Save the Date! SOMF 2026 Authors Day
Save Our Mountains Foundation
North Mountain Visitor Center (NMVC)
12950 N 7th St.
Phoenix, AZ 85022
Hello Local Authors,
Save Our Mountains Foundation (SOMF) is excited to be hosting our 2026 Author’s Day, a celebration of local and regional authors. The event will be held at the North Mountain Visitor Center (NMVC) on Saturday, May 30, 2026 from 9:00 am – 2:00 pm. At this time, we invite interested local and regional authors to participate in our event. The event is hosted at a popular visitor and hiking destination and is open to the public and all ages. While the focus of NMVC is the celebration of the outdoors and the southwest, we are not limiting the genre of books for this year’s Author’s Day.
Authors will have the opportunity to host a table in the NMVC Exhibit Hall where they can meet and greet the public, share information, and sign and sell their books. There is also the opportunity to provide a book talk or story time for children.
Participation Opportunities include:
– Hosting an author’s table
Includes a six-foot table, table cloth, two chairs, and name plate.
Three-foot table sections also available.
Donation of $30 for six-foot table, $15 for three-foot section requested 15 days prior to event.
Author must have the means to collect their own sales (cash, credit card, Zelle, etc.). Wi-Fi is available.
Book donation for fundraising activities (optional).
– Providing a book talk or children’s story time
Please note space is limited to a maximum of 15 author tables, and spots will be filled on a rolling, first-come, first-serve basis.
If You Are Interested:
Please send an email to Finance@saveourmountains.org
Let us know your name and phone number. Include the size of table, book title(s), and if you are interested in a book talk/story time presentation.
Additional event details, logistics, and scheduling information will be shared with confirmed authors.
We would love to include you in this special day celebrating stories, creativity, and literature. Thank you for considering the invitation, and we hope to hear from you soon.
Sincerely,
Jaime James
Save Our Mountains Foundation/North Mountain Visitor Center
Your participation will directly support Save Our Mountains Foundation, a 501(c)(3) whose mission is to acquire and preserve land to assist in the expansion of the Phoenix Mountains Preserve. We support the Mountains Preserve with education, conservation, and research as well as maintain operations at the North Mountain Visitor Center, the Exhibit Hall of the Phoenix Mountains Preserve, in collaboration with the City of Phoenix. North Mountain Visitor Center is located at 12950 North 7 th Street, Phoenix, AZ, 85022.
APW authors at Scottsdale Book Festival
Several APW authors shared a table at the Scottsdale Book Festival on January 24. Kathleen Osborne interviewed several. Watch the short video.
APW Typerider August 2025
Carol Osman Brown gave me a plaque that says, “The ultimate inspiration is the deadline.” That was never truer than this past week when I tapped my keyboard into submission. My A, S, and E buttons are blanks. It is time for a reset. A trip to the White Mountains is calendared into my future. Will I see you there?
Carol Baxter, APW President
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CHAPTER NEWS
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White Mountain
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White Mountain Festival of Books
There are still a few seats remaining for Take Your Writing to New Heights on Friday, August 8th. Click the button to register.
White Mountain Festival of Books
Shop the White Mountain Festival of Books on Saturday, August 9th.
Location: Elks Lodge, 805 East Whipple Street, Show Low, AZ 85901 
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For news from Rim Country, Payson Book Festival recap, Central, the Book Club and NFPW Convention, click here .
APW Typerider July 2025
National Federation of Press Women
2025 Professional Communications Contest WINNERS
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- Jody Sharpe, At-Large -Arizona 2nd Place – Fiction for Adult Readers > 11B – Novellas for “The Dog Who Came For Christmas”
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- Chrisann Dawson, At-Large – Arizona 2nd Place – Fiction for Adult Readers > 11A – Novels for “Congo Ebola”
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- Carol Baxter, At-Large – Arizona 3rd Place – Public Relations Materials > 53 Catalog, Manual, or Handbook for “Day Tripping”
Congratulations to the winners!
Happy writing,
Carol Baxter, APW President
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CHAPTER NEWS
Rim Country
Central
BOOK CLUB CALL FOR AUTHORS
The APW book group was established to provide an opportunity for members to read, discuss, and post reviews of one another’s books. We generally meet via Zoom on the fourth Saturday of every month at 10 am, September through June. It’s a great way to support our journeys as authors and get to know each other.
Some people attend regularly, others not so much, or only a few times, and that’s okay. We are currently looking for APW members who would like to join our group, and potentially present their book for our reviews.
