President’s Page – May 2020
Arizona is opening after the shelter in place orders for several weeks due to the COVID-19 virus. How are you coping? Are you ready to join the crowds on the streets and in the stores? I’m not. I wear a mask when I’m out in public and keep social distancing within a group. Family and friends from the East Coast and California are being very cautious. Here in Payson, not so much.
My home town of Elmhurst, New York has been particularly devastated, with overcrowding in the hospitals and funeral homes. Family members who are doctors and nurses in New York have talked of the lack of PPE equipment, wearing the same mask several days in a row. Maybe that’s why I’m still cautious and not ready to join the throng.
Are any of our APW members writing stories that have to do with the corona virus? I would love to hear from you. What have you been doing at home? Writing more? I’m reading lots more. I put down one book and pick up another, or turn on my Kindle and think. “I should be writing more not just reading.” Alas, my energy level has been low, but hopefully, coming back soon.
Here in Rim Country we started our monthly meetings via ZOOM and had some good interactions with our members, catching up on what they are writing. I love the way Marsha Ward talks to her characters. This time she is asking them how to end the story. Each author has her tricks to keep the writing flowing.
Our virtual APW Board meeting will be May 30th. Contact me at mfasano.apw@gmail.com if you want to attend and I will send you the ZOOM information. We will have a virtual celebration of our Communicator of the Year and APW meeting this summer. We hope many of you will join us. We will email you with more information later.
Keep Writing,
Marie A. Fasano
President
Arizona Professional Writers
President’s Page – April, 2020
President’s Page
May 2020
This month has been an interesting one with many of us “sheltering in place” at home. How many more Zoom, Facetime or other virtual meetings have you had? I’m getting quite proficient at Zoom- even had a surprise 90th Birthday party for my husband Mac with his family for him!
Due to the COVID-19 virus issues, the APW Board has decided to cancel the May 30th Conference for this year. We have scheduled a virtual APW Board meeting for that day. Anyone who would like to attend can let me know. I will send you the ZOOM contact info. It might be a way to get more involved without traveling to a meeting. We will announce the Arizona Communicator of the Year. We are looking at some future virtual meetings and will keep you informed.
NFPW has also cancelled their National Conference in Arkansas. A conference will be held in 2021.
People are watching more TV, spending more time getting their news through newspapers and online. Have you thought about sending an article to these media outlets that include information about how the COVID-19 virus is affecting people? There are so many stories out there.
2020 has been designated as the Year of the Nurse and Midwife by the World Health Organization. Since one of my careers included nursing, my intention for my newspaper column “Roaming the Rim,” in the Payson Roundup included writing stories about nurses in various arenas. In the last article, I covered information about how the coronavirus affects the work of the home health nurse. I have some other ideas for articles because of the current situation. I imagine you can come up with some as well. What’s going on in your community?
Stay well. Keep your distance. Wear your mask and wash your hands often.
Keep writing,
Marie
Marie Fasano, President
Arizona Professional Writers
Carol Gail Osman Brown 1941-2020
Carol Gail Osman Brown 78, of Payson, AZ, passed away peacefully on Friday, March 6, 2020, in Los Angeles, CA with her sons by her side. Carol was preceded in death by her husband James Carrington Brown III (Bing) on Friday, May 31, 2019, in Phoenix, AZ. Carol and Bing are survived by their two sons, James Carrington Brown IV (Jim) and Bryan Lee Brown, wife Ronda Doyle and grandson, Asa of Los Angeles, CA and extended family. Carol was preceded in death by her parents Sidney A. and Natalie Constance (Charipper) Osman.
Carol was born in Schenectady, New York on September 28, 1941, to Sid and Natalie Osman. Carol and her parents lived in New York City as a child but due to her severe asthma, moved to AZ and settled in Phoenix, Arizona around 1949.
Carol attended Kenilworth Elementary School and West High School in Phoenix and graduated from Arizona State University.
Carol and Bing met while they were summer camp counselors in Prescott, AZ and were later married on November 3, 1961, in Phoenix, AZ. Both Carol and Bing were longtime residents of Phoenix and then Payson AZ where they both were intricately involved in the journalism community.
An award-winning journalist, Carol was a strong advocate of children’s literacy programs. Her long-term leadership involvement with Arizona Press Women (now Arizona Professional Writers) allowed her to spearhead the very successful annual Payson Book Festival featuring Arizona authors from throughout the state and is held in July in Payson, AZ. Proceeds support a variety of children’s literacy programs.
During her career, Carol drew public attention to other causes including historic preservation, education, health, Native American and women’s issues. She wrote for The Phoenix Gazette and Arizona Republic newspapers and taught journalism classes at her alma mater Arizona State University and Rio Salado College.
Her articles and photographs have appeared in numerous publications including Arizona Highways, Native Peoples, and Sunset magazines as well as publications of the United States Information Agency. She also worked for Associated Press and United Press International wire services.
She received a variety of awards throughout her 50-year career from organizations including the National Federation of Press Women, The Arizona Newspapers Association, the Public Relations Society of America, and Women in Communications.
