2024 APW Scholarship applications available!
Applications for the 2024 APW $1000 scholarship are now available. Graduating high school seniors or current college students who will be attending an Arizona college in the fall of 2024, majoring in writing or communications are invited to apply. The deadline for submitting the application and accompanying materials is April 4, 2024. The winner will be honored at the May 4, 2024 APW State Conference.
The application can be found under the Competitions tab on our website or go to Scholarships.
APW Book Club 10/28/23 with Bobbie Scopa
Please join us for the October meeting of the APW Book Club. Bobbie Scopa will talk about her book, Both Sides of the Fire Line: A Memoir of a Transgender Firefighter.
Topic: Both Sides of the Fire Line: A Memoir of a Transgender Firefighter by Bobbie Scopa
Date: October 28, 2023
Time: 10 a.m. Arizona
Join Zoom meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88383180755?pwd=a1FlaDZ6M2JuVFhZYjJBYlhWR3Y2dz09
Meeting ID: 883 8318 0755
Passcode: 739048
Bobbie will talk about how she got to the point of writing her story and making it public. It was a long and circuitous route. After not talking about her gender issues for years when she was young, then in her marriage, then after transition while working as a firefighter. Now after 65 fire years, she was now going to make her story public. Writing her story took only a few months to put on paper. The stories were already in her head. She just had to sit and start typing. It wasn’t a cathartic process like some friends thought it might be. But rather it was just an important story that needed to be told.”
BOBBIE SCOPA is a retired firefighter/chief, author, podcast host, and public speaker. She has forty-five years of firefighting experience and has received numerous professional awards and industry recognition, including Firefighter of the Year (1990) from the Professional Firefighters of Arizona; the Governor’s Award, State of Arizona (1990); a Certificate of Appreciation from the City of New York for work performed at the World Trade Center in 2001; and the Unit Citation Award for efficacy in the US Forest Service (2014). She was a featured speaker at the US Forest Service’s Pride Outside diversity, equity, and inclusion event in June 2021. She is a popular keynote speaker for leadership and diversity. She is also the host of the podcast BobbieOnFire that has had over a million downloads and is the author of Both Sides Of The Fire Line. Scopa divides her time between Puget Sound, Washington, and Scottsdale, Arizona.
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.
-
- Delicious lunch!
-
- Speaker Debra Utacia Krol
-
- Debra Utacia Krol
-
- Grace Meinema – 2023 Scholarship Winner
-
- Jody Sharpe & Connie Cockrell presenting the scholarship to Grace Meinema
-
- Connie Cockrell – APW President – Annual Meeting
-
- Elena Selestewa, speaker
-
- Bobbie Bennett, Conference organizer, thanking Elena Selestewa
-
- Jody Sharpe, Scholarship Chairperson, announcing the winner for 2023
APW Book Club 9/23/23 with Elaine Auerbach
Karen Lateiner is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: APW Book Club: Dirty Linen: How Women Sued The Reader’s Digest and Changed History by Elaine Auerbach
Date: Saturday, September 23, 2023
Time: 10:00 AM Arizona
Zoom: The Zoom link has been sent to Book Club Members. All are invited. Email Karen at kslateiner@gmail.com for the link.
Dirty Linen: How Women Sued The Reader’s Digest and Changed History by Elaine Auerbach is the story of the landmark 1970s sexual discrimination lawsuit against the well-known magazine and publishing empire. It is a tell-all peek behind the doors of the ivy-covered tower that was home to what was then the world’s best-selling magazine. The lawsuit changed the communications industry forever. This personal tale of the fight for gender equality is both a look at how far we have come and how much there is still to do.
Elaine Auerbach
Elaine Auerbach’s broad experience includes writing for and editing books, magazines, newspapers, television and corporate communications. She spent 13 years as an editor with Reader’s Digest and more than 30 years at PepsiCo, Inc. She lives in Kingman, AZ. Elaine will talk about the process of writing and publishing her nonfiction book and the challenges of first person history.
Dirty Linen: How Women Sued the Reader’s Digest and Changed History is available on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited and via Amazon. Elaine has hard copies available for this group at $10 plus shipping, which is less than what Amazon charges. Contact her directly to order: elaineauerbachauthor@gmail.com
Heads up: For our October 28 meeting, we will review Both Sides of the Fire Line by Bobbie Scopa
APW Virtual Meeting 9/9/23 – Howard Gershkowitz
Susan Anderson is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: APW Virtual Meeting 9/9/23 – “Time Management for Authors” with Howard Gershkowitztz
Date: Saturday, September 9, 2023
Time: 10:00 AM Arizona
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84310351286?pwd=UDNpNTBrbHkrZGh2dGcxTElFaGRtQT09
Meeting ID: 843 1035 1286
Passcode: 477873
One tap mobile
+16699006833,,84310351286#,,,,*477873# US (San Jose)
+17193594580,,84310351286#,,,,*477873# US
Meeting ID: 843 1035 1286
Passcode: 477873
In this presentation, Howard gives tips for how to make good use of our time so that we have time to do more writing and focus on the things that matter. He includes a list of resource materials (books, blogs, websites) that he has found helpful over the years, as well as copies of the forms he uses to keep track of his writing projects, submission deadlines, etc. His goal is to share what he’s learned as a writer over the last fifteen years that helped him keep himself on track.
HOWARD GERSHKOWITZ: Howard lives in Arizona, though he hails from New York City. A Graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, New Jersey, he moved to Phoenix in 1981 to become a financial advisor. He enjoys volunteering in the community, traveling with his wife, Lisa, and watching his two grandchildren grow up.
