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May 18, 2022  

Rebecca Goodrich – and yet another winner!

And congratulations to APW member Rebecca Goodrich, our third winner of First Place in her category in the 2021 NFPW Communications Contest in the At-Large division!

“Saving My Soul from Scientology” won first in the Chapter in a Book category. Her story appeared in Cirque: A Literary Journal for the North Pacific Rim, Vol 11, No. 2.

Rebecca’s story will go on to the national level of judging. National award winners will receive a Certificate of Achievement at the NFPW National Communications Conference Awards banquet to be held in Fargo, ND June 23-25 plus be recognized at our state conference on May 14. Entries from 18 states, the District of Columbia and Spain competed in the At-large division.

Good luck at the national level, Rebecca!

May 15, 2022  

2022 State Conference is a wrap!

Our 2022 State Conference is over. It was special getting to see old friends in person; some we had only ever met on a Zoom call. We also had several guests plus our speakers and our 2022 scholarship winner and her father and brother.

President Connie Cockrell called the meeting to order. We accepted the slate of officers, welcoming Jody Sharpe to the Board and passed the budget. The winners of the At-large division of the NFPW Communications Contest who were in attendance were introduced.

Our morning speaker was Dr. Karen Bryson who spoke on “The Top Ten Reasons your Book Isn’t Selling And What To Do About It.” Everyone authoring a book should take these into account.  Find help at Karen’s newest Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/motivatethemuse.

During lunch, Marie Fasano and Jody Sharpe presented our 2022 Scholarship winner, Elena Morrison, with a certificate and a check for $1000 to pursue a career in journalism. Elena is a student at Coconino Community College in Flagstaff.

Brad Graber spoke after lunch on “The Stories We Tell Ourselves: The Importance of Shifting Our Mindset.” Using personal stories and humor, Brad shared how we can limit ourselves. His website is BradGraber.com.

The last activity was a tour of the wonderful Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West. Their collection of all things Western is second to none. Put it on your list to visit if you never have. https://scottsdalemuseumwest.org

May 6, 2022  

APW May Virtual Meeting – 5/11/22

Connie Cockrell and Susan Anderson are inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Arizona Inspiration with Roger Naylor
Date: Wednesday, May 11, 2022
Time: 01:00 PM Arizona
Zoom: Members have been sent the Zoom link. If you are a guest or need it, contact Susan Anderson at Susan.APW@hotmail.com. Members can also find the link in the Members Only section.

Arizona Inspiration with Roger Naylor

Arizona is the focus of almost all my books, from travel to history. Yet even my book of fiction uses Arizona as its unifying theme. Crazy for the Heat: Arizona Tales of Ghosts, Gumshoes, and Bigfoot is a collection of humorous short stories, all based in Arizona locations, utilizing the state’s history and legends. Cactus and roadrunners and red rocks and border towns and blazing sunsets and the perfume of rain and sun that screams are all woven into the fabric of the stories. I’m not sure I even know how to write anymore if Arizona is not involved.”

Roger will discuss a little of his process and encourage others to explore more of Arizona for their own inspiration.

Roger Naylor is one of Arizona’s premier travel writers. In 2018, he was inducted into the Arizona Tourism Hall of Fame. His most recent book, Arizona’s Scenic Roads and Hikes, was selected as Best Arizona Travel Book at the 2021 New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards. It also won as Best Arizona Book. His previous book, Arizona State Parks, also won in 2020 as best Arizona Travel Book.

Naylor is the narrator of Verde Canyon Railroad. His work appears most weeks in the Arizona Republic. He has also written for The Guardian, USA Today, The Week, Country Magazine, Arizona Highways, and dozens more. He is the author of several other books including The Amazing Kolb Brothers of Grand Canyon, Arizona Kicks on Route 66, and Boots and Burgers: An Arizona Handbook for Hungry Hikers. For more information, visit RogerNaylor.com.

April 11, 2022  

Jan Cleere – 1st place winner!

Jan Cleere is one of three First Place winners in the At-large division of the NFPW 2021 Communications Contest!

Jan won 1st place in the Books, Biography or History category. Her entry, Military Wives in Arizona Territory: A History of Women Who Shaped the Frontier, will go on to the national level of judging. National award winners will receive a Certificate of Achievement at the NFPW National Communications Conference Awards banquet to be held in Fargo, ND June 23-25.

