Spring 2025 Featured "Reflections of the Heart: A Journey of Self-Discovery" by Olympia Asche (1st Place Top of Iowa 9th/10th Grade -- Poetry) Reflections of the Heart: A Journey of Self-Discovery In the garden of whispers, where shadows dance and play, I've often been told by the kind, and the bold, what they see each day. "You are so kind," they say, with warmth in their tone, "A
Spring 2025 Featured "Angus Thickburger: Ghost Detective" by Tanner Smith I breathe in the dry Monday air in my office, fingertips rattlin’ on the cold desk. That’s the way it’s been, long days bleedin’ into one another. Solvin’ the crimes I do ain’t for the faint of heart, ‘specially when your boss has it out for you
Spring 2025 Featured "Love and Despair" by Amelia Kobriger Amelia Kobriger, also known as Millie, is a freshman at Waldorf University. She is majoring in Criminal Justice and minoring in art. Amelia is a quiet student and likes to spend her time drawing and playing The Sims. Amelia has won 3 awards in the Top of Iowa Art Show
Spring 2025 Featured "Cookie" by Anna McCluskey Anna McCluskey is a double major in Theatre Stage Management and Creative Writing. She is so excited to have her works submitted to the Waldorf Literary Review!
Photography Featured "Petrified Remnant" by Tyler Clouse Tyler Clouse is in his first year in the master's program at Waldorf and a member of the men's golf team. He enjoys taking photos of various subjects, though he most appreciates being on the sidelines of a football or basketball game.
Spring 2025 Featured "Martha Stewart Asks" by Dr. Suzanne Falck-Yi [Five Years later, is this poem still relevant? Is it still with us?] Martha Stewart asks, online, Is it safe to leave butter out on the counter? We're in the midst of a pandemic. More Americans are dying every day Than died on 9/11. More people are
Poetry Featured "Atlassian Composure" by Kai Wilkie I pick up the slack— chores, bills, the things she drops in her haze. Her promises vanish in clouds of smoke, and I’m left to fill in the gaps she leaves behind. I used to look up to her, used to believe she was the woman I’d become—
Spring 2025 Featured "Sublimation" by Madina Tuhbatullina Wheels fall off suitcases there I must rest my shadow abrasive and maladaptive hair knots above clavicles a contender grows poppies and calls them belongings a new method of treasuring my absence * The child I will spoil on condition of being an open window like poppy fields in the mountains
Spring 2025 Featured "Stars of Red and Gold" by Kai Wilkie Kayliegh “Kai” Wilkie, Waldorf senior, zombie-cowboy aficionado, and plant parent to a Venus Flytrap named Twooey, can often be found haunting the library. With an iPad in one hand and a sketchbook in the other, they look like they’re either plotting world domination—or maybe just the perfect doodle.
Spring 2025 Featured "Big Monkey!" by Ryan Kaufman Ryan Kaufman is a Junior at Waldorf, double majoring in Business Management and Sport Management. He is on the bowling team, being varsity all 3 years. He enjoys taking long drives and relaxing while listening to music.
Spring 2025 Featured "One Light, Two Light" by Kai Wilkie Kayliegh “Kai” Wilkie, Waldorf senior, zombie-cowboy aficionado, and plant parent to a Venus Flytrap named Twooey, can often be found haunting the library. With an iPad in one hand and a sketchbook in the other, they look like they’re either plotting world domination—or maybe just the perfect doodle.
Spring 2025 Featured "The Thousand Yard Stare" by Anna McCluskey The shadows that blurred our sightline trained us to asssociate it with danger. Movement fast like the sea; if left behind old allies, now corpses, as weeping civilians cry out and static plays the anthem of our cause. Our sight was tainted beyond belief as blood struck sand. The minute
Spring 2025 Featured "You Are" by Braden Kane You are my love, is what I want to say. But no. You and I are clay in each other’s hands. What connects us is clay. Our words; soft touches, our fingers sculpting its essence, its shape. Too little force and there’s no real change. Too much force
Spring 2025 Featured "I Never Saw god in Church" by Meredith Mulvany I never saw god in church. I’d look around, kicking my feet in the pew Staring at the rainbows filtering through the stained glass And looking at the people around me Their eyes fixated on the priest Hands swatting sleeping husbands and noisy children Suited men standing proud as
Spring 2025 Featured "Visions of Vocation" by Dr. Joe Milan “Once Zhuang Zhou dreamed he was a butterfly, a butterfly flitting and fluttering around, happy with himself and doing as he pleased. He didn’t know he was Zhuang Zhou. Suddenly, he woke up, and there he was, solid and unmistakable Zhuang Zhou. But he didn’t know if he
Spring 2025 Featured Interview with Dana Yost, author of "Free Fall," conducted by Grace Kobriger What interested you to get into writing? Especially poetry? I started reading when I was very, very young and writing when I was quite young. I’ve always been fascinated by the written word, by stories and the insights writing can give us. I was a creative writing/literature major
Spring 2025 Featured "Emotion Coaster" by McKayla Kane Every day is different. Like the time on a clock, It will change but always go back. Round and round and round. A continuous circle with no ending. Just like emotions. Some days I'm angry. I want to rip off the wallpaper from the wall, Or scream into
Spring 2025 Featured "Ashes, Ashes, We All Burn Down" by Braden Kane Everything is made with an end to it. Yet just look at life and the insanity of it simply being possible. Of us being able to see the universe before its inevitable heat death, its collapse via entropy and the coming of an ever-unchanging time. A sea of ash and
Spring 2025 Featured "Autumn Friend" by Grace Kobriger Grace Kobriger is currently a Junior at Waldorf University and is pursuing a job in Film Directing. Grace has been an animator and artist for 12 years and just finished directing her first live short film. Grace is involved with everything on and off campus with an eye for photography.
Spring 2025 Featured "Cycles" by Meredith Mulvany Meredith Mulvany is a Junior in Theatre and Comm at Waldorf University. Despite not being a writing major, she loves to write stories and poetry in her free time, especially exploring human morality and theological interpretation. She's honored to be accepted into the Lit Review for a third
Spring 2025 Featured "Patches" by Anna McCluskey Anna McCluskey is a double major in Theatre Stage Management and Creative Writing. She is so excited to have her works submitted to the Waldorf Literary Review!
Art Featured "Mountainous Mischief" by Brianna Myers Brianna Myers is a sophomore here at Waldorf. She is majoring in history and is involved in history club, shooting sports, and student senate. When not stressing over homework she can be found in the library drawing little animals.
Spring 2025 Featured "Sicilia" by Hans R. Jeppson (1st place Top of Iowa 9th/10th grade -- Prose) The party set out in the morning from their little checkpoint. They traveled along the river through the semi-arid landscape. They passed in between large towering mountains and entered a sparse pine forest valley. Ida guided them to the base of a mountain, using switchbacks to rise above the ground,
Spring 2025 Featured "Home" by Dana Pioske Dana Pioske is a senior history major and music minor at Waldorf University. She is honored her work was chosen to be showcased in this year’s Lit Review!
Spring 2025 Featured "Adventures with Barthy" by Kalynn Marxen Kalynn Marxen is a sophomore triple majoring in Musical Theatre, Theatre Performance, and Elementary Education with Special Education and Reading Endorsements with a Spanish Concentration. She enjoys taking pictures of her travels, singing, and acting. She is thrilled to be in another Waldorf Literary Review online and in print.
