Hey, I have a book coming out. bellepointpress.com/products/thu...

PRE-ORDER: thunder makes us

thunder makes us, by Whitney Rio-Ross **This is currently a PRE-ORDER title. Forthcoming Publication Date: May 26, 2026** The poems in thunder makes us explore heritage, faith, and womanhood in the Am...

bellepointpress.com

a childfree poem after my own heart -- spotted by chance looking through @stonecoastreview.bsky.social's site and OMG @whitlynnrioross.bsky.social very glad to have found your work <3 stonecoastreview.org/issue-23/the...

The Gynecologist Explains My Options — The Stonecoast Review

You don’t have many years left, if I’m being honest.&nbsp; Amazing how quickly a woman’s window

stonecoastreview.org

This @whitlynnrioross.bsky.social poem!! ✨ imagejournal.org/article/poss...

Possible History of Used Condom at Bible College - Image Journal

She wondered if two sips of lite beer had ruined her lip gloss.

imagejournal.org

Thank you, @onlypoemsmag.bsky.social ! substack.com/@whitlynnrio...

Hagiography by Whitney Rio-Ross

A daughter’s cross: to bear and bear

substack.com

As an Orthodox Christian, I should have found this article encouraging. But it makes me more...concerned. Faith is not therapy for masculine insecurities. (If your comment is to trash religion, I'll just block you.) cc @shoutingboy.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/11/19/u...

Orthodox Church Pews Are Overflowing With Converts

nytimes.com

Congrats to the Fare Forward Poetry Competition winners! First Place: "Dire Wolf" by Isabel Cristina Legarda (@poetintheor.bsky.social) Second Place: "Wisdom" by Joyce Schmid Third Place: "Postcard from Mexico City, 15 July 2025" by Alena Coleman

Many thanks to Earth & Altar (@earthandaltarmag.com) for publishing my poem “Ode to Doilies” and offering some space for playful theological aesthetics. earthandaltarmag.com/posts/ode-to...

Ode to Doilies — Earth and Altar

Not to the paper wisps, not those sliced by machine, but the ones that wearied a woman’s fingers.&nbsp; The ones piled in an antique shop, ten for a dollar and sure to be mocked&nbsp; if noticed at...

earthandaltarmag.com

So incredibly proud of my twin flame, Monty Bennett, for writing this incredibly thoughtful, vulnerable, and important essay about her experience as a gay Christian. I consider this required reading. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

I Left My Church—And Found Christianity

No one should have to choose between their community and their own integrity.

theatlantic.com

"What makes some political poems last while others feel more like edifying sermons that I will soon forget?... James Cherry's ‘Between Chance and Mercy’ came in to answer my question." @whitlynnrioross.bsky.social reviews "Between Chance and Mercy" by James E. Cherry

Book Review: “Between Chance and Mercy” by James E. Cherry

Review by Whitney Rio-Ross

psalteryandlyre.org

I was delighted to have this poem in EcoTheo Review last week! I also 100% recommend screaming in a field for your mental health.

EcoTheo Collective@ecotheo.bsky.social · last yr.

"Via Dolorosa” by Whitney Rio-Ross. Read more from our Winter 2024 Issue by clicking the link in our bio. @whitlynnrioross #ecotheo #celebratewonder #poetry #ecotheoreview

There are roughly a thousand important theological takeaways from Palm Sunday, and this is one that is far too often ignored. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/13/o...

Opinion | Palm Sunday Was a Protest, Not a Procession

Jesus’ procession was a parody of imperial power — a deliberate mockery of Roman spectacle and a prophetic enactment of a kingdom not built on violence but on justice.

nytimes.com

The State Department didn’t reveal the rationale for having these visas rescinded. (via @keranews.org)

Visas revoked for students, graduates at multiple Texas universities amid deportation efforts

Dozens of students and recent graduates in Texas have had their legal status changed by the U.S Department of State over the last few weeks.

keranews.org

Post-youth group Lucille Clifton

This week, my sister offered culture recs in The Atlantic Daily, and they included part of my poem originally published in @rogueagent.bsky.social 😮 I accept this nepotism as payment for years of being a chauffeur, secret keeper, & help in times of troublemaking. www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...