Accord to Teri Ehresman, contest director , “We had an extremely competitive at-large contest again this year. We had strong entries from entrants from Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Spain, Washington D.C. and Washington state.”

Congratulations, Jan, and good luck!

 

 

April 10, 2022  

APW wins big in the At-large contest!

Arizona winners in the 2021 At-large NFPW communications contest

From Teri Ehresman, Contest Director: “You have an outstanding number of winners again this year in the NFPW at-large communications contest.”

Bobbi Bennett – 2nd place, Publication regularly written by entrant; 3rd place, Publication regularly written by entrant; two honorable mentions for Publication regularly written by entrant

Wynne Brown — Honorable Mention, Books, Biography or History

Jan Cleere — 1st place, Books, Biography or History

Chrisann Dawson – 2nd place, general fiction; Honorable Mention, Fiction for adult readers

Jodi Decker — Honorable Mention, Specialty Articles, History

Marie Fasano — 2nd place, photo/writer; 2nd place, Informational Column, 2nd place, Feature story

Rebecca Goodrich — 1st place, Short Stories

Brad Graber – 1st place, Fiction for adult readers

Janelle Molony – Honorable mention, specialty articles, history

Jody Sharpe — 3rd place, Novellas

We had an extremely competitive at-large contest again this year. We had strong entries from entrants from Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Spain, Washington D.C. and Washington state.

Congratulations to all! First place winners in their category move onto the national contest.

April 1, 2022  

APW April Virtual Meeting 4-9-22

To All APW Members: Susan Anderson is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

TOPIC: APW Central Meeting – Elizabeth Graham on her book –Democrazy
DATE: Saturday, April 9, 2022
TIME: 10:00 AM Arizona
ZOOM: The Zoom link has been sent to members. Nonmembers are invited to attend as well. If you did not receive the link and would like to attend, email Marie Fasano at mafasano1@gmail.com or look under the Members Only tab for the link.

Bio: Elizabeth Graham had a top secret clearance at the age of seventeen with the CIA. She spent about twenty-five years living and working abroad: Soviet Union, then Russia, Central Asia, and other former Soviet pack countries. She was a consultant in war-torn Afghanistan, Rwanda, and Bosnia. Her real-life multi-cultural experiences in totalitarian and dictatorship countries give her a great vantage point to comment on the Trump-era and how other countries view the U.S. racism, violence, and our democracy. She recently authored DEMOCRAZY, Version 2020 and is working on her second book.

March 23, 2022  

APW Book Club 3/26/22 with Kathleen Kelly

To APW Members:

You are invited to the dynamic APW Book Group where we discuss and review each member’s book. We have openings to review your book after May 2022. Contact Karen. (kslateiner@gmail.com )

Karen Lateiner is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting for March

Topic: APW Book Group – Kathleen Kelly Medical Intuitive – Voices of the ER
Date: Mar 26, 2022
Time: 10:00 AM Arizona
Zoom: The link has been sent to members. If you did not receive it or need it, contact Karen (above) or look in the members only tab of the website.

ABOUT THE BOOK: Come with me on a journey through true, short stories spanning my career of over three decades as an ER nurse. Listen to the voices that echo from the worlds behind the doors of big city ERs and a country hospital nestled in the mountains of Arizona. Meet everyday angels in the form of nurses, doctors, patients, extraordinary people, and spirit guides who hover in the veil between birth and death. The ER is challenging with pressures and stresses. You can’t survive if you don’t find ways to laugh, to listen, and to allow yourself to be touched by the courage and strength of the human spirit.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kathleen Kelly worked as a Registered Nurse specializing in Critical Care and Emergency Medicine for over thirty years, employing her education and skills in the healing arts. Also trained as a Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner, she has worked with victims of violence. She has studied extensively in alternative healing, embracing the richness of a holistic approach in her work as a medical intuitive. (https://www.myss.com/profiles/kathleen-kelly/) Kathleen is the Coordinator of GILA County Child Fatality Review for the Arizona Health Dept. The Child Fatality Review Team’s mission is to reduce preventable child fatalities. The results of these reviews are used to improve services, advocate for change, and conduct public awareness activities, ultimately for the purpose of preventing future child deaths. She believes her work lends the illuminating voice of each child after death. Her short stories, penned in her journals over the years, celebrate the best in all of us.

