NFPW Communications Contest now open
The annual National Federation of Press Women’s communications contest has officially opened!
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
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- APW President Connie Cockrell conducting the business meeting
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- 2022-23 Board – Jody Sharpe, Marie Fasano, Brenda Whiteside, Connie Cockrell, Cheryl Kohout, Bobbie Bennett, Jaimie Bruzenak
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- 2021 At-large communications contest winners in attendance – Chrissann Dawson, Marie Fasano, Jan Cleere, Bobbie Bennett, Jody Sharpe, Brad Grabor. (Not pictured – Rebecca Goodrich)
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- Dr. Karen Bryson
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- Elena Morrison, winner of the 2022 scholarship. Jody Sharpe and Marie Fasano presenting. (Kathleen Kelly not present). Thanks also to Brenda Whiteside and Brenda Warneka for assisting the committee.
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- Brad Graber
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- Attendees listening to Brad Graber’s talk
Jodi Decker – another winner!
Jodi Decker was awarded Honorable Mention in the Specialty Articles, History category in the A-large division of the 2021 NFPW Communications Contest for her essay in The Stars in Your Family: The Southern California Genealogical Society Anthology. Congratulations, Jodi!
Jodi and other winners will be recognized at our May 14 State Conference in Scottsdale. (see tab above for details and to register.)
Competition in the At-large contest was strong with entries from 18 states, the District of Columbia and Spain.
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- Jodi Decker
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- The Stars in Your Family
Jody Sharpe – 3rd place winner!
Jody Sharpe won third place in Fantasy in the At-large division of the 2021 NFPW Communications Contest! She won for her book, Town of Angels Christmas. Congratulations, Jody!
There was strong competition in the At-Large division with entrants from 18 states, the District of Columbia and Spain.
Jody and the other APW members who won awards in the contest will be honored at our annual State Conference on May 14 at Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West. Besides our business meeting and honoring winners, we’ll have two excellent speakers, a salad lunch and a private docent-led tour of the museum. (Free parking is available.) See the tab above for details and to register. Both members and guests are welcome.
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- Jody Sharpe
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- Jody Sharpe – Town of Angels Christmas
Chrisann Dawson – two awards!
In the At-large division of the 2021 NFPW Communications Contest, Chrisann Dawson won 2nd in General Non-fiction for her devotional, Principles and Proverbs from Pride and Prejudice. And she received an honorable mention for her novel in the Fiction for Adult Readers category, Congo Crisis.
Chrisann will be recognized at the 2022 APW State Conference on May 14 (see tab above) and will be selling her books at the Payson Book Festival on July 23.
This year’s At-large division of the Communications Contest had strong entries from 18 states, the District of Columbia and Spain.
Congratulations, Chrisann!
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- 2021 winner!
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- Chrisann Dawson
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- Chrisann Dawson – Congo Crisis
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- Chrisann Dawson – Principles and Proverbs from Pride and Prejudice
Marie Fasano – another multiple award winner!
APW member Marie Fasano won three second place awards in the 2021 NFPW At-large division of the Communications Contest! Congratulations, Marie!
Marie won 2nd place, photo/writer; 2nd place, Informational Column and 2nd place, Feature story. Her entry, “Celebrating women of Rim Country working in non-traditional roles,” appeared in the Payson Roundup. (Click on the link to read her article.) The photos accompanying the article are in the gallery below.
There was stiff competition in the At-large division with strong entrants from 18 states, the District of Columbia and Spain. Marie and all APW winners will be honored at our annual state conference on May 14. (See tab to get details and to register.)
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- Marie Fasano
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- 2021 winner!
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- Chancy Thomas with her first pump truck and her dog Red – photo credit Marie Fasano
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- Robyn Byers Which trim is the best? – photo credit Marie Fasano
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- Daren DuFriend Tightening the Spark Plugs – photo credit Marie Fasano
Ten benefits for joining APW
APW Benefits
- Meet and exchange ideas with local authors.
- One or two virtual meetings a month with a local speaker on a writing or publishing topic.
- Join the APW Book Club where read and review each other’s work (email Karen Lateiner kslateiner@gmail.com)
- Ability to use APW Zoom for book presentations or other writing-related meetings. (Contact Marie Fasano mafasano1@gmail.com or Jaimie Bruzenak calamityjaimie@gmail.com
- Enter the At-large contest for the National Federation of Press Women. First place winners go on to the national level. Many categories for these prestigious awards. See https://www.nfpw.org/professional-contest We had several winners at the At-large contest. Dianne Beaff and Wynne Brown won awards at the national level.
- Post on our Facebook page more than once about your book. (Nonmembers are limited to one post.) Share your new publications, wins and writing events.
- Keep up on local book and writing events in Arizona.
- Your book listed in the Holiday Bazaar before Christmas. Listed at least once on FB that it is there. (Email Jaimie Bruzenak calamityjaimie@gmail.com)
Additional National Federation of Press Women benefits
- Premium professional members of NFPW have access to discounted libel insurance through its group policy.
- NFPW focuses on and working to support the First Amendment. https://nfpw.memberclicks.net/the-first-amendment-network
Congratulations, Dianne Ebertt Beaff!
Dianne Ebertt Beeaff’s short story collection, On Traigh Lar Beach, was the winner in Short Stories in the At-Large division and moves on to the National Communications Contest.
Dianne is the award-winning author of five previously published books. Her poetry, watercolors, graphite drawings, and magazine articles have been featured throughout the United States and Canada.
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- Dianne Ebertt Beeaff
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- On Traigh Lar Beach – Dianne Ebertt Beeaff https://www.amazon.com/Traigh-Lar-Beach-Dianne-Ebertt-Beeaff/dp/1631527711/ref=sr_1_1
Congratulations to Jody Sharpe!
Special Needs Children, The Angels On My Shoulder by Jody Sharpe has placed second in the category of Autobiography or Memoir in the NFPW At-Large Communications Contest.
Says Jody, this is a memoir of my twenty-five years teaching children with special needs. It’s a love story about the special students and others who over the years graced my life with just that, their grace.
With hearts of angels and challenges to face, the children took me along their journeys and inspired my own life’s journey of self-discovery. When sorrow came, their kindness helped me through. The synchronicity of events from high school to retirement changed my life for the better, turning my face toward heaven.
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- 2nd place Autobiography or Memoir
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- Jody Sharpe
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- The Angels on My Shoulder – Jody Sharpe
Congratulations to Brenda Whiteside!
Brenda Whiteside’s Secrets of the Ravine (The MacKenzie Chronicles, Book 1) was awarded third place in the category Novel, over 40,000 words in the NFPW At-Large Communication Contest. Brenda is a multi-published romantic suspense author and also provides editing services to other writers.
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- Secrets of the Ravine (MacKenzie Chronicles Book 1) by Brenda Whiteside https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Ravine-MacKenzie-Chronicles-Book-ebook/dp/B08GPRFJBT/
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- Brenda Whiteside
Arizona Professional Writers 