If interested, please contact Karen Shiffman Lateiner, or call 973-997-7204.
White Mountain
White Mountain Festival of Books
2025 NFPW Conference
Registration is now open for the 2025 NFPW Conference, hosted by Colorado Press Women Sept. 11–13 at the Denver Marriott West hotel in Golden, Colorado.
APW Typerider Newsletter – February 2025
Get ready for EMPOWERED COMMUNICATION!
Save 20% when you buy your ticket by February 28th!
The cost for members only is $40. There are two ways to pay:
through your bank using the Zelle app (arizonaprofessionalwriters@gmail.com) or
a paper check. Checks should be mailed to
APW, PO Box 1495, Payson AZ 85547.
I believe that through each other, we learn. Especially when we slow down and listen.
Carol Baxter, APW President
Email
Download the flyer for the State Conference here or click on the State Conference tab.
Roger Naylor
“Most years I put close to 20,000 miles on my truck without ever leaving Arizona. And I never run out of things to see and do. I didn’t move to Arizona sit indoors.”
~ Roger Naylor, Arizona Explorer of one hiking trail and one restaurant at a time.
Darlene Ziebell
“I’m not your typical business coach spinning feel-good clichés. I’m a no-nonsense, results-driven consultant who delivers the unfiltered truth about what it really takes to achieve extraordinary success.”
~ Darle Ziebell, entrepreneur, business strategist, and author of the 7-Figure Sales Audit course.
Michele Nelson
“I hope my presentation to APW will illuminate and inspire us to recognize that all of us have a brain, we need to learn to take care of it.”
~ Michele Nelson, Payson Roundup Newspaper Reporter, Strength Beyond Struggle Podcast host, and NAMI Ending the Silence Program Specialist
Barbara Lacy
In addition to our three fine speakers, we will honor brilliant Southwest artist, author, former APW President, and staunch advocate of NFPW, Barbara Bayless Lacy. Her artwork is featured at the event venue.
Buy your ticket to the APW Conference and mark your calendar for May 17th!
I don’t want you to miss out!
- view Barbara’s stunning art
- glimpse Arizona through Roger Naylor’s eyes
- learn about publishing in a niche market
- find out from Darlene what you didn’t know you didn’t know about writing as a business
- discover tips to help your writing business thrive
- allow Michele to inspire you to begin a podcast seek podcast guest opportunities for yourself
- explore fresh ideas
- play a game
- win a prize
- buy a raffle ticket for a chance at a mystery box
- grab your s.w.a.g. bag
- delight in a new friend
- hug a friend you have not seen for a while
SWAG opportunity for APW Members!
Mail 60 of your bookmark, or promotional item to me by April 30 and
I’ll include it in the goodies for attendees.
(Carol Baxter, PO Box 1384, Pine AZ 85544)
NFPW Annual Contest
Book Final Deadline, February 5, 2025 (noon in your time zone)
Due to the extended time it takes to judge book categories, all book entries must be entered by this date.
Final Deadline Everything Else, February 19, 2025 (noon in your time zone)
All remaining entries must be entered by this date.
If you have yet to renew your membership,
please do so today!
It is $30 for the Arizona-only membership.
To see the rest of the newsletter, go here. Scroll down for Chapter News and Notable News
President’s Page – January 2004
I’m excited for this new year in the Arizona Professional Writers organization.
Our annual conference planning has begun. Mark your calendars. It’s going to be May 4th, which prompted us, obviously, to make the theme: May the 4th be with You. We had to. Really. We’re finalizing the location which allows us to set the price per ticket. We’ll keep you posted on that.
The conference also means it’s election time for the APW. We have some tentative candidates. For President – Carol Baxter, Nancy Marshall is volunteering for VP. We’re still looking for a candidate for Secretary. Our treasurer, Ruthann Hogue is staying on. Marie Fasano likes being our Membership Director but if you love reaching out to people, you can talk to Marie and see if the position might be a fit for you. Bobbie Bennett has graciously volunteered to stay on as our Conference planner.
The NFPW Communications contest is close to closing. Look over your published work for 2023 and enter the contest right away. There are so many categories, I’m sure you’ll find one that’s just right for you. You can check out the contest rules and enter the contest at https://www.nfpw.org/professional-contest, You do not need to be a member to enter. However, if you win, they do encourage you to become a member.
Also speaking of NFPW, their annual conference for 2024 will be in St. Louis. I attended the 2023 event and had a great time and learned so much! Just ask Jody Sharpe. She attended the last day and took the opportunity to attend the awards dinner. What a great time. You can look at the details for 2024 at https://www.nfpw.org/2024-conference-st-louis. We’d love to have more of our Arizona people attend as well.
