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NFPW Communications Contest now open

The annual National Federation of Press Women’s communications contest has officially opened!
 
The contest is open to writers, authors, copy editors, public affairs professionals, photographers, publishers or others in the communications field.
 
Entries must be published in 2022 and entries are open to writers of all ages.
 
The early deadline to submit entries – and avoid a one-time additional fee of $25 – is Jan. 18, 2023. The final deadline for books is Feb. 1, 2023 and the final deadline for all other entries is Feb. 8, 2023.
 
The contest is sponsored by NFPW affiliates and people living in states without an affiliate hosting a contest are eligible to enter the NFPW at-large contest. (APW members enter in the at-large contest.)
 
First place winning entries in the affiliate and at-large contests are eligible to advance to the national competition. To enter the national contest, the entrants must be NFPW members, or must join by March 15, 2023.
 
National winners will be notified in late April and the results announced during an awards dinner on June 24, 2023, in Cincinnati, Ohio.
 

 

 

Membership renewal time!

Holiday Greetings to all members!

It’s time to renew your membership at Arizona Professional Writers.org. for 2023.
We have had an active year with exceptional speakers and sharing of information. If you did not attend you missed out on writing tips, marketing ideas, and learning about the writing process from our members and guests.
 
For 2023 make a commitment to attend the monthly online Zoom meetings with guests and/or the monthly APWBook Club with a discussion of our own authors’ books. The National Federation of Professional Women Communication contest is open now to all with a myriad of categories from which you can choose.
  • APW Central meets every other Saturday at 10:00 AM starting January 14.
  • APW Rim Country meets every alternate Wednesday  at 1:00 PM starting 
  • February 8.
    APW book Group meets monthly every 4th Saturday at 10:00 AM starting 
  • January 28.
Go to the Join tab for the membership application for state-only APW (still only $30.00) or click the link to renew/join for NFPW. Please complete the application even if renewing so we can make sure your information is current.
 
We look forward to hearing from you soon for an exciting 2023!
 
Marie Fasano,
Membership Chair

President’s message – end of year

President’s Page: End Of 2022

Has a year gone by any faster than this one? I think not. We’re entering the U.S. Holiday Season and so much has happened.

November is what I call “gratitude” month. Every day I think about one thing I’m thankful for. It could be a rainy day, a meal out with friends, my husband, but whatever it is, I know individually and collectively, those little things are what make my life rich. So I’m wishing you all a wonderful holiday season full of gratitude for all of the things that make your life full and complete.

HOLIDAY GET TOGETHERS
In December, the Southern Region will have a no-host holiday luncheon at noon on Saturday, December 10 at the Terraza Garden Patio and Lounge at Hacienda Del Sol Guest Ranch Resort. Get details and to RSVP  contact Jaimie Bruzenak. Rim Country will have their holiday luncheon in the private dining room at the Mazatal Casino’s Cedar Ridge restaurant on Monday, December 12th, from 11am – 1pm. RSPV to Connie. All APW members are invited to either luncheon!

VERY IMPORTANT!
We need volunteers. As an official non-profit we must report to the Arizona Corporate Commission. At the moment, APW does not have a treasurer. That means we’re operating illegally. If a volunteer does not step up, we may have to close our organization.

In addition, the Payson Book Festival committee needs a new Media Manager as Marie Fasano must step down for health reasons. Our Program Manager (who puts together the paper program for the book festival, has also stepped down for family issues. New people bring fresh, new ideas and we want to keep our organization both active and relevant. Contact me at connie.cockrell@gmail.com to volunteer.

My calendar has Saturday, January 21st, 10 am, as our 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.

STORYTELLERS WANTED: Marie Fasano
Join in the Movement to End Hunger and Homelessness

November 12 – 20 is Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. This is an annual program where people come together across the country to draw attention to the problems of hunger and homelessness. Find out how you can take action. Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week

Register for our 28th Annual Conference in Mesa, AZ. https://www.azhousingcoalition.org/conference.html Early bird prices available until December 16.

Calling All Artists and Storytellers: Share your housing-related art or story and earn $100. Learn more about these opportunities to contribute your talents to the annual conference and to our public awareness campaign. https://www.azhousingcoalition.org/conference.html

FACEBOOK
Take a look at our APW Facebook page. 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!

HOLIDAY BAZAAR – not too late!
We are also happy to announce our Holiday Bazaar at our website: https://arizonaprofessionalwriters.org/holiday-bazaar-2022/. This is a terrific perk of being a member. It’s not too late to get your book listed. Send Jaimie Bruzenak a link to the book you want to list along with a high resolution jpeg of the front cover and your website link and she’ll post it for you. Books make great presents!

RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP!
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, see Join under the About tab for the form. Those renewing their membership should complete the form so we can be sure your information is up to date and complete.

Thank you everyone for your continued support for this historic organization.

That’s it for 2022. Everyone stay safe, enjoy the upcoming holidays, and hope to see you at the next meeting!


Connie Cockrell, Author
H (928) 951-0970
http://www.ConniesRandomThoughts.com

November virtual meeting – 11/12/22 – Amy Arhensdorf

Susan Anderson is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Amy’s topic is how her journey with a rescue dog inspired her to write a book despite her inexperience in the writing field. She’ll share the challenge she had in finding Magic’s voice and her four- year struggle to learn basic writing skills.

From the book content side, she’ll talk about some of the stories that she thinks many dog lovers can relate to that are “laugh out loud funny,” as well as the life lessons she and Magic shared along the way.
Topic: Central Speaker November 12th – Amy Ahrensdorf
Date: Saturday, November 12, 2022
Time: 10:00 AM Arizona

Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82660098740?pwd=RStWdHNXUjhTNkxlVTQvYkxlM3JUZz09

Meeting ID: 826 6009 8740
Passcode: 922174
One tap mobile
+12532158782,,82660098740#,,,,*922174# US (Tacoma)
+13462487799,,82660098740#,,,,*922174# US (Houston)
Meeting ID: 826 6009 8740
Passcode: 922174
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcRap3pU1d

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Amy Ahrensdorf is a professional chef and founder of Love at First Bite, a chef consulting business. She is a graduate of Ithaca College and The Art Institute of Phoenix Culinary Program. Amy has served as Foster Chair and Home Visit volunteer for Desert Labrador Retriever Rescue. When she’s not cooking, she’s chasing after two independent minded labs who have inspired the canine capers of this book. She lives in Arizona.

APW Book Group – 10/22/22 – Kathleen Parrish

Karen Lateiner is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

TOPIC: APW Book Group -Author Kathleen Parrish –Second Son
DATE: October 22, 2022
TIME: 10:00 AM Arizona
ZOOM: The link has been sent to Book Club members. If you’d like to join, contact Karen at kslateiner@gmail.com for the link.

ABOUT SECOND SON
Second Son: A Novel about the Deep South by Hermann Willis Logan, continued by Kathleen Parrish is available on Amazon.

The debut novel from Herman Willis Logan, continued by Kathleen Parrish, is filled with beautifully flawed characters struggling to survive the last years of the Great Depression and the epic panorama of World War II.

Trapped on a tenant farm in 1938 Mississippi, young Towanna Whitaker longs to get his education and “be somebody.” But the cotton harvest comes first, and his pa thinks an eighth-grade education is plenty for a cotton farmer. When his troubled mother abandons the family, Towanna must choose between his dreams of an education and helping his pa hold the family together. He gives up his education to care for the house and his baby sister, only to lose her in a tragic accident—one he might have prevented. Grief and self-loathing slowly give way to his family’s stubborn love and the shy overtures of Kathy, a local girl, but World War II arrives all too soon to tear them apart. Drafted into the army and deployed to Europe, Towanna must face death, loss, and his deepest fears if he’s to survive the war and find his way home.

“Second Son is an enthralling depiction of life in the Deep South during the final years of the Great Depression, and the hardships of World War II … fresh and deeply personal.” —Rick Adelmann, Best-Selling Author of the MG&M Detective Agency Mysteries

NFPW Contest now open

The 2023 Contest is OPEN!

The annual National Federation of Press Women’s communications contest has officially opened!

The contest is open to writers, authors, copy editors, public affairs professionals, photographers, publishers or others in the communications field.

Entries must be published in 2022 and entries are open to writers of all ages.

The early deadline to submit entries – and avoid a one-time additional fee of $25 – is Jan. 18, 2023. The final deadline for books is Feb. 1, 2023 and the final deadline for all other entries is Feb. 8, 2023.

The contest is sponsored by NFPW affiliates and people living in states without an affiliate hosting a contest are eligible to enter the NFPW at-large contest.

First place winning entries in the affiliate and at-large contests are eligible to advance to the national competition. To enter the national contest, the entrants must be NFPW members, or must join by March 15, 2023.

National winners will be notified in late April and the results announced during an awards dinner on June 24, 2023, in Cincinnati, Ohio.

