2025: Long Islanders Voted Rita B (Rusty) Rose Best Poet!
Rita B (Rusty) Rose
facebook.com/longislandritab.rose
Rita B. Rose is a globally published Long Island poet and author and an iconic LGBTQ+ Civil Rights activist. She has been bestowed with The Lifetime Achievement Award for poetry and community activism and presently serves as Poet Laureate of the Long Island LGBTQ Community, a position held since 2018. The Suffolk County Legislature has recognized her with several proclamations for exceptional poetry and advocacy. She is also the two-time winner of the 2024 and 2025 Best of Long Island contests in the Best Poet category. Her poems are stylistically diverse, running the gamut from serious to lighthearted. They celebrate her heritage along with facets of life and death. Her most recent works include Flower Poems: Personalities in Bloom, Veranda Sundown, and Asylum: from the Inside.
2024: Long Islanders Voted Rita B (Rusty) Rose Best Poet!
Rita B (Rusty) Rose
facebook.com/longislandritab.rose
Rita B. Rose is a globally published poet/author, with roots in Brooklyn and West Babylon, Long Island. She is also the Poet Laureate of the Long Island LGBTQ Community and is the recipient of The Lifetime Achievement Award for her poetry and activism. Her poems run the gamut from serious to lighthearted, and explore facets of life and death. These writings are stylistically diverse; from free verse and spoken word to traditional form. Her newest additions include Veranda Sundown and Flower Poems: Personalities in Bloom.
2023: Long Islanders Voted Markos Papadatos Best Poet!
Markos Papadatos
digitaljournal.com/author/markos-papadatos
Markos Papadatos is a poet who digs deep into his mind to write beautifully profound poems. In his poetry, Papadatos touches on a number of topics and personal experiences including his Greek roots and odes to the special people in his own life. A natural wordsmith, writing runs in Papadatos’ blood. He currently works as the managing editor at Raver Magazine and has over 16,000 articles under his belt, so he knows a thing or two about putting compelling words on the page. Markos also works as Digital Journal’s Editor-at-Large for Music News and has interviewed some of the biggest names in music, entertainment, lifestyle, magic, and sports, and all of these experiences color his life and inspire his creativity.
2022: Long Islanders Voted Markos Papadatos Best Poet on Long Island!
Markos Papadatos
digitaljournal.com/author/markos-papadatos
Poetry speaks to the soul in ways other mediums can’t quite tap. A Bethpage Best of Long Island veteran, repeat winner Markos Papadatos digs deep into his mind to write beautiful poetry that is profound and enjoyed online. Papadatos touches on a number of topics and personal experiences in his poetry, from his Greek roots to odes to the special people in his own life. A natural wordsmith, writing runs in Papadatos’ blood. He is the managing editor at Raver Magazine and has over 15,000 articles under his belt, so he knows a thing or two about putting compelling words on the page.
2021: Long Islanders Voted Markos Papadatos Best Poet on Long Island!
Markos Papadatos
digitaljournal.com/author/markos-papadatos
Poetry speaks to the soul in ways other mediums can’t quite tap. A Bethpage Best of Long Island veteran, four-time winner Markos Papadatos digs deep into his mind to write beautiful poetry that is profound and enjoyed online. Papadatos touches on a number of topics and personal experiences in his poetry, from his Greek roots to odes to the special people in his own life. A natural wordsmith, writing runs in Papadatos’ blood. He currently works as the managing editor at Raver Magazine and has over 15,000 articles under his belt, so he knows a thing or two about putting compelling words on the page.