President’s Page – July 2021
April was a month packed full of activity. First of all, Welcome! I’m Connie Cockrell, newly elected President for the Arizona Professional Writers. The biggest event was the April 17th Virtual State Conference. In our short business meeting, we elected new officers. I was elected President, Marie Fasano steps into the Past President role, Bobbie Bennett remains Vice President, and Brenda Whiteside remains Secretary.
Most importantly, we are in need of a Membership Director and a Treasurer. These are vital positions in any organization. Both areas are in good shape, we just need a couple of people to see the value in keeping our organization vibrant by stepping up to volunteer. You can contact me at connie.cockrell@gmail.com to talk about it.
June was the National Federation of Press Women virtual conference. In the national contest, Dianne Beeaff from Tucson, won second place in the category Collection of Short Stories, with her book titled On Traigh Lar Beach. See her website for info on the book. Wynne Brown, also of Tucson, won second place for the category Newsletter, Web, and Social Media. Her entry, Personal, The Sara Lemmon Project can be found at her website or contact her at wynne@wynnebrown.com. Congratulations to both as there were thousands of entries nationwide making competition very high.
Our Communicator of Achievement, Marie Fasano, attended the NFPW virtual award ceremony. We’re sorry to say that she didn’t win. Sherri Burris was selected. You can find her details at NFPW. Congratulations to Ms. Burris.
July features the Payson Book Festival. It is July 17th at the Mazatzal Hotel and Casino from 9am to 3:30pm. We have over 70 authors this year. We’ll have a shortened children’s program in the morning and entertainment by Marshall Trimble, Buckshot Dot, and a panel of Grand Canyon experts scheduled for the afternoon. I do hope you can make it to the festival even if you aren’t a “seller”. It will be a great time to catch up!
Speaking of the book festival, we’re doing a lot of posting on our Facebook pages for both APW and the book festival. Take a look at those pages and share the posts. Lots of people sharing creates a big boost in the number of people who get to see the post. It’s an easy way for you to get to know the authors appearing and to help us drive attendance to the festival. Payson Book Festival Facebook page and Arizona Professional Writers Facebook page.
That’s it for July. Everyone stay safe, enjoy the summer, and hope to see you at the book festival!
Connie Cockrell
APW President
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 2021 NFPW Communications Contest winners
Congratulations to APWs two winners at the national level of the NFPS Communications contest! Both won first place in the At-Large Contest before advancing to the finals. We are very proud of them!
Dianne Beeaff (Tucson) – Second place – Collection of short stories written by entrant, On Traigh Lar Beach
Wynne Brown (Tucson) –Second place – Newsletter Web and Social Media – Electronic Newsletter – Personal, The Sara Lemmon Project
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- Dianne Ebertt Beeaff
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- Wynne Brown
June 9: Humor and the Author’s Platform
Connie Cockrell of Rim Country Chapter is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: APW Rim Country Meeting – Guest Brad Graber: Humor and the Author’s Platform
Date: June 9, 2021
Time: 01:00 PM Arizona
Humor and the Author’s Platform
Everyone loves to laugh. So how can an author leverage a great sense of humor to sell books? Join us on June 9th at 1:00 pm to hear Brad Graber discuss the use of humor in building and maintaining relationships with readers.
Brad Graber is an award-winning author who writes novels because he grew up in a family where no one ever listened to him – so he made up stories about them. Brad’s latest release is What’s That Growing in My Sour Cream? – a collection of over seventy essays from Brad’s monthly humor blog: There, I Said It! Brad is also the author of two novels of contemporary fiction: After the Fall and The Intersect. Brad’s third novel Boca by Moonlight is scheduled for release January 2022. Brad currently lives in Phoenix with his husband, Jeff.
Contact: connie.cockrell@gmail.com for the Zoom link.
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- Brad Graber
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- What’s That Growing in My Sour Cream? Brad Graber
June 12: Novel As A Second Act
APW Central District Guest Speaker Sheila Grinell “NOVEL AS SECOND ACT”
Susan C Anderson, Chairperson, is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: APW Central Guest Sheila Grinell: Novel As A Second Act
Date: Jun 12, 2021
Time: 10:00 AM Arizona
“If you’ve ever contemplated leaving a job and starting something completely new, you’ve probably also thought about all the good reasons not to. Even so, there may be a benefit in forging straight ahead.” –Sheila Grinell, novelist and former CEO of the Arizona Science Center came to Phoenix in 1993 to build the Arizona Science Center. In her sixties, she took on a different challenge—to begin a second career as a novelist.
What was it like for Sheila to start over again? How does her experience compare to that of others facing a life transition? How does writing compare to running a museum? Sheila will share lessons learned, with time for Q&A.
