About Me and Poetry Books

Ruth Van Alstine is an award winning poet, writer and artist. She has published several poetry books, “Fairies and Fantasies”, “Shattered Moonbeams” and most recently released in April, 2021, “A While Away”, a limited-run volume featuring both poetry and her artwork. She has had poems published in national and international anthologies including The Henry Bunner Anthology, Harriet Spofford: An Anthology in Memoriam from Bristol Banner Books, The Parnassus of World Poets Anthology, AC PAPA #3, Cadence Anthology, (a) River Rising, Roots and Branches, and (a) River Rising, Rivers and Oceans, to name a few. She continues to build a collection of memoir essays from family and life experiences and creative prose. 

She is a member of the Ancient City Poets of St Augustine, Florida, North Florida Poetry Hub of Jacksonville, the Florida State Poets Association, and the National Federation of State Poetry Societies (NFSPS). She serves as President of North Florida Poetry Hub and is Membership Chair of the Florida State Poets Association. 

Ruth is an award-winning artist, having begun painting with acrylic fluid paint and mixed media during the pandemic of 2020 and fell in love with the art form. She has had her work displayed in art galleries across Florida including the St Augustine Beach Art Gallery, the FemArt Gallery Joy exhibition in 2022, and the Oceans and Justice Exhibitions curated by Women Writing for (a) Change in 2021 and 2022. She won the IAM award for her painting "Emerging Flight" in Southwest Florida in 2024. 

She also is a handcraft artist, among which she creates papercraft projects such as art journals, junk journals, sewing, crochet, mosaic, and jewelry to name a few.