Photo recap – 2024 State Conference
The APW 2024 State Conference was held on the beautiful grounds of the Franciscan Renewal Center in Paradise Valley. Officers were elected. Winners in the At-large division of the NFPW Communication Contest were announced. The 1st place winners will be entered in the national contest and winners announced in June. We also awarded our $1000 scholarship to Grace Meinema, who won it last year as well. Our two excellent speakers were Kathleen Osbourne and Howard Gershkowitz. They provided excellent insights into our theme “May the 4th Be With You!” A docent, Ann, from the Renewal Center gave us a history of the Center.
Photo credits: Bobbie Bennett, photographer except for 3 with an * by Jaimie Bruzenak
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- *Franciscan Renewal Center
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- *Franciscan Renewal Center grounds
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- Outgoing President Connie Cockrell and Brenda Whiteside, Secretary
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- Marie Fasano accepting registrations
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- Dr Linda Sandel Pettit helping out the speaker
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- Speaker Kathleen Osborne “Wisdom from the Galaxy”
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- Afternoon speaker
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- First place winners in the At-large contest -Jody Sharpe, Bobbie Bennett, Nancy Marshall, Carol Baxter
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- Jody Sharpe – Scholarship Chair
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- *Grace Meinema- scholarship winner and Jody Sharpe
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- Speaker Howard Gershkowitz -“Time Management in the 3rd Dimension”
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- Franciscan Renewal Center Docent – Ann
APW Rim Country Chapter Hybrid meeting w Brenda Whiteside
Connie Cockrell is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom and in-person meeting.
Topic: Brenda Whiteside – The Big “O”: Let’s Get Organized!
Date: Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Time: 01:00 PM Arizona
In-person: Majestic Rim Living Community on E. Tyler Parkway next to the community garden. We’ll be in the chapel, just inside the lobby on the right side of the lobby.
Zoom: Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85153617532?pwd=L1pmeFdsRFV5TDBERFBjdHJzTkxBUT09
Meeting ID: 851 5361 7532
Passcode: 831530
One tap mobile
+13462487799,,85153617532#,,,,*831530# US (Houston)
+16694449171,,85153617532#,,,,*831530# US
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcsNSgI5Br
Join us as Brenda Whiteside talks about The Big “O”: Let’s Get Organized!
Getting organized before you type the first word in your new manuscript will save you frustration and time in both your writing career and personal life. Build your foundation first. Brenda will offer up tips, examples and samples, advice, and the tools to make your writing day flow easier and faster.
Bio: Brenda Whiteside is the award-winning author of romantic suspense, cozy mystery, and romance. She writes children’s books with her granddaughter under the names of Brenda Sue and Sadi Belle. The secret to being a prolific published author is getting organized.
She’s a born and bred Arizona native who sets her fictional stories in imaginary, but recognizable, Arizona locations. After marrying, she and her husband lived in six states and two countries, but a few years back they settled in Central Arizona. They admit to being gypsies at heart so won’t discount the possibility of another move. They share their home with a rescue dog named Amigo. While FDW fishes, Brenda writes.
Brenda’s website is BrendaWhiteside.com
APW Book Club 4/27/24 with Connie Cockrell
Topic: APW Book Club 4/27 with Connie Cockrell – Downtrodden
Date: Apr 27, 2024
Time: 10:00 AM Arizona
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87097024268?pwd=cktJODlqM0dLcERLV0xXaXJwbDRJQT09
Meeting ID: 870 9702 4268
Passcode: 210784
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kc94grNqxT
Get started reading now so you can contribute! The Downtrodden is book two in the
Book description:
Wary after escaping from the Children of God, Alyssa and Kyra stop to help another survivor community but it’s up to Kyra to save them all from a mad man’s plans before they’re trapped.
Hardship, hunger, and thirst plague Kyra and Alyssa after their escape from the Children of God. A lucky find allows them to re-arm and resupply. Now they’ve found another survivor community and after watching the place for two days they decide to risk introducing themselves. They’re greeted with enthusiasm at the door but by that evening, find they’re trapped again in a community teetering on the brink of desperation. The survivors beg Kyra to help them remove the community’s leader but her plan pushes her to her limits. Can she carry out the plan or will she and Alyssa join the ranks of the downtrodden?
Bio
Connie Cockrell
A 20-year Air Force career, time as a manager at a computer operations company, wife, mother, sister, and volunteer, provides a rich background for Connie Cockrell’s storytelling.
