Calendar of APW events mid-July-August
Calendar
July 28 – White Mountain Chapter. Open Meeting with guest speaker Award Winning Author and Part of the New Mexico Affiliate Chapter Beth A. Freely — July 28 at 6pm. Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82189748441 · Meeting ID 821 8974 8441 · Passcode 812230.
July 31 – White Mountain Chapter. Show Low’s White Mountains Writers Conference — July 31, at the Arts Alliance Community Center on Penrod. I’ll be your MC, and this is where the Writing Contest winners will be announced and receive their awards. Speakers include James A. Owen, Eva Elderidge, Jacque Hillman, and Beth A. Freely, with a closing Q&A panel. Registration is open — reach the organizers at kathleen@whitemountainsofapw.org.
August 1 – White Mountain Chapter. Show Low’s White Mountains Festival of Books — August 1, at the Elks Lodge in Show Low. Authors, readers, booths, and that special magic when a community turns out to celebrate the written word.
August 12 – Central Chapter. Zoom Meeting — August 12 at 7pm. Chapter chairperson Fawzia Tung is hosting guest speaker Dan Baldwin. For the meeting link and details, contact fawziamaitungwriter@gmail.com. Central Country Chapter
August 28 – White Mountain Chapter. Open Zoom Meeting with guest speaker Michael Culp. Contact Kathleen at kathleen@whitemountainsofapw.org for the link
4th Saturday – APW Book Club. Next meeting is September 26. See https://arizonaprofessionalwriters.org/2026/07/17/apw-book-club-announces-upcoming-schedule/ and contact Karen Lateiner for information or questions. kslateiner@gmail.com
Thursdays at 9 – Friends with Pens – Writing group, Thursday at 9:30am at Noley’s Booskstore in Payson. Contact Marie Fasano for dates and to confirm times (mfasono1@gmail.com)
Rim Country Chapter mafasano1@gmail.com ONGOING
September 24-26 NFPW National Conference, Ellicott City, MD. https://www.nfpw.org/conference
Save the date!
October 3 – APW Webinar workshop. “Write It — Publish It — Voice It — Sell It,”
White Mountain Open Meeting July 28 with Beth Freely
Kathleen Osborne is inviting you to a White Mountain Open Meeting on Zoom with Beth Freely.
Topic: Guest speaker Beth A. Freely is an Award Winning Author and a member of the New Mexico Affiliate
Date: Tuesday, July 28
Time: 6 pm AZ time (same as CA)
Zoom: The zoom link has been sent to members. If you are a guest or need the link, contact Kathleen at kathleen@whitemountainsofapw.org
Bio: Award-winning author Beth A. Freely has been writing stories for as long as she can remember, a lifelong passion shaped by her time in Great Britain and her quiet life in the tiny village of Hope, New Mexico. With more than ten novels to her name, her work has earned top honors, including the 2005 Arche Books Contest and the 2022 Spring BookFest Awards. Armed with a master’s in English and Creative Writing, Beth is a proud BookFest Bellwether, known for her sharp wit, creative spark, and deep commitment to mentoring fellow writers. Find out more on her Facebook page Facebook https://www.facebook.com/bafreely/
President’s message – July 2026
A Big Season: New Titles, a New Title, and a Very Big Anniversary
To the members, friends and fellow writers,
If you’ve ever wondered whether the writing life ever slows down, let me answer that for you: no. It does not. And after the last few months, I’ve stopped waiting for it to. Instead I’ve decided to lean in, take notes, and share the ride with you — because if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that the stuff happening to me is usually the stuff that ends up helping you. So pour yourself something warm (or pour yourself into a chair, whichever comes first) and let me catch you up.
NEW ROLE: Statewide President of the Arizona Professional Writers
I’ll say it plainly because it still feels a little surreal to type: I’ve stepped into the role of statewide President of Arizona Professional Writers — while also continuing to serve as President of our local White Mountains Chapter of APW. Two hats, one very full calendar, and zero regrets. If you’ve been reading this newsletter for a while, you know how much this organization means to me — the mentorship, the fellowship, the number of good people who show up for one another’s work. Taking the gavel (metaphorical; nobody handed me an actual gavel, and honestly, I’d probably lose it) is both an honor and a responsibility I don’t take lightly.
What does it all mean for you? More good stuff…. Read the rest below.
