Photos from 5/17/25 State Conference
We had an excellent turnout at our 2025 APW State Conference. The speakers were excellent and we had fun playing Communication Bingo! Lunch was delicious too. Barbara Lacy, along with three of her four daughters, was guest of honor. Barbara is Artist of the Year for Paradise Valley and a number of her paintings were on display. Paradise Valley Town Hall was an excellent venue.
Kudos! These two ladies made this year’s conference a special event. Our president, Carol Baxter planned and led the event, adding Communication Bingo – a great way to get to know our fellow attendees – and several prizes including a raffle for a fabulous Mystery Box, making it even more fun this year. Vice President Bobbie Bennett searched out venues, choosing Paradise Valley Town Hall where one of our former presidents and Central Chapter chairperson, Barbara Lacy, had many paintings on display. She also ordered an amazing lunch from Panera Bread.
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- Carol Baxter – President
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- Bobbie Bennett – 1st Vice President, organizer for event
Speakers – Our speakers were excellent. Michele Nelson spoke on her podcasting journey. Darlene Ziebell surprised us with the multitude of ways AI helps her market and can be used by writers and authors. “Rock,” her AI Assistant, put together her presentation based on her instructions. And, Roger Naylor entertained us with his stories of how he came to Arizona and to be a writer and the importance of location.
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- Michele Nelson on podcasting
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- Darlene Ziebell, AI in marketing
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- Roger Naylor, travel writer and the importance of location
Recognizing and honoring past president and artist, Barbara Lacy
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- Honoring Barb Lacy – daughter Jessica
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- On display at Paradise Valley Town Hall
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- Barb with turtle painting
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- Her little dog
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- Jill, Whitney, Jessica – Barb Lacy’s daughters. London was not able to attend.
Other officers and chapter chairpersons in attendance
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- Marie Fasano 2nd VP Membership
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- RuthAnn Hogue Treasurer & winner of the Mystery Box
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- Nancy Marshall
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- Connie Cockrell Past President and Chairperson of Rim Country Chapter
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- Carol Baxter with Kathleen Osbourne Chairperson of the White Mountain Chapter
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- Karen Lateiner APW Book Club
Other photos
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- Learning about podcasting
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- What AI can do for you
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- Location, location, location!
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- Delicious lunch from Panera Bread
Photo recap – 2024 State Conference
The APW 2024 State Conference was held on the beautiful grounds of the Franciscan Renewal Center in Paradise Valley. Officers were elected. Winners in the At-large division of the NFPW Communication Contest were announced. The 1st place winners will be entered in the national contest and winners announced in June. We also awarded our $1000 scholarship to Grace Meinema, who won it last year as well. Our two excellent speakers were Kathleen Osbourne and Howard Gershkowitz. They provided excellent insights into our theme “May the 4th Be With You!” A docent, Ann, from the Renewal Center gave us a history of the Center.
Photo credits: Bobbie Bennett, photographer except for 3 with an * by Jaimie Bruzenak
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- *Franciscan Renewal Center
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- *Franciscan Renewal Center grounds
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- Outgoing President Connie Cockrell and Brenda Whiteside, Secretary
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- Marie Fasano accepting registrations
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- Dr Linda Sandel Pettit helping out the speaker
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- Speaker Kathleen Osborne “Wisdom from the Galaxy”
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- Afternoon speaker
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- First place winners in the At-large contest -Jody Sharpe, Bobbie Bennett, Nancy Marshall, Carol Baxter
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- Jody Sharpe – Scholarship Chair
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- *Grace Meinema- scholarship winner and Jody Sharpe
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- Speaker Howard Gershkowitz -“Time Management in the 3rd Dimension”
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- Franciscan Renewal Center Docent – Ann
State Conference Schedule
2024 State Conference of Arizona Professional Writers
Saturday, May 4, 2024, 9 a.m. — 2:30 p.m.
Held at The Franciscan Renewal Center
9:00am: Registration and Networking
10:00am: Welcome by APW President
10:05am: APW Annual Board Meeting (See separate agenda handout)
10:30am: Kathleen Osborne: Writing Wisdom from the Galaxy
11:30am: Awards and Recognitions
12:00pm: Lunch
1:00pm Howard Gershkowitz: Time Management in the 3rd Dimension
2:00pm: Closing Remarks
2:05pm: History of the Franciscan Renewal Center
2:30pm: End of Conference
May the 4th Be With You!
Print a copy – 2024 APW Conference poster
Please note: The Franciscan Center is at 5802 E Lincoln Dr, Scottsdale, AZ 85253.
APW State Conference Speaker – Howard Gershkowitz
May the Fourth Be With You –
“Time Management in the 3rd Dimension”
Keep track of storylines, deadlines, social media – it can get overwhelming. Howard Gershkowitz, our afternoon speaker, will speak on “Time Management in the 3rd Dimension.” An award-winning author, Howard has been busy writing, submitting and publishing short stories, poems and two novels.
Howard will share his helpful methods and tips for keeping track of it all. They are geared for the busy writer who is querying, writing, submitting and marketing. You’ll leave with useful tips for keeping you on track and leaving some time for family and fun!
See the State Conference page for Howard’s bio.
The conference is May 4. Details are on the State Conference tab or click on https://arizonapresswomen.wordpress.com/2024-state-conference.
You can register at Eventbrite or pay by check or Zelle. See the conference page for instructions and more details.
APW State Conference Speaker – Kathleen Osborne
May the Fourth Be With You!
“Writing Wisdom from the Galaxy.”