Carol and her husband, Bing were a powerhouse couple in their community. They formed Carrington Communications LLC and worked as a team on writing projects that took them long distances throughout the United States, China, Mexico, Costa Rica, Africa, Australia, Europe and Canada. They were active on the Beaver Valley Water District board and the Arizona Association of Professional Writers.
Carol was born with severe Asthma and fought her lung disease her entire life. A lifelong commitment to researching her own medical condition, including using holistic medicine as a key component, enabled her to live a full, vibrant, and very productive life.
Due to the current Coronavirus (COVID-19), a Celebrations of Life will be held in Beaver Valley, AZ (Payson) and in Phoenix, AZ at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Payson Book Festival, Inc. or the charity of your choice.
See the home page of the Payson Book Festival website for details if you would like to donate to their children’s programs and literacy projects.
Welcome, Dianna DiMaggio!
Welcome to Dianna DiMaggio, new member, to the APW Rim Country Chapter!
Dianna DiMaggio
Dianna DiMaggio tells us that as a child her favorite pastime was to create and draw clothing for her paper dolls. At age 20 she had her own custom design dress shop. Later, at age 40 Dianna began painting in her spare time. She sold her early works and drew note cards to sell. She felt she had been accepted in the marketplace.
She enrolled in the Scottsdale School of Art and studied under Judi Betts and others. A patron of one of the paintings she sold asked Dianna to write the story of what she painted. She now has a notebook of her paintings and writings. She has incorporated two of her gifts. Currently, she pulls her autobiography out of her soul. She says, “We must not die with our music still in us.”
President’s Page – March, 2020
President’s Page
March 2020
Spring blossoms and wildflowers are beginning to bloom in the mountains of Payson, AZ. Usually, I find this time of year exhilarating- this month not so much. We stay home as much as possible to protect ourselves and others from COVID-19. I send healing energy thoughts to my family and friends and now include all the members of APW.
On March 6 we lost a long time member, Carol Osman Brown. Carol had been a member for many, many years, giving of her time and expertise to many of the members of APW. She wrote important newspaper articles and taught journalism with a passion. She and her husband Bing, who we lost last year, were a fixture at our meetings. She helped to start the Payson Book Festival, Inc. and worked energetically in getting sponsors. If you want to send a note of condolence to her sons please contact me and I will send you their address mfasano.apw@gmail.com
The APW Conference yearly planning has set May 30 as the date. It takes place at the Mazatzal Casino in Payson, AZ. This will be a time of gathering and reconnecting. We will have a guest speaker, Communicator of Achievement award, luncheon and a General meeting, including voting on the Bylaws and selection of new officers. Later in the afternoon we will travel to the Rim Country Museum and Zane Grey cabin. If we need to cancel due to the CDC guidelines, we will let you know.
The following members have agreed to run for office:
Marie Fasano- President
Bobbie Bennett –Vice President
Connie Cockrell – Second Vice President and Membership Chair
Cheryl Kohaut – Treasurer
Brenda Whiteside – Secretary
If anyone else has an interest please let Connie know at conniecockrell@gmail.com
So, since we are forced to stay at home, we can write more!
Keep Writing,
Marie A. Fasano
APW President
Call for submissions – short stories
From ASUs Virginia Piper Center for Creative Writing:
|
Announcing the 2020 Everything Change Climate Fiction Contest Judged by Claire Vaye Watkins |
| Earth is a closed, limited system. And right now, we’re living beyond its boundaries. What would life look like if we respected our planet’s capacity? How would we organize our cities and homes? How will our politics, culture, and identities be affected by the climate crisis? How can we ensure that a sustainable future is also one that’s just?
Submit your short story to our third annual Everything Change Climate Fiction Contest! The contest will be judged by Claire Vaye Watkins—Guggenheim fellow, NYPL Young Lions Award winner, author of Gold Fame Citrus—with a grand prize of $1,000. Submissions must be 5,000 words or less. Presented in partnership with the Center for Science and the Imagination at Arizona State University. The deadline for submissions is April 15, 2020. Find the full guidelines, read past winners, and submit your work today at https://piper.asu.edu/everything-change. |
President’s Page – February 2020
Marie Fasano
In February, Black history Month, I remember the black authors who have influenced my writing and my life. My early thirties were rebellious years for me. I remember reading Maya Angelou’s first book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and thinking how brave she acted. I wondered if I could be as strong as she in difficult times.
For writers, we have Angelou’s inspiring words. “There is no greater agony then bearing an untold story inside of you.” We must write. We must put finger to keyboard and “get it out.”
Another book by a black author that had an impact on my life was, James Mc Bride’s The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother. I had adopted an eight-year-old biracial girl and I needed to understand her experience. His poignant story told of his mother who was loving and caring to all her children, color didn’t matter. I think of these authors often and especially during February.
On Saturday, March 7th our APW Board meeting convenes at 10:00 AM in Phoenix. Any member may join us to learn how APW plans for the future. Email me if you want to attend.
We had scheduled six members to attend the ASU Desert Nights Literary Conference on February 22. After months of planning, the one day of pouring rain cancelled the outdoor exhibit. We’ll try again next year!.
Our APW Conference plans for May 9 are proceeding. It will be held in Payson. More next month.
Keep Writing,
Marie A. Fasano
APW President
