang artwork in person or via post no later than September 26, 2026. All artwork must be available for the duration of the show, and return shipping/pickup is the responsibility of the artist. Artwork may be for sale, with 100% of the sale going to the artists, but sales will not be managed by Vita Poetica or Seekers Church Art Gallery.
Exhibition Address
Seekers Church Art Gallery
276 Carroll Street, NW, Washington, DC 20012
How to Apply
Vita Poetica uses Submittable to review applications. The following information is required to complete your application before the deadline of August 15, 2026 at 11:59pm ET. There is a $5 fee per entry. You may submit up to 3 entries for consideration, but each artwork must be submitted separately as an individual entry.
Required Application Details:
Contact info
Artist’s biography
List of qualifications/prior exhibitions
Title, media, dimensions and creation date for submitted artwork entry
High-resolution digital JPG or PNG image(s) of entry — 1 main image and optionally 1 detail image per entry
Artist statement — up to 250 words describing the entry
Whether AI assistance was used in any part of the creation process, and if so, details as to how
Whether the artwork has previously been published by a journal or magazine, print or online
Questions
Please contact us at hello@vitapoetica.org.

Vita Poetica Journal

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Visual Art & Multimedia

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