ARCHIVES: Essays, Chapbooks, Contests (2016-2019)

The editors have selected work from the following writers.
Poetry and short works (creative essays, reflections and short story excerpts) are accepted.
​Thanks to all who shared their work.
Click on the photo to view the writer's page.

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In 2019...

Photo Courtesy: Amy Gravino

Amy Gravino, M.A., is a Certified Autism Specialist and international speaker. As the founder and President of A.S.C.O.T Consulting, Amy offers autism consulting and college coaching services for individuals on the autism spectrum, mentoring services for young adults with autism, and professional presentations for conferences, autism events, schools and professional development workshops. Amy has given two TED Talks and has spoken twice at the United Nations for World Autism Awareness Day (2011 and 2018). Amy is now authoring The Naughty Autie, a memoir of her experiences with dating, relationships, and sexuality from the firsthand perspective of a woman on the autism spectrum.

Photo Courtesy: Mare Leonard

Mare Leonard is a poet, humorist, teacher and journalist. Her poems, essays, short fiction and mixed genre pieces have been published in numerous journals, including Hubbub, The Chronogram and  Blotterature. She is also the author of four chapbooks. Mary was a finalist in the Hill-Stead Museum's Poetry Contest, winner of first prize in the Lucy Cady Lamphier Contest and a winner of the Stephen A. DiBiase Poetry Prize. Her poem "La dernière danse des poulets" was recently nominated for The Pushcart Prize. Mary is a dedicated advisor for SANCTUARY.

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In 2018...

Mare (a.k.a. Mary) Leonard's latest chapbook, The Dark Inside of My Hooded Coat (Finishing Line Press, 2018), artfully integrates memoir and vivid descriptions of her family and ancestors in poems that take us into vital American origins of people, historic neighborhoods, daily work and simple joys. The poem shared below is one of 18 from this heartfelt collection of poetry. Mary was one of our featured interviews in 2016. Read more of Mary's poems and her interview HERE.

Photo Courtesy: Lubna Irfan

Lubna Irfan is a poet based in Aligarh, India. Her poems have been published in international and national journals and magazines, including The Art of Being Human: Vol. 14, an international anthology, Kaafiyana and Taxi Cab Magazine. Lubna is editor for Bulletin of Sultania Historical Society (BOSHS) and a junior research fellow at the Centre of Advance Study, Department of History Aligarh Muslim University. Her areas of interest are social history, history of art and architecture, and gender history. Lubna is also an area representative for 100 Thousand Poets for Change.

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In 2017...

Brenda Clair Cox earned her B.S. in education from Northwest Missouri State University and her M.Ed. from Morningside College. She taught full-time for 25 years and served as education coordinator at an Iowa State prison. Currently, Brenda teaches at Iowa Western Community College. She lives in rural Iowa with her husband. Brenda loves gardening, traveling, being outdoors, writing and spending time with her grandchildren. 

Charles Glass is a physician assistant practicing dermatology in Maryville, Missouri.

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Photo Courtesy: Emily Dodi

Emily Dodi has been writing in the entertainment and publishing fields for more than 20 years. She has written extensively for Disney, FOX, ABCFamily, The Hub and other companies, large and small. She is also the author of Drive, a full-length play that premiered at Company of Angels in Los Angeles. Her blog, Pura Vida Loca, documented her family’s adventures while living in Costa Rica. She is currently a television and theater critic for the VCReporter. She is also co-author of Before Romeo & Juliet, a serialized work of fiction based on Shakespeare's classic Romeo and Juliet. The story of the Capulets and Montagues begins long before the infamous feud first draws blood.

Photo Courtesy: Linda Hunter

Linda Mason Hunter splits her time between her homes in Iowa and Vancouver. She has been an editor with the Des Moines Register, Rodale Press and Meredith Corporation. Linda has written and produced 17 books and is currently working on a memoir. Her first book, The Healthy Home: An Attic-To-Basement Guide to Toxin-Free Living (Rodale Press), was favorably reviewed in newspapers and magazines throughout the country, including The New York Times, leading to an appearance on ABC TV’s “Good Morning, America.” She is also the author of the award-winning book Three Green Rats: An Eco Tale (Ink Pinn Press) - excerpted HERE.

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April 2017 FEATURED ARTIST: For National Poetry Month we featured the following poets: Linda Crate: Linda is a poet from Pennsylvania. Her poetry and other works have been published in diverse magazines both online and in print. Betty Farber: Betty is a poet from New York City. Betty’s book of poems, My New York: City Poems was included in the 2016 Poets House Showcase in New York City. Linda Mason Hunter: Linda splits her time between her homes in Iowa and Vancouver. She is a former editor and has written and produced 17 books. Mary C. Leonard: Mary is a poet from New York. Her poems, essays, short fiction and mixed genre pieces have been published in numerous journals, and she is also the author of four chapbooks.

Photo Courtesy: Mare Leonard

Mary C. Leonard is a poet, humorist, teacher and journalist. Her poems, essays, short fiction, and mixed genre pieces have been published in numerous journals, including Hubbub, The Chronogram and Blotterature. She is also the author of four chapbooks. Mary was a finalist in the Hill-Stead Museum's Poetry Contest, winner of first prize in the Lucy Cady Lamphier Contest and a winner of the Stephen A. DiBiase Poetry Prize. Mary is a dedicated advisor for SANCTUARY.