He’s kept a journal for nearly forty years, accumulating a lifetime of material for fiction and poetry. He began submitting and publishing his work 12 years ago, and to date, more than three dozen poems and eight short stories have appeared in print or in online e-zines. His debut novel, The Operator, was published in 2018 by All Things That Matter Press. His second novel, Not on My Watch, was published in 2021, by the same publisher. Most recently, he was awarded first prize in the Tempe Library/ASU Creative Writing contest for his short story, ‘The Painting.” His poetry chapbook, “Observations and Distractions,” is available for a limited time by contacting Howard at gershwriter@cox.net.
APW Book Club 6/24/23 with Nancy Marshall
Karen Lateiner is inviting you to the June APW Book Club meeting on June 24 at 10 a.m. with Nancy Marshall’s new book, A Dry Hate.
Topic: APW Book Club – A Dry Hate: Power vs. the People with Nancy Marshall
Date: Saturday, June 24, 2023
Time: 10 a.m. AZ time
Zoom: The Zoom link has been sent to Book Club members. All are welcome to join, however. Contact Karen at kslateiner@gmail.com
ABOUT THE BOOK
A Dry Hate began the morning a friend called Nancy Marshall to say, “They’ve thrown Jason in jail! What do we do?” A practicing attorney, Marshall offered to bail him out. Realizing that four activists had been jailed without justification, and defending one of them pro bono, Marshall decided to put the story into writing.
But the book goes way beyond that one arrest and trial. Nancy learned about the extent of abuse of power in the period of roughly 2000-2012, and she has included a lot of stories that have been “inspired by historical events.”
Nancy hopes that A Dry Hate: Power vs the People will have a broad readership with book and discussion groups and in high school and college classrooms. She has a deep and abiding belief that by continuing to educate ourselves, to think and talk about ideas and events, we will become a stronger democratic society. By opening ourselves to the interchange of ideas and knowledge we will be more able to combat propaganda, lies, abuse of power and threats of violence.
The book is available on Kindle.
-
- Nancy Marshall
At-large Communication Contest 1st place winners
Congratulations to our members who won first place and, in some cases, other awards, in the 2022 “at-large” division of the NFPW Communications Contest. The at-large division is for states that do not have their own contest. This year there were entries from 20 states and Spain. APW members did very well!
Connie Cockrell
- FIRST PLACE: Advertising Poster, Billboard or Banner: “Arizona Professional Writers Conference 2022”
HONORABLE MENTION: Print-based newspaper: “Celebrating International Women’s Day”
Nancy Marshall
- FIRST PLACE: Children’s Book, Fiction: A Rattler’s Tale
Jodi Decker
- FIRST PLACE: Social Media Presence – Nonprofit, government or educational: “Seven Years Insane”
Jody Sharpe
- FIRST PLACE: Novellas (40,000 words or fewer):
“20 Moon Rd. An Angel’s Tale”
Marie Fasano
- FIRST PLACE: News Story Print-based newspaper: “Complications of pregnancy and changes in the law”
- THIRD PLACE: Photographer-writer: “New student aviation club gives teens a chance to fly”
-
- Connie Cockrell
-
- Nancy Marshall
-
- Jodi Decker
-
- Jody Sharpe
-
- Marie Fasano
APW Book Club – 4/27/23 with RuthAnn Hogue
Date: May 27, 2023
Zoom Meeting link has been sent to members. If you’d like to attend, contact Karen Lateiner kslateiner@gmail.com for the link. Guests are welcome.
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!
New book by member Marion Gold
MARION E. GOLD, a 28-year member of the National Association of Press Women—and long-time dual member of the Illinois Woman’s Press Association and Arizona Professional Writers—has launched her first novel, co-authored with acclaimed novelist Jerry Marcus. “Escape from Heaven” is a provocative and insightful in which Moses and Jesus meet in Heaven and decide to work together for the sake on all humanity. Gold and Marcus used a unique technique of vignettes as Moses and Jesus painstakingly discuss faith, tolerance, religion, and bigotry—and the evil committed throughout history in the name of religion. It is a novel where readers meet ordinary people who struggle with good versus evil, politics, friendships, religion, the Holocaust and anti-Semitism. It is about the every-day challenges of life and death, our relationships with God—and all facets of humanity that impact upon the human condition—including a debate about free will, how each individual has the potential to live a life of honest reflection, faith and good works.
Marion is the author of the award-winning “Top Cops: Profiles of Women in Command,” which was endorsed by former Governors George Ryan (Illinois), George Pataki (New York), and Janet Napolitano, former US Secretary of Homeland Secretary, and Governor of Arizona. She also wrote the “Personal Publicity Planner—A Guide to Marketing You,” and co-authored (wrote two chapters) published in “Skirting Traditions: ArizonaWomen Writers & Journalists 1912-2012”. Marion’s essay on “The Heart and Soul of Communications” was also published in the “Centennial Anthology” of the Illinois Women’s Press Association.
JERRY MARCUS is an award-winning author and is internationally acclaimed for his ability to create compelling fiction about thought-provoking issues such as anti-Semitism, political intrigue, and religious hypocrisy. Reviewers have called Marcus prophetic, provocative, masterful, compelling, original and creative – and even a heretic. Morton Teicher, Book Editor for The Jewish Floridian, compared Marcus to Chaim Potok, writing “Marcus caused us to care about the characters he created…” His first novel, published in 1982, was recommended by the American Jewish Congress—and is part of a special collection in the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. “Escape from Heaven” was his seventh and final novel. Sadly, Marcus passed away before the book was published.
The book is available on amazon.com and at Brittany Publications, Ltd.
Arizona Professional Writers 