Journal layout idea

Very much WIP. Playing with layouts for the journal index page on my new site. Not sure how I feel about the two-column grid and I feel like the white space is almost a little suffocating visually, a little overwhelming. Feedback appreciated! Full page attached.

EDIT: I uploaded a second screenshot in the attachments that seems to solve some of the whitespace issues; any thoughts? I also need to play with the type size, especially with that mega header, to make sure it doesn't feel cramped as the screens shrink. Working on that now!