APW Book Club announces upcoming schedule
APW BOOK GROUP
Meeting via Zoom fourth Saturday of the month at 10 AM
Contact: Karen Shiffman Lateiner, kslateiner@gmail.com
Mission: To support each other as authors by reading each other’s books, reviewing them on Amazon and/or Goodreads, and discussing them at our meeting.
2026-27 Calendar
Sept 26 Six who Stopped the Steal by Nancy Hicks Marshall
Oct 24 Friends for a Season: Because Wisdom is Ageless by Brad Graber
Nov 25 Thanksgiving weekend – TBD
December Holiday Break
Jan 23 New Angel in Town by Jody Sharpe
Feb 27 Bodies of Water by Marylee MacDonald
Mar 27 Title yet TBD by Maria J. Greenhalgh
Apr 24 California Mission Sketchbook by Robert Hershberger
May 22 TBD
June 26 Infinite Paradise by Dianne Ebertt Beaff
Central Chapter meeting- July 8- Beyond the Book
Here we are, in the heat of the summer, waiting for the predicted el Niño rains to come upon us. In the meantime, please join us on Wednesday July 8 at 7:00 PM (AZ/Pacific time). Our speaker this month is Zarinah El-Amin who will speak about what is Beyond the Book. Fawzia Tung
Topic: Beyond the Book: How Authors Shape Generations Through Storytelling
Date: Wednesday July 8, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM AZ time (Pacific time right now)
Zoom link: Link has been sent to members. Contact Fawzia if you need the link or are a guest.
Speaker: Zarinah El-Amin
Beyond the Book: How Authors Shape Generations Through Storytelling
Exploring the power of books to preserve wisdom, build bridges, and influence people we may never meet.
Bio: Zarinah El-Amin is an award-winning cultural anthropologist, TEDx speaker, publisher, and founder of Legacy Storykeepers and Book Power Publishing. For more than 15 years, she has helped entrepreneurs, educators, institutions, and families preserve stories, share knowledge, and create meaningful cultural impact through books and storytelling. Having led more than 85 book projects, Zarinah is recognized for blending professional publishing expertise with deep cultural insight. Her work has been featured by NPR, the Knight Foundation, the University of Michigan, and the Sharjah International Book Fair. Today, her mission is to preserve the wisdom, stories, and lived experiences of elders before they are lost to future generations.
APW Book Club – June 27 with Chrisann Dawson
Karen Lateiner is inviting you to the June meeting of the APW Book Club, which will be held Saturday, June 27 at 10 am, via ZOOM. Chrisann Dawson will present her book Congo Ebola It will be the last for this season until September.
Topic: Congo Ebola by Chrisann Dawson
Date: Saturday, June 27, 2026
Time: 10:00 AM Arizona
The Zoom Meeting link has been sent to members. If you need the link or would like to join as a guest, contact Karen Lateiner. kslateiner@gmail.com
Congo Ebola (Book 3 in the Congo Series)
James sighed. This assignment scared him. He knew that it was because he had more to lose than the last time he landed in Kinshasa, Congo. He had a wife and two beautiful boys. In Congo Ebola, James is called up from a plush teaching job to run security for an international response to an Ebola outbreak in Congo. Through events such as a volatile riot and an encounter with an Ebola-tainted monkey, James is forced to confront his deepest fears. Join him on a thrill ride of menacing proportions that will leave you questioning everything that you thought you knew.
Bio
For seven years, I lived on the ground in Congo doing mission work, providing me first-hand insight into the setting and culture. My family and I have been working with the Democratic Republic of Congo since 1991.We were on the ground in the interior of the Congo for the 1995 Ebola Outbreak that shocked the world. We experienced war, trauma, and the hardships of daily life in Congo during our seven years of living there. I speak Lingala fluently. My degree is in English grammar and history, and I have taught English grammar for more than twenty years. My husband Gale and I have been married for 35 years. We have three grown children: Suzannah, Mackay, and William. Plus, newly-added spouses. My daughter Mackay was born in the Congo. We currently live in Payson, Arizona where we continue to support the Congo national ministry. I am employed part-time with the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension.
Ebola Congo is available on Amazon.
President’s message – June 2026
Read the rest of the June 2026 Newsletter. See more about:
- Help build a speaker and teacher database
- APW brochure
- NFPW Conference Announcement
- Book Festivals and other events
Central Chapter meeting June 10 with Sara Fujimura
The temperatures have really spiked up now that we are in June! Many of you may have left town, but Zoom is accessible from everywhere. Please join us on June 10 for our next meeting. Our speaker this month is Sara Fujimura, an award-winning writer of YA fiction. And please RSVP confirmations so I have an idea of attendance.