See NFPW.org/professional-contest for more information.

APW Book Group- 9/24/22- Elizabeth Graham

Karen Lateiner is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: APW Book Group -Elizabeth Graham Democrazy
Date: Saturday, September 24, 2022
Time: 10:00 AM Arizona
Zoom: The link will be sent to all members. It is also listed under the Members Only tab of the website. If you would like to attend and do not have the link, contact Karen.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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 gives 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.

APW September Virtual Meeting – 9/10/22 – Mark D. Walker

Susan Anderson is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: APW Central- Author Mark D. Walker – Consolidation and Why American Writers and Bookstores Lose Out
Date: Saturday, September 10, 2022
Time: 10:00 AM Arizona
Zoom: The link has been sent to members. You can also find the link in the Members Only section. Guests are welcome. Email Susan Anderson at Susan.APW@hotmail.com for the link.

TOPIC: Consolidation and Why American Writers and Bookstores Lose Out

BIO: Mark D. Walker is a contributing writer at Literary Traveler and Revue Magazine. He was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala and worked with international agencies like MAP International, Hagar, and Make A Wish International for over forty years.  Different Latitudes: My Life in the Peace Corps and Beyond was his memoir, soon to be followed by, My Saddest Pleasures: 50 Years on the Road. Two of his 25 articles were recognized by the Solas Literary Awards for Best Travel Writing, most recently with a Bronze for “Travel Adventure.” His wife and three children were born in Guatemala. Over 60 book reviews and 25 articles can be found on his website, MillionMileWalker.com

Find out a little more about his book, Saddest Pleasures.

President’s Message – September, 2022

President’s Page: September

Hello and welcome to September. I do hope you all had a wonderful summer whether you did a stacation or you had the chance to travel. If you’re new, welcome to the Arizona Professional Writers!

July was a busy month for the Rim Country chapter as they held their book festival on July 17th. We had about 50% fewer attendees this year and fewer authors. However, everyone who did attend had a good time and there was a lot of feedback on how much both the attendees and the authors like the festival.

August had both the Central and the Rim Country chapters return to regular meetings, held on Zoom. The book club is also still meeting via Zoom. We also held our thank-you luncheon for the many volunteers for the Book Festival. We held it “picnic” style in Payson’s Green Valley Park. Sandwiches, salads, and drinks were provided and we discussed the volunteer’s suggestions for the festival.

We need volunteers. Many of the APW officers have been serving for years. The Payson Book Festival committee needs a new Media Manager as Marie Fasano must step down for health reasons. The state organization needs a treasurer. New people bring fresh, new ideas and we want to keep our organization both active and relevant. You can contact me at connie.cockrell@gmail.com to talk about it.

My calendar has September 18th, 10am, as our 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 media, 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

While at the Payson Book Festival, I had a representative of the organization Recorded Recreational Reading for the Blind stop by my table. They can be found at ReadingForTheBlind.org. For our authors, they said they’d be interested in recording your book(s) in addition to needing narrators to read books into audio recordings. I know we have some people in the group who have media experience or otherwise beautiful voices. They are also interested in presenting to groups, so if you are looking for a speaker, try them out. You can contact Sarah Shew, 623-640-1219 for more info.

That’s it for September. Everyone stay safe, enjoy the upcoming autumn, and hope to see you at the next meeting!

Connie Cockrell, Author
H (928) 951-0970
ConniesRandomThoughts.com

APW August Virtual Meeting – 8/10/22 Dito Abbott

Connie Cockrell is inviting you to a meeting on Zoom.

Topic: APW Rim Country- Dito Abbott- When life Imitates Art
Date: Wednesday, August 10, 2022
Time: 1:00 PM Arizona
Zoom: Members have been sent the Zoom link. Nonmembers who would like to attend should contact Connie Cockrell at connie.cockrell @ gmail.com for the link.

DITO ABBOTT

“Adventure: When Art Imitates Life” is based on my experience in a wide range of creative disciplines, as well as incorporating my love for adventure.

In this presentation, I will talk about comfort zones and how they define our horizons, using examples from my artistic past, such as:

– Spending 3.5 years shooting a stop motion music video for my band, Too Many Drummers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T0ZCpfSaIA
– Drawing on my sailing experiences to write a novel
– The important role failure plays in creativity

Dito’s debut YA Fantasy novel, Debunked, draws on his love for adventure, googly-eyed slime beasts, and sarcastic swords of legend.