Dear Readers,

Welcome to the Poetry Issue! We at Fare Forward love poetry. We did, after all, take our name and mission statement from The Four Quartets. The precision of language, striking imagery, and music of poetry captivate us. And we are not alone. Poetry has proven itself powerful and lasting for the whole of human history. Even God is a fan; most of the Old Testament is in verse.

I joke that I could be a decent atheist if it weren’t for poetry. Honestly, isn’t a joke. Poems—whether I’m reading or writing them—are where I am most lovingly plagued by God’s presence. Poetry is certainly not the only way to meet the divine; God does not speak solely in meter or even language. But poems have been a great means of grace in my life. The same goes for the other the writers in this issue.

The poems in this issue came to us through our poetry competition. We were blessed and honored to read so many admirable submissions, and we are thrilled to include the winners and honorable mentions in this issue. These eight poets exhibit a diverse range of voices, styles, and topics. Their words express rage and praise, offer wisdom, and address the complexity of their faiths. We hope that their craft, beauty, and urgency can awaken you. We hope they might even inspire you to join the conversation by writing your own.

In addition to these poems, you will find personal reflections on how aspects of poetry operate in writers’ lives. Chelsea Wagenaar explores the mysterious power of memorization, and Juan Carlos López considers how Spanglish poetry encapsulates his experience as a bilingual Christian poet. We also have poets’ analyses of fellow poets—Jane Scharl on David Jones’s The Anathemata and Megan McDermott on a recent anthology. Finally, poets Spencer Reece and Claude Wilkinson share their own ideas on reading, writing, and faith through interviews.

So come and experience the work of the many poets who put together this issue. Discover with them what you never knew, but always meant, to say. Abandon yourself to their rhythms and find meaning with each rereading. Feel their loss for words when language fails even the most gifted writers. And may they send you back into your life more attentive and present in this world that can feel everything but poetic. That is what great poetry has given me. In the words of Lucille Clifton, it is

calling me back to the stones of this world

and my own whispered

hosanna.

Fare Forward,

Whitney Rio-Ross

Poetry Editor

(quoted lines taken from Lucille Clifton’s “far memory”)