My calendar has February 4th, 10am, as our next APW State Officer’s meeting. The meeting is open to all members, and it’s being held via Zoom. Contact me if you’d like to attend.
Speaking of meetings, the Rim Country chapter has started holding in-person meetings again. We are back at Majestic Rim Living, 1pm on the 3rd Wednesdays of the month, in their chapel meeting space. The next meeting is February 21st and I’ll be talking about how to write a bio. This piece of writing is used in so many different applications that you really need to have a good one. We’ll talk about what that means and do some practice writing one.
I will also be the featured author at the February 24th, 10am APW Book Group. I’ll be talking about my Young Adult, Post Apocalyptic, SciFi book First Encounter. If you’d like to join the conversation, contact Karen Lateiner, kslateiner@gmail.com, to get on the Zoom link list. One more benefit of being an APW member.
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
Almost the best for last, we have a new chapter forming in the Show Low area. The organizer is Kathleen Osborne. She’s a small publisher and author and has several people in the White Mountains area who want to join the group. Kathleen has been a Payson Book Festival author for quite some time. Welcome to her and all of her new group.
And, it’s membership renewal time. If you have already renewed, thank you! If you’ve renewed via the National Federation of Press Women, let us know to look for your renewal there. If you still need to renew, click on the “About” tab and then “Join.” Thank you everyone for your continued support of this historic organization.
That’s it for now. Everyone stay warm and hope to see you at the next meeting!
August 14 – Time to share!
Susan Anderson of Central District is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
On Saturday, August 14 we will spend time sharing our current work. Several folks have asked to talk about what they are working on and ask questions of the group. It will be a special day after our summer hiatus. Everyone in APW is invited to share. Nonmembers are welcome to attend.
Topic: APW Central Meeting-Time to Share –
Date: Aug 14, 2021
Time: 10:00 AM Arizona
The Zoom link has been sent to all members. If you did not receive it, look in the Members Only section of the website. You can also email Susan at Susan.APW@hotmail.com for the link if you did not receive it.
Come get feedback for your project and perhaps some new ideas!
APW president, Connie Cockrell, was interviewed by Randy Roberson of KRIM 96.3 regarding the Payson Book Festival to be held July 17. Connie’s interview is archived on Susan Clare Anderson to give talk
APW member Susan Clare Anderson will be featured on the first episode of the Local Author Talk Series provided by the Scottsdale Public Library on Friday, January 22. She’ll be presenting her new book Everything, which will be available on the library’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram platforms. You can follow these social medias at the Scottsdale Library website- https://www.scottsdalelibrary.org . Also, be sure to tune in on Friday, January 15 at 6:30 pm the Local Author Book Talk on the Libraries YouTube channel. If you would like to show your support, you can even leave a “Like!”
The Local Authors Book Talk team has also created a separate trailer for the program each month. The trailer for the program in January is available now on library social media – Facebook , (https://www.facebook.com/ScottsdalePublicLibrary/videos/156409235951926), Twitter, and Instagram. You can also follow us on these social media at our website https://www.scottsdalelibrary.org/ by clicking the links are at the bottom of the home page.
Viewers can find a link to the actual program at the event page of the library website ( https://scottsdale.libnet.info/event/4681273 ). The link may not be available till the date and time of the program.
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- Susan Clair Anderson
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- Everything – Susan Clare Anderson https://www.amazon.com/Everything-Susan-Clare-Anderson/dp/1796081884
September 9 Zoom meeting with Nancy Pelligrini
Nancy Pellegrini
APW Rim Country‘s September guest speaker, Nancy Pellegrini will enthrall us with stories of her two decades in Korea and China before coming to Phoenix in June 2018. She covered performing arts in China, mostly as the stage section writer/editor for Time Out Beijing and Time Out Shanghai magazines and many others. She is the author of The People’s Bard: How China Made Shakespeare Its Own (Penguin Random House, 2016). She came to Phoenix in June 2018 and set up Nancy Pellegrini Editorial Solutions, LLC, where she offers writing and editing services.
Nancy spoke earlier this year at a meeting but if you missed it the first time, join Rim Country for this fascinating talk.
Join us on Zoom Wednesday, 1:00 PM September 9, 2020.
Members have received the Zoom link in an email and will receive a reminder. If you are interested in attending and did not receive an email, contact Marie Fasano.
Arizona Professional Writers 