January 5, 2022  

APW January Virtual Meeting 1/12/22

Connie Cockrell and Susan Anderson are inviting you to a combined Zoom Meeting Wednesday, January 12th at 1pm.

TOPIC: Publicity with Jodi Decker
DATE: January 12, 2022
TIME: 1 p.m. Arizona time
ZOOM: The link for the Zoom Meeting has been sent to members. It is also listed in the Member’s only section. Guests are welcome and should email Susan.APW@hotmail.com for the link.

Bio: Jodi Decker, Ed.D, collaborated with her daughter Janelle Molony, MBA, (editor and publisher) on the anthology Poems From the Asylum. It is the true narrative of Martha H. Nasch’s seven-year stay in an insane asylum. Jodi, a college teacher, and Janelle, an author, researched family journals, poetry notebooks, history books, and interviewed the descendants of the neighbors about the life of Martha H. Nasch, as well as interviewed the museum docent at the St. Peter State Hospital for the Insane. Jodi is Martha’s granddaughter, and she is proud to leave this legacy on her behalf. Both Jodi and Janelle are Arizona residents and A.S.U. graduates.

Her Facebook page is Seven Years Insane

December 19, 2021  

President’s message – December 2021

Greetings to all,

Has the year seemed long to you? Still wondering about 2020? Yes, it has been 2 years, or near enough, of the pandemic. This fact was mentioned to me the other day by a friend of mine who asked, “Has it been 2 years?” We sat silently for a moment, trying to absorb that information. It’s been difficult, hasn’t it? Everything changed. Days slipped by practically unnoticed. Maybe you got some writing done, maybe not. What I do know, at least for myself, is that this has been a quiet time.

Yes, a positive. A time of contemplation. A time to review. A gift, if you will, of solitude and meditation. There has been time to evaluate and decide what is most important. The end of the year traditionally is a time for that but, after two years, I think I’ve got most of that evaluation completed.

The end of the year is also the time to look forward. You’ve decided what’s most important to you so now, how will you achieve those things? If you’re a planner, have you written out steps that need to be taken to reach your goal? If you are a pantser (to use writing terms!), do you have the goal firmly in mind so that when decisions are made you choose the ones that get you closer to your goal?

So now, just days before the shortest day of the year, just short of Christmas and New Year, I want to wish you all peace, joy, and yes, solitude. A gift of time to let your mind rest and recuperate, and decide what’s most important to you. I look forward to seeing you all, over Zoom or in person, in 2022.

Connie Cockrell
President, APW

December 2, 2021  

APW December Virtual Meeting – 12/11/21

Susan Anderson and Connie Cockrell are inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Rim County and Central APW Virtual Meeting – December 11

Topic: I Meant It for Good with Mary Rechkemmer-Meyer
Date: Saturday, December 11
Time: 10 a.m. Arizona

Zoom Meeting –the link has been sent to members. If you did not receive it or wish to attend as a guest, contact Susan Anderson Susan.APW@hotmail.com for the Zoom link.

Mary Rechkemmer-Meyer will be discussing her book, I Meant It For Good:  A Memoir of Dreaming, Visualizing, and Becoming My Authentic Self and how she came to write it.

After hearing the words, “You have cancer,” Mary knew that everything in her life had prepared her for that moment. Through a series of synchronicities Mary found integrative treatment that would save her life. She visualized healing daily, as she chose to believe she was healed. Mary’s vision is to share her story in hopes of helping other people know they, too, have options and can choose what is right for themselves, that they can set their own goals and visualize—and attain—both physical and spiritual healing. Utilizing the experience she gained over multiple careers, Mary is excited to share her expertise and give back to others through personal coaching. Mary’s coaching shows you how to plan, dream, and visualize yourself into the life you want in all six areas of your life: spiritual, health and wellness, relationships, emotional, professional, and financial. Mary lives in Arizona with her husband, Jan, and travels throughout the Midwest in the summer. Mary and Jan have seven children and twelve grandchildren. Mary is the author of I Meant It for Good: A Memoir of Dreaming, Visualizing, and Becoming My Authentic Self. You can visit Mary on her website at https://maryrechkemmermeyer.com/ or follow her on Facebook at  https://business.facebook.com/DreamandVisualize

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