Kathleen Osborne, our morning speaker, will be sharing “Writing Wisdom from the Galaxy.” As a writer, she writes Science Fiction Romance and Alien Romance and will use Star Wars as a vehicle to illustrate how you can develop and strengthen all aspects of your story. She’ll cover themes like myths and archetypes in your storytelling, crafting characters, building epic worlds, and themes of hope, redemption and resilience. Even if you don’t write in these genres, these themes are applicable to all fiction and creative nonfiction works. Whatever you write, you’ll walk away with helpful takeaways. See the State Conference page for Kathleen’s bio.
The conference is May 4. Details are on the State Conference tab or click on https://arizonapresswomen.wordpress.com/2024-state-conference.
You can register at Eventbrite or pay by check or Zelle. See the conference page for instructions and more details.
APW State Conference is May 4!
Save the date!
Our State Conference will be held May 4 from 8:30 to 2:30 in the Frances room at the Franciscan Renewal Center in Scottsdale. We’ll have two speakers, and a full lunch menu and salad bar in their cafeteria. A short business meeting with elections will be held prior to our speakers and we’ll announce our scholarship winner.
Mark it on your calendars so you don’t schedule something else!
May the 4th Be With You!
Save the date! May 4, 2024
Save the date – May 4!
May the Fourth Be With You!
Photos from May 2023 APW State Conference
Photos from the APW State Conference on May 6, 2023 held at The Phoenix Indian School Visitor Center. Go to State Conference page for more information about the speakers. Click on individual photos for larger size.
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- Delicious lunch!
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- Speaker Debra Utacia Krol
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- Debra Utacia Krol
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- Grace Meinema – 2023 Scholarship Winner
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- Jody Sharpe & Connie Cockrell presenting the scholarship to Grace Meinema
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- Connie Cockrell – APW President – Annual Meeting
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- Elena Selestewa, speaker
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- Bobbie Bennett, Conference organizer, thanking Elena Selestewa
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- Jody Sharpe, Scholarship Chairperson, announcing the winner for 2023
President’s letter – April 2023
President’s Page: April 2023
It’s nearly time for the Arizona Professional Writers Annual Conference. There are only 12 days before the conference! This is where we elect new officers, celebrate member accomplishments, honor those who have passed on, and hear some really good speakers! This doesn’t even mention the time we get to socialize with our fellow journalists, authors, poets, screenwriters, oh, well, you get the idea. Here is the info:
It’s time to register for our upcoming State Convention on May 6 at the Phoenix Indian School Visitor Center! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/arizona-professional-writers-2023-state-conference-tickets-601839336657
Speakers: We have two excellent speakers, lunch and a chance to see the venue – the Phoenix Indian School. Elena Selestewa will not only be speaking but will later answer more questions and give us a tour. Our other speaker, Debra Utacia Krol, is a dynamic journalist with the topic of “On the beat – through the eyes of an indigenous reporter.” See https://arizonapresswomen.wordpress.com/2023-apw-state-conference for our speakers’ photos and bios.
Business meeting at 9:15: APW members should plan to arrive in time for our 9:15 business meeting. We have exciting ideas to share for the upcoming year plus election of officers. Be there!
Lunch: Choice of 3 kinds of salad, water and cookies.
Register: Register at Eventbrite. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/arizona-professional-writers-2023-state-conference-tickets-601839336657 Members use APWmember10 as the promotion code to register for the member price of $50. Regular price is $60. Click on Get Tickets but then enter the code to receive the $50 price. If you’d prefer to pay by cash or Zelle QuickPay, contact treasurer RuthAnn Hogue at arizonaprofessionalwriters@gmail.com.Price at the door is $75. Students with student IDs are $25.
Share and publicize! Please share the APW FB post to your personal and writing or author pages as well as to any community or writing groups that you belong to. You can also help by asking them to post it on their calendar, if they have one. We also need your help posting copies of the flyer (attached) at your local library. If you have a relative that is a high school or college/university student here in AZ, ask them to take a copy to their English or Journalism teacher and invite their students to attend. The theme –Diversity – stories honor our many heritages– is a hot topic and could fit into many curriculums.
Location: The Phoenix Indian School Visitor Center is located in the Band Building, 300 E Indian School Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85012. Parking: free on the grounds. If you are coming from Payson, I have 2 seats left in my car. Call or text me at 928-951-0970 or email at connie.cockrell@gmail.com.
Morning coffee: Bring your own! Both some Starbucks and Dutch Coffee locations are within 3 or 4 minutes of the school.
For questions, contact Jaimie by email or by phone at 928-607-3181. (Text or leave a message) Contact RuthAnn Hogue at arizonaprofessionalwriters@gmail.com for questions about Eventbrite or to pay by check.
Go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/arizona-professional-writers-2023-state-conference-tickets-601839336657 to register now!
More information at https://arizonapresswomen.wordpress.com/2023-apw-state-conference
From Marie Fasano, an opportunity: Take a look at our facebook page for APW. This is a great place to announce your newest book, magazine article, or speaking engagement. This is just one of the many perks you, as an APW member have, so take advantage! https://www.facebook.com/groups/ArizonaPressWomen
Finally, A reminder that the Payson Book Festival, this year called the Authors and Artists Festival, is July 15th at the Payson Mazatzal and Hotel ballroom. 9am – 2:30pm. Bring a friend!
Thank you everyone for your continued support of this historic organization.
Everyone stay safe, enjoy the upcoming warm weather, and hope to see you at the conference!
Arizona Professional Writers 