The Sanctuary Magazine
Welcome to
GENRE DEFIANT
Lifespan
Issue 19 | 2026
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Dearest Reader,
Knowledge is power; it is everything. From what we know—
intrinsically, woven deep within every fiber of our beings—to what
we uncover with every breath, we use our knowledge as a tool to keep
ourselves alive.
Some may be searching for this epitomic, all-encompassing answer
to satisfy the curiosities that life presents. Others are looking for
something small, just one thing to push through the nights ahead.
Regardless of what you seek, I hope you find a portion of it within the
pages of our nineteenth issue.
Let your mind consume the words and the art printed before you, soak
in their meanings and the feelings they evoke in you. Allow yourself
a moment to breathe; to drift away and get lost. Remind yourself that
you are alive, that you are experiencing life for the first time, and that it
can be beautiful.
Read until your hunger for knowledge is quelled, and search beyond for
more to satiate you.
As Long As You Believe,
Cheyenne Nicely
Managing Editor
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MANAGING EDITOR
Rori Kennedy
JUNIOR MANAGING EDITOR
Caitlin Strong
SENIOR PROSE EDITOR
Hannah Crnkovich
JUNIOR PROSE EDITOR
Juliana "Jae" Kropinack
SENIOR POETRY EDITOR
Francis Rogai
JUNIOR POETRY EDITOR
Zoe Casci
JUNIOR VISUAL ARTS EDITOR
Alena Shaffer
SENIOR MULTI-MODAL EDITOR
Alberto BoydVera
JUNIOR MULTI-MODAL EDITOR
Lexi Guy
SENIOR PR MANAGER
Shelby Faller
JUNIOR PR MANAGER
Brenna McGuire
WEBSITE DESIGNER
Annabelle Pyle
BUDGET MANAGER
Natalie Duminiak
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The Sanctuary Magazine’s Candlewick Prize is awarded to a contributor from each genre whose work continues to transcend beyond our mortal plane, its essence lingering before, between, and after our souls exist.
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POETRY WINNER
wash day - Bobbi Newsome
MULTIMODAL WINNER
you are here. - Mars Russel
VISUAL ART WINNER
Bird & Apples - Nasta Martyn
PROSE WINNER
The Toad - Jake Kolasa