Cockrell grew up in upstate NY, just outside of Gloversville, NY before she joined the military at age 18. Having lived in Europe, Great Britain, and several places around the United States, she now lives in Payson, AZ with her husband: hiking, gardening, and playing bunko. She writes about whatever comes into her head so her books could be in any genre. She’s published twenty books so far, has been included in five different anthologies and been published on EveryDayStories.com and FrontierTales.com. Connie’s always on the lookout for a good story idea. Beware, you may be the next one.
APW Rim Country Chapter – 2/21/24 Writing a bio
Connie Cockrell is inviting you to a hybrid in-person/Zoom meeting.
The Rim Country chapter of the Arizona Professional Writers will meet on February 21st at 1pm in the Majestic Rim Living facility on E. Tyler Parkway, in the chapel off of the lobby.The speaker will be chapter president, Connie Cockrell. Her presentation will be on how to write a bio.
Topic: Connie Cockrell on how to write a bio.
Date: Wednesday, February 21, 2024
Time: 1 pm
Location: Majestic Rim Living in Payson on E. Tyler Parkway in the chapel off the lobby.
Also available on Zoom:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89936933937?pwd=anhpaHYrUE9GaVBhazVBNktESjdpUT09
Meeting ID: 899 3693 3937
Passcode: 671008
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbzqD6uyQ5
HANDOUT: Available at the meeting. It will be sent out to those attending on Zoom. Please print it before the meeting so you can follow along.
TOPIC: An author’s bio, while not long, holds a key spot in any author’s marketing and advertising work. Learn about the key parts of the bio and how to write them.
Connie Cockrell
BIO: Connie Cockrell is a 20-year Air Force career, a manager at a computer operations company, as well as wife, mother, sister and volunteer. All this experience provides a rich background for her storytelling.
She writes about whatever comes into her head so her books could be in any genre. She’s published 20 books, has been included in five anthologies and been published on EveryDayStories.com and FrontierTales.com. Connie’s always on the lookout for a good story idea. Beware, you may be the next one.
She can be found at conniesrandomthoughts.com or on Facebook at: Facebook.com/ConniesRandomThoughts or on Twitter at: @ConnieCockrell or on Amazon at amazon.com/author/conniecockrell
APW Book Club 2/24/24 with Connie Cockrell
Save the date!
Connie Cockrell has graciously agreed to present her book for our review. If you are interested in presenting, send Karen an email and she will put you on the schedule.
APW Book Group with Connie Cockrell and First Encounter
Date: Saturday, February 24
Time: 10 am
Zoom link to follow
First Encounter: A SciFi, Young Adult, Post Apocalyptic Story by Connie Cockrell
Book Blurb:
It took a month of hard travel to find their first survivor community. After a cool welcome and a meager feast, Alyssa and Kyra find that the community has very restrictive roles they expect women to take. Imprisoned and starved, a young woman befriends them at great risk to herself. When the woman tells them the men of the community are bidding on Kyra to take to wife, they form a plan to escape. Weak, hungry and afraid, will Alyssa and Kyra have the strength to escape certain slavery?
Connie Cockrell Bio
Connie Cockrell
A 20-year Air Force career, time as a manager at a computer operations company, wife, mother, sister, and volunteer, provides a rich background for Connie Cockrell’s storytelling.
Cockrell grew up in upstate NY, just outside of Gloversville, NY before she joined the military at age 18. Having lived in Europe, Great Britain, and several places around the United States, she now lives in Payson, AZ with her husband hiking, gardening, and playing bunko. She writes about whatever comes into her head so her books could be in any genre. She’s published twenty books so far, has been included in five different anthologies and been published on EveryDayStories.com and FrontierTales.com. Connie’s always on the lookout for a good story idea. Beware, you may be the next one.
She can be found at ConniesRandomThoughts.com or on Facebook at: Facebook.com/ConniesRandomThoughts or on Amazon at Amazon.com/author/conniecockrell
You can purchase the book at Amazon on Kindle ($.99) or in paperback.
APW Rim County Chapter 1/17/24 – Kent Thompson
Rim Country Chapter meeting – in person and on Zoom!
APW Rim Country Chapter meeting will be held at 1 pm on January 17th at Majestic Rim Retirement on E. Tyler Parkway in their meeting room off the lobby. The speaker is Kent Thompson. The presentation will also be on Zoom.
