Author, Poet & Artist
Anita was born in Brookline, Massachusetts on April 22, 1924, to Theodore Grosvenor and Anita Strawbridge Grosvenor.
She was married to Thomas B. McAndrews of Indianapolis, Indiana, and in 1955 moved to the Republic of Panama where her husband had secured a position at the Naval Hydrographics Office. He later became a Panama Canal Pilot.
Anita lived in the Republic of Panama for over 30 years, raising a family while pursuing a career as a journalist, writer, poet, and artist. The Latin American tapestry of diversity, religion, history and culture was colorfully woven into her writings and paintings.
She also had a morning radio program called Breakfast With Anita with the purpose of enhancing communication and understanding between the Panama Canal Zone residents and the Panamanians. She interviewed prominent artists, politicians, and leaders of the community as well as some international celebrities.
Anita was a member of American Pen Women International.
She exhibited her artwork in various galleries throughout Panama City, Panama. Later in life, she was a member of The Spring Bull Gallery and the DeBlois Gallery of Newport, Rhode Island, flourishing in an eclectic environment of contemporary paintings and sculptures.
Anita passed away in Newport, Rhode Island on October 15, 2005.
Poetry Contest 2023 Poets for Human Rights - Call For Submissions
I am very pleased to share good news from Youth Award alumnus Liana Tang. Liana, nom de plume Nicole Bloomfield, won 2nd prize for her poem “Prisoner’s Dilemma” in the 2021 Renee Duke Youth Award poetry contest.
Liana wrote: “Participating in the Renee Duke Youth Award was an experience I fondly remember, especially since my poem was read out loud and I was interviewed by the Sailor's Review.”
Liana contacted me recently to share exciting news that her co-authored young adult novel Stuck in Her Head is coming out in Hong Kong and in bookstores worldwide in late October.
Stuck in Her Head is ground-breaking as the first Young Adult novel to come out of Hong Kong. Check out the promo, reviews and pre-order info at Stuck in Her Head – Two Teen Authors.
Poets for Human Rights is now accepting submissions for the 2023 Anita McAndrews Award and 2023 Renee Duke Youth Award poetry contests.
Poets for Human Rights Call for Submissions
2023 Anita McAndrews Award poetry contest
Calling for poems inspired by Article 1. Of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Article I. All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
No rants, protest poems or political poems, please.
Familiarity with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is recommended.
*Cover sheet – include your name, address, phone number, email address, poem title, permission to publish, brief bio in the body of email.
*Send submissions to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., in the body of email, or as pdf attachments only. No word.docs, hyperlinks or third party media will be accepted.
First prize $200, Second prize $100.
Submissions deadline: Midnight, Sunday, November 20, 2023.
Guidelines:
*Submit one original poem, any style.
*Formatting – left-justified (no centering or shape poems). No color. No graphics. Font size - 12 point.
*Length - 1 page - 8 ½ X 11
*No simultaneous submissions or previously published poems.
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Poets for Human Rights Call for Submissions
2023 Renee Duke Youth Award poetry contest
Send one original poem related to Human Rights.
Cover sheet : Include name, address, age, school and grade, permission to publish, poem title. Short bio is optional.
Contest is open to poets 19 years old and younger. There will be one cash prize of $150.
Familiarity with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is recommended. An abridged copy of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is available upon request.
No rants, protest poems or political poems, please.
Winning poems will be announced and read at Poets for Human Rights annual awards on or around Dec. 10, the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Style: Any poetic form.
Length: 1 letter-size page.
Format: Left justified, 12 point font.
No colors, no graphics.
Submissions deadline: Sunday, November 20, 2023.
No simultaneous submissions or previously published poems.
Submit entries to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., in body of email or pdf attachment. No hyperlinks or word.doc attachments will be considered.
In subject line, write “poetry contest”
For more information, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Newly Published Work
Marco's Gift
A bittersweet yet gentle love story set in Taboga, the Island of the Flowers, from where the Spaniard Francisco Pizarro sailed to the conquest of Peru and Paul Gauguin spent time when working on the French attempt to build the Panama Canal.
This highly charged romantic novel takes place on Taboga Island in the Bay of Panama. It is an island caught up in its past, suffering from poverty and superstition, owned by a nation oppressed by both church and state. The local island leader, Marco Rodriguez, is an enigmatic man, a teacher who cares deeply for his people's welfare. Though he has no official title, the islanders know him as the Devil Man, a figure from Panamanian legend. A third generation Devil Man, Marco inherited his Stone from his father. Accepting the Stone, he has made a pact with the Devil. He carried the Stone, a religious artifact, embedded in his arm. US University educated, Marco is torn by the opposing worlds, one steeped in religious superstition, and the other riddled with immediate social, political and economic problems. He is secretly uncertain of the alleged power of his Stone. But who would he be without it? This is Marco's terror.
Conquistador's Lady
"In the rough outskirts of Antigua, Guatemala, among the misted mountains and vlcanoes, there is a carved stone that marks the castle of Dona Beatriz, first elected woman governor in the Americas, and wife of Don Pedro Alvarado, Spanish Conquistador and Governor General of Guatemala. If that stone could speak, it would echo in the valley the legend fo La Sin Ventura, the Conquistador's Lady"
The Photograph Upstairs
"A haunting romance blending the glitter and glamor or the Gilded Age with a 20th century love story. The story is set in Newport, Rhode Island, home of those mansions called, in their time, summer cottages. Two women, Minnie Prescott, once mistress of the great house, Prescott Hall, and Anne Wellstone, her great-great-great niece, join hands across a century."
