John Backman

Profile Photo

A spiritual director, nonbinary person, and quasi-hermit, John Backman (she/her/hers) writes about ancient spirituality and the unexpected ways it collides with postmodern life. This includes a book (Why Can’t We Talk? Christian Wisdom on Dialogue as a Habit of the Heart) and personal essays in Tiferet Journal, Amethyst Review, Evolve, Sufi Journal, The Sunlight Press, and Belmont Story Review, among other places. 

Stories

Cover Photo: A restroom sign depicting the binary of two genders, what society considers "man" and "woman"
Before There Was a Q

Look like “a boy,” they call you “a boy.” Everyone believed my mother got her answer to her prayer, and for a while it seemed to be so.

Mar 08, 2021
Cover Photo: A detail of Joseph Edward Southall's 'Changing the Letter'  featuring two  figures whispering
How the Secrets Came Out

This was about protecting the new self growing its delicate way within me.

Aug 17, 2020