I finally made/updated an author website. Thank you to poet Lauren Smothers for letting me use her wonderful photography! www.whitneyrioross.com

I'm honored to be included in the gorgeous @lastsyllablelit.bsky.social's latest issue! Many thanks to them for publishing this long poem that took me forever to write as I wrestled with what it means to be the descendent of a long line of white Southerners. lastsyllablelit.com/heres-a-trut...

We have been in Texas for less than 24 hours, and my accent has already gotten stronger. God help me.

Recently, UNC Press authors have had their US visas revoked and talks canceled. For over 100 years, we have stood for academic freedom and open discourse, and continue to do so. Read more on the UNC Press Blog ⬇️

Academic Freedom and Open Discourse - UNC Press Blog

For over 100 years UNC Press has championed the principles of academic freedom, open discourse, and the free exchange of ideas—values essential to a democratic society and the pursuit of knowledge.  R...

uncpressblog.com

Want to hear wonderful poems to kick off your weekend? Come to The Still Point, featuring the winners of the Fare Forward Poetry Competition! www.eventbrite.com/e/the-still-...

Proud to see my sister starting off this presidency by holding spineless power seekers accountable. www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

Republican Leaders Once Thought January 6 Was ‘Tragic’

Republicans used to denounce the violent insurrectionists of January 6. Their rhetoric is no longer operative.

theatlantic.com

farefwd.com/index.php/20... I'm really honoured & moved by this beautifully written & meaningful review of my second collection "A Handful of Prayers" Thanks to Matthew Pullar for writing it & to @whitlynnrioross.bsky.social & the team at Fare Forward for publishing it.

Language and dance are my love languages. Thank you so much to Earth & Altar for publishing this poem.

Earth & Altar@earthandaltarmag.com · 2y ago

“I count the paths taken to land me twirling under a roof of woven accents: three weddings, two countries, one divorce, countless conjugations for a broken I love you.” Today’s poem is by Whitney Rio-Ross. earthandaltarmag.com/posts/cancin...

Love this new poem from @whitlynnrioross.bsky.social! "...God was the Christmas pageant star. God was not a girl. The earth he made with apples seeds, the heavens with half-priced glitter. We danced, and God smiled..."

Rogue Agent Journal@rogueagent.bsky.social · 2y ago

Shadow puppets, a dove, and an exploding notebook…RA 117 is here! With poetry by Stella Brice @wordperv Jaylani Loveday @karennmcpherson Kathy Nelson @whitlynnrioross Alana Torrez Yuan Changming & @suzi00 // www.rogueagentjournal.com/issue117

Shadow puppets, a dove, and an exploding notebook…RA 117 is here! With poetry by Stella Brice @wordperv Jaylani Loveday @karennmcpherson Kathy Nelson @whitlynnrioross Alana Torrez Yuan Changming & @suzi00 // www.rogueagentjournal.com/issue117

Issue 117 — RogueAgent

Welcome!

rogueagentjournal.com

So honored by the nomination and also honored just to be on any list that includes these poets!

Whale Road Review@whaleroadreview.bsky.social · 2y ago

And the nominees are: “when asked what it's like being a poet” by Matthew E. Henry "On My 47th Birthday" by @mjhigley.bsky.social "I’m Afraid I Don’t Know How to Love" by @christinalinsin.bsky.social "Whales" by Kathryn Petruccelli "Keeping Time" by @whitlynnrioross.bsky.social "Bleed" by Luci Shaw

My dad, when asked about when he started dating my mom: "She was a marrying prospect." He calls healthy heifers that he'll keep in the herd good breeding prospects.

We've entered the season when I have to start wearing jeans. I have never gotten used to this transition. Thoughts and prayers appreciated.

I'm here for real now.

Please listen to the most recent season of @npr.org 's Embedded podcast about sex testing in sports. And please don't bully women for being great athletes. Actually, just don't bully anyone.

I forget that this site exists sometimes and therefore forgot to share my thoughts on this great short story collection by Julia Ridley Smith from @blairpub.bsky.social farefwd.com/index.php/20...