Events Calendar
Sacred Poetry Contest 2025: Reading by Winners and Finalists
Join CLA members and friends to celebrate the 2025 Sacred Poetry Contest winners and finalists. This year’s Sacred Poetry contest asked writers to compose poems in response to a curated selection of sacred art which can be found at here.
This year’s judge is Sally Read.
Sally Read is editor of Word on Fire’s 100 Great Catholic Poems and an award-winning poet. Her first collection since her conversion from atheism to Catholicism, Dawn of this Hunger, was written as poet-in-residence at the Hermitage of the Three Holy Hierarchs. Sally’s poetry has been recorded for the UK’s Poetry Archive, and her writing, in both poetry and prose, has appeared in numerous publications and anthologies, including The Times Literary Supplement, The Picador Book of Love Poems, and Forward’s Poems of the Decade. Her poetry has also been featured on BBC Radio, and episodes of her Radio Maria England show, “Poetry for the Season,” are available on Spotify.
Sally has written lyrics for the sacred music of Paul Flynn, and their songs have been performed by The Palestrina and Trinity College Chapel Choirs in Dublin. Her memoir Night's Bright Darkness recounts her conversion, and her following book, Annunciation: A Call to Faith in a Broken World, was the subject of a short film for EWTN Great Britain. Sally’s literary memoir, The Mary Pages, is newly released from Word on Fire.
More information can be found at www.sallyread.net.
Virtual Event Highlighting Luminor and Katy Carl
Word on Fire Catholic Ministries announces its newest publishing imprint: Luminor. The imprint will serve to publish novels, short stories, memoirs, poetry, literary criticism, and more, highlighting fresh voices that bring to life once more the rich tradition of Catholic literature for today and years to come. Luminor seeks to illuminate the Catholic vision of life for serious readers of any faith or none.
“A major revival in Catholic arts and letters has been underway for a while now, and it’s a real joy to me to be able not only to nurture that existing community but also to expand its reach to readers who haven’t yet encountered it. Word on Fire Luminor is ready to shine a light into some of the contemporary world’s dark places,” said Katy Carl, editor of Luminor.
Fearless Catholic Writing Camp
Our Fearless Catholic Writing Camp (FCWC) specializes in teaching practical creative writing skills in the areas of fiction, poetry, sacred story, and creative nonfiction for 3rd-8th grade students.
While doing so, FCWC activates and employs higher-level analytical and imaginative skills, teaching students how to analyze mentor texts through the discussion of vocabulary, figurative language, and explicit vs. implicit meaning.
Our use of writing and revision strategies leads students to realize that expressing their thoughts and ideas on the written page brings them newfound freedom and joy.
High School Writers Institute
Our High School Writers Institute immerses high school students in the world of ideas and creative writing. Workshops in poetry, personal essay, fiction, and sacred story will complement engaging lectures from our guest author to inspire and refine each student’s expression on the written page.
Virtual Reading with Judith Sornberger
Virtual Reading with Judith Sornberger for her recent book of poetry “Sorority of Sisters”
Sorority of Stillness: A Gallery of Women in Art is a collection of ekphrastic poems that imaginatively enter into conversation with paintings and sculptures of girls and women. These poems consider the ways that art celebrates women and how that is expressed differently by various artists across cultures.
CLA Virtual Happy Hour
Would you enjoy meeting CLA members and friends in a positive atmosphere encouraging support and collaboration?
Would you enjoy hearing about more publication opportunities from fellow writers in a CLA community for Writers of Faith?
Join us for a social hour of introductions and camaraderie at one of CLA’s Spring Happy Hours. Conducted via Zoom and moderated by Maura Harrison, the sessions will invite participants to share about opportunities for collaboration and/or critique, spiritual lessons, and opportunities for publication. To get everyone talking, each Happy Hour will have a general topic for discussion. Then we’ll see where the topics lead us.
Maura H. Harrison is a writer and artist from Fredericksburg, VA. Her written and visual works have appeared or are forthcoming in Dappled Things, Ekstasis Magazine, The St. Austin Review, Solum Journal, Windhover, Trampoline: A Journal of Poetry, Amethyst Magazine, Heart of Flesh Literary Journal, and others. She has received recognition in poetry competitions sponsored by Catholic Literary Arts (CLA) and the Society of Classical Poets, receiving first place recognition for her poem in CLA's 2023 Marian Advent Prayer Contest, and second place recognition for her poem in the 2024 Assumption Poetry Contest. She also placed first in the 2024 Advent Poetry Contest: Listening with Mary
Virtual Event Highlighting Luminor and Katy Carl
Word on Fire Catholic Ministries announces its newest publishing imprint: Luminor. The imprint will serve to publish novels, short stories, memoirs, poetry, literary criticism, and more, highlighting fresh voices that bring to life once more the rich tradition of Catholic literature for today and years to come. Luminor seeks to illuminate the Catholic vision of life for serious readers of any faith or none.
“A major revival in Catholic arts and letters has been underway for a while now, and it’s a real joy to me to be able not only to nurture that existing community but also to expand its reach to readers who haven’t yet encountered it. Word on Fire Luminor is ready to shine a light into some of the contemporary world’s dark places,” said Katy Carl, editor of Luminor.
Sacred Poetry Contest
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
The Persona Poem: Writing Poems in the Voice of Historic, Mythic, and Fictional Figures
Mondays, March 24, 31, and April 7, 2025