Her debut novel, APPETITE, was published in 2016, and a second novel, THE CONTRACT, appeared in September 2019. Born in a taxi in Manhattan, she studied at The Bronx High School of Science, Harvard University, and the University of California at Berkeley. She lives in Phoenix with her husband, Tom Johnson.
To receive the Zoom link, contact Susan.APW@hotmail.com
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- Sheila Grinell
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- Sheila Grinell – The Contract
2021 At-Large Communications Contest winners
- Second place -Columns, general, Roaming the Rim Column – “WHO designates 2020 as Year of the Nurse and Midwife”
- Honorable mention -Feature story, Print based newspaper, “Homeless Give Back “
- Third Place- Autobiograpy or Memoir, Surrender
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Second Place-Collection of short stories written by entrant (published together in book form, including electronic books) Body Language
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Honorable Mention Nonfiction Book for Adult Readers – General Nonficton, The Big Book of Small Presses and Independent Publishers
APW Rim Country Meeting Wed. May 12, 1:00PM
May 8 – Writing on the go!
Central Chapter chairperson, Susan Anderson, is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: APW Central meeting: Writing on the go! Jaimie Bruzenak
Date: May 8, 2021
Time: 10:00 AM Arizona
Writing on the go!
Did you ever consider combining traveling this country while writing? APW member Jaimie Bruzenak and her late husband, Bill, began full-time RVing on Election Day 1992. They voted and left Pennsylvania for the West. Her only writing previously was customizing business proposals and regular letters describing their travels to relatives and friends.
However, she started contributing pieces to her RV Club and to a publication that advertised jobs for RVers wanting seasonal work. She wrote a book on this topic, self-published, marketed and fulfilled orders. With a writing partner she added two more print books plus eBooks. She decided a few years ago that she had “been there, done that” and it was time to do some new things in her remaining years. Used copies of her print books plus eBooks can still be found but she no longer markets or updates them.
She’ll talk about self-publishing vs traditional publishing and why she chose the former; building a brand and opportunities for writing while traveling in an RV.
Contact: Susan.APW@hotmail.com for the link if you did not receive it.
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- Jaimie Bruzenak
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- Support Your RV Lifestyle!
APW Book Club – 5/22 -What’s That Growing in My Sour Cream?
Our next APW Book Club meeting will feature Brad Graber’s What’s That Growing in My Sour Cream?
Date: Saturday, May 22
Time: 10:00 A.M.
Zoom: The link has been sent to members of the Book Club. If you did not receive the link and would like to participate, get a copy of Brad’s book and email Karen Lateiner, host for the link.
Ever wonder why a fly is circling the deli? What you can learn from your dog about aging? If Mahjong is the true game of champions? Wonder no more. If you’re a fan of the Chicken Soup series, love Erma Bombeck, David Sedaris, and Larry David, you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll wonder why you didn’t buy this book sooner (and so will Brad).
What’s That Growing in My Sour Cream? is the winner of the 2020 National Indie Excellence Award in Humor, 1st prize from the Colorado Independent Publishers Association in Humor, recipient of a Bronze from Readers’ Favorite, and 1st place in the National Federation of Press Women At-Large Communications Contest.
Insightful, personal, and often very funny, What’s That Growing in My Sour Cream? consists of over seventy essays exploring the subjects we only share with our dearest friends.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Brad Graber is the award-winning author of The Intersect and After the Fall. He also writes a humor blog: “There, I Said It!” Born and raised in New York City, he grew up in a family where no one listened to him. So, he made up stories about them. He currently lives in Phoenix with his husband, Jeff. For more information on Brad, check our his website and subscribe to his blog at: BradGraber.com
What’s That Growing in My Sour Cream? is available in paperback, ebook, or audiobook, and can be purchased at: https://www.amazon.com/Whats-That-Growing-Sour-Cream/dp/0997604247
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- Brad Graber
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- What is Growing in My Sour Cream? – Brad Graber
Marie Fasano -winner of COA!
Congratulations to Marie Fasano! She was named Communicator of Achievement for Arizona for 2021 at our APW Virtual State Conference on April 17, 2021. Her entry is being considered by NFPW at the national level. Her writing and community involvement credentials are impressive. Here’s a very brief summary of Marie’s career. And the photos are of our new president, Connie Cockrell, presenting Marie with a certificate and the traditional Navajo Storyteller figurine for her achievement.
Marie A. Fasano from Arizona had a career in nursing and as a photojournalist. As a pilot, she volunteered flying to clinics in Mexico and writing travel articles. Marie has published books in the health field and a memoir, Tessie’s Tales. She edited two nationwide magazines and wrote articles for newspapers and magazines. Currently, she writes a column for the Payson Roundup, “Roaming the Rim.”
We should note that a Communicator of Achievement is not named every year. So it is quite an honor for Marie to be selected and well deserved!