Fawzia Tung, Central Chapter Chair
Guest: Sara Fujimura, YA Author
Date: Wednesday, June 10
Time: 7 p.m. AZ time
Zoom: The link has been sent to members. Please let Fawzia know if you are attending or if you need to request the link from her. fawziamaitungwriter@gmail.com
Bio: Sara Fujimura (Foo-gee-moo-rah) is the American half of her bicultural Japanese-American family and spends about a month each year in Japan. She started as a journalist, so it is no surprise that Sara’s young adult books contain a lot of facts to go along with the fiction. Whether you want to know about Japan (TANABATA WISH), the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 (BREATHE), what it’s like to be an Olympic-caliber skater (EVERY REASON WE SHOULDN’T), or how unscripted television works (FAKING REALITY), Sara takes readers on swoony journeys to unusual places. She is a creative writing teacher and literacy advocate who is excited to support the next generation of authors. If you go to anime cons (PHX Nov, 2026), you may also see Sara as her alter ego, The Obento Lady. She is an active member of SCBWI and the Chicago-North Romance Writers.
EVERY REASON WE SHOULDN’T was named an NPR Best Book of 2020. BREATHE was named a finalist in the 2026 Soon to Be Famous Illinois Author Project.
APW BOOK GROUP SATURDAY, MAY 23 with Ric Hinkie
Karen Lateiner is inviting you to the May 23 APW book group meeting with Ric Hinkie.
Topic: 7 KEYS TO A MORE SATISFYING FUTURE AT WORK by Richard Hinkie
Date: Saturday, May 23
Time: 10 a.m. AZ time
Zoom: Link will be sent closer to the date. It will also be posted in the members’ only section.
Bio and Summary
Richard Hinkie has been writing since he set the type, inked it and turned the crank on his toy printing press when he was 9. High School paper, asst PR guy at a new live classical theater. 24 years as an Army Reserve communications officer. And a civilian career from Jr communications writer to President of a National Energy Trade Association. His contacts were willing to share their career journeys individually and as Ric published all 60 individually he recognized common patterns. They became the 7 Keys to a More Satisfying Future at Work. He tested the keys in over 20 national webinars with interested folks. That lead to the creation of www.your7keys.com website with free downloads and interactive phone apps
Ric is teasing future readers as he drafts his second book called First Boomer where he relates the story of his life as the first Baby Boomer born.
Please read the book so you can leave a review. It is available on Kindle. Guests are welcome to attend; only APW members can have their books featured.
-
- Career checkup worksheet
Central Chapter Zoom meeting May 13 with Roger Naylor
Hello, everyone!
I’m looking forward to our next meeting on May 13, at 7:00 pm. I’m very happy to present this month’s speaker, Roger Naylor, who will discuss how to build an author brand.
Fawzia Tung, Central Chapter Director
Topic: Building an Author Brand with Roger Naylor
Date: Wednesday, April 13
Time: 7 p.m. AZ time
Zoom: Please respond to Fawzia (fawziamaitungwriter@gmail.com) to let her know you are interested in attending. She will email you the zoom link the day before the meeting.
TOPIC: Building an Author Brand by Roger Naylor
Roger Naylor, an Arizona author and travel writer, discusses building a strong unique brand to help authors carve out a path to success.
BIO: Roger Naylor is an award-winning Arizona author and a resident of Cottonwood for the past 30 years. He has been the freelance travel writer for the Arizona Republic since 2007. He was inducted into the Arizona Tourism Hall of Fame in 2018 and is the narrator of the Verde Canyon Railroad. Naylor’s work has also appeared in the USA Today, The Guardian, Country Magazine, Arizona Highways, Route 66 Magazine, and dozens more.
Roger Naylor has authored a dozen books including Arizona Boots and Burgers: A Guide for Hungry Hikers, Arizona Route 66 Road Trip, Arizona’s Scenic Roads and Hikes, Arizona National Parks and Monuments, Awesome Arizona: 200 Amazing Facts about the Grand Canyon State, Arizona State Parks, The Amazing Kolb Brothers of Grand Canyon, Arizona Kicks on Route 66, and Crazy for the Heat: Arizona Tales of Ghosts, Gumshoes, and Bigfoot. For more information, visit http://www.rogernaylor.com.
Arizona Professional Writers 