Essays, Chapbooks, Contests...Etcetera

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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Rita (Right) & Her Mom

Rita Plush lives and writes in Queens, New York. Her writing practice includes both fiction and non-fiction. She is the author of the novels Lily Steps Out and Feminine Products, and she wrote a short story collection titled Alterations. Rita is the book reviewer for Fire Island News. Her stories and essays have been published in The Alaska Quarterly Review, MacGuffin, The Iconoclast, Art Times, The Sun, The Jewish Writing Project, The Jewish Literary Journal, Chicken Soup for the Soul, and many others. As a sought-after speaker, Rita has presented at various venues on diverse topics. This is her third essay published in Sanctuary. ​

Photo Courtesy: Laura Shovan

Welcome to Monsterville (Loyola College/Apprentice House, April 25 release) honors Laura Shovan's late friend, fellow poet, illustrator, and founder of 100 Thousand Poets for Change, Michael Rothenberg. ​It all started when Michael sent Laura illustrations of monsters that he created as a form of art therapy during the pandemic. In response, Laura sent him back poems, one for each monster, telling their story. Born out of pandemic-related grief, confusion, and fear is this gentle, therapeutic poetry book that doubles as a playful way for kids to develop social-emotional skills. And, after Michael's passing, the book is also a way for Laura to celebrate his life's work and the beautiful friendship they shared.

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In 2022...

Photo Courtesy: Margarita Meyendorff

Margarita Meyendorff is the author of Flipping the Bird and the published memoir DP: Displaced Person. The daughter of a Russian Baron, she was born displaced in a refugee camp in Germany, far from the opulence of Imperial Russia that was her birthright. A series of wars destroyed this privileged existence, and Margarita’s life became a series of extraordinary moves. She has performed as an actress, dancer, musician, and storyteller at venues throughout the United States and in Europe. Her memoir, DP Displaced Person is being translated into Russian. Her recent book titled Flipping the Bird is an anthology of short stories based on her numerous life adventures.

Rita Plush's essays
"What I Wanted" and "A Dancing Man" were published in Sanctuary's
​May and June issues respectively.

Rita Plush lives and writes in Queens, New York. Her writing practice includes both fiction and non-fiction. She is the author of the novels Lily Steps Out and Feminine Products, and she wrote a short story collection titled Alterations. Rita is the book reviewer for Fire Island News. Her stories and essays have been published in The Alaska Quarterly Review, MacGuffin, The Iconoclast, Art Times, The Sun, The Jewish Writing Project, The Jewish Literary Journal, Chicken Soup for the Soul, and many others. As a sought-after speaker, Rita has presented at various venues on diverse topics including: decorative arts, interior design, “Writing and Publishing in the Modern Age,” “So You've Written a Book; Now What?” and “Coco Chanel ~ The Woman-The Legend.” 

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In 2020 and 2021...

Photo Courtesy: Robin Wright

Robin Wright is a poet and essayist living in Southern Indiana. Her work has appeared in Ariel Chart, Minnow Literary Magazine, Ekphrastic Review, Re-side, Black Bough Poetry, Spank the Carp, Muddy River Poetry Review, Rat’s Ass Review and others. One of her poems was nominated for a Pushcart Prize by Panoply, and her first chapbook, Ready or Not, was published by Finishing Line Press in 2020. 

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Photo Courtesy: Fay Loomis

Fay L. Loomis is a New York-based writer and poet. She and her late husband, Evarts G. Loomis, M.D. (the Father of Holistic Medicine), lectured, wrote, and counseled together, travelling in the US, UK, Europe, and India. While in India, they were asked to serve on the advisory boards for the Indian Holistic Medical Society and the Indian Board of Alternative Medicine. She is a member of the Stone Ridge Library Writers and Rat’s Ass Review Workshop, Fay’s pieces  appear or are forthcoming in Peacock Journal, Postcard Poems and Prose, Watershed Review, River Poets Journal, Breath and Shadow, The Closed Eye Open, Love Me, Love My Belly, Rat’s Ass Review, Ruminate Magazine, HerStry, among others.

Photo Courtesy: Bette Moskowitz

Bette Ann Moskowitz is an award-winning author and teacher born in the Bronx, N.Y.  
She has written several books, both fiction and non-fiction. Her memoir Do I Know You? A Family’s Journey through Aging and Alzheimer’s won a New York State Foundation for the Arts Fellowship for Literary Non-fiction and The Room at the End of the Hall: An Ombudsman’s Notebook was a Finalist in the same category. Her latest non-fiction book, Finishing Up, a personal look at the very public subject of aging and ageism in America will be published by Dio Press in 2020. Her blog, Vinegar Mother, which she posts every Monday, is gaining readers by the tens. They say it is a good way to start out their week with a smile.