Connie Cockrell is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: APW Rim Country Chapter with Kent Thompson, author of historical fiction A Patriot’s Dream
Date: Wednesday, January 17, 2024
Time: 01:00 PM Arizona
Location: Majestic Rim Retirement on E. Tyler Parkway, Payson, AZ in their meeting room off the lobby OR
Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86138644415?pwd=M0dnSnJsWWFyeHFqYlc3cW9ibnRkUT09
Meeting ID: 861 3864 4415
Passcode: 372235
One tap mobile
+12532158782,,86138644415#,,,,*372235# US (Tacoma)
+13462487799,,86138644415#,,,,*372235# US (Houston)
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kb0fAtAj6O
Bio: Kent Thompson grew up in Newcastle, Wyoming. After a few years in California, he met his wife and they moved back to Wyoming so Kent could finish college at the University of Wyoming, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in history.
Though his original career goal was to teach history and coach football and basketball, he ended up with a career in the oil industry back in California. Towards the end he supervised three offshore platforms and worked with Navy SEAL TRADET to plan SEAL training on those platforms. Kent and Susan now live in a small mountain town in Arizona. They will never actually “retire.” They have three grown children and two grandsons.
Kent is a lifelong student of the U.S. Constitution and the Federalist Papers and has authored the fiction book, A Patriot’s Dream: The Restoration. He’ll be talking about his book and writing historical fiction.
APW meeting 11/15 “How to do a Book Launch” with Gale Kittleson
Connie Cockrell is inviting you to a hybrid in-person/virtual meeting! We will meet in person as well as on Zoom!
The Rim Country APW will meet on November 15th, 1pm, at the Payson Library. Our guest speaker is Gail Kittleson. She’ll be talking about “How to do a Book Launch.” She’ll have books available for sale and signing. This is an open meeting, so curious-new-to-writing authors of all kinds are invited to attend.
Topic: How to do a Book Launch with Gale Kittleson
Date: November 15, 2023
Time: 1 pm AZ time
Location: Payson Library at 328 N McLane Rd, Payson, AZ or
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85347882563?pwd=aGJzbGJzbTJTRXBNRmZkL0NjUHpCQT09
Meeting ID: 853 4788 2563
Passcode: 243400
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kchF2uSpQP
Bio: Writing has always been both a joy and a survival tool for Gail Kittleson. When she instructed college writing classes, attending a writing retreat motivated her to pen a memoir. A decade later, this debut publication paved the way for writing historical fiction. Gail’s make-do characters, usually World War II era, rise above adversities to make a difference. She loves to encourage other authors through her workshops. She and her retired Army Chaplain husband enjoy grandchildren and creating a Northern Iowa cottage garden. In winter, they retreat to the beautiful Ponderosa forest of Arizona’s Mogollon Rim. You can learn more about Gail at http://www.gailkittleson.com
President’s letter – end of 2023
Connie Cockrell
Has 2023 been as much of a whirlwind for you as it has been for me? Whew! Makes my head spin.
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.
For December, all the chapters are planning holiday luncheons instead of regular meetings. I know the time to just chat is as important as our meetings full of useful and delightful information. Enjoy!
We continue to call for volunteers. Elections are coming up in May at our annual conference. Would you like to take a more active role in the state organization? In addition, the Payson Book Festival committee needs a new Silent Auction manager and a person to head up Sponsorships. New people bring fresh, new ideas and we want to keep our organizations both active and relevant. Contact me at connie.cockrell@gmail.com to volunteer.
The NFPW Communications contest has just begun. Look over your published work for 2023 and enter the contest. There are so many categories, I’m sure you’ll find one that’s just right for you. You can check out the contest rules and enter the contest at https://www.nfpw.org/professional-contest, You do not need to be a member to enter. However, if you win, they do encourage you to become a member.
Also, speaking of NFPW, their annual conference for 2024 will be in St. Louis. I attended the 2023 event and had a great time and learned so much! Just ask Jody Sharpe. She attended the last day and took the opportunity to attend the awards dinner. What a great time. You can look at the details for 2024 at https://www.nfpw.org/2024-conference-st-louis. I’ll be going again and would love to have some of our Arizona people attend as well.
My calendar has January 6th, 10 am, as our next APW State Officer’s board 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 meetings, the Rim Country chapter will begin holding in-person meetings again. I wasn’t able to find a location for October, but we do have a temporary meeting place for November. Mark your calendars for November 15th, at 1pm at the library. I’ve arranged for Gail Kittleson to come and talk about how she does a new book launch. She’ll be bringing her newest book, in the middle of her book launch, for us to look at and buy. After that, we’ll go back to Majestic Rim Living starting January 17th, 1 pm, in their chapel meeting space.
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
We are also happy to announce our Holiday Bazaar at our website: https://arizonaprofessionalwriters.org/holiday-bazaar-2023/. 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 jpeg of the front cover and your website link, and she’ll post it for you. Books make great presents!
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, go to https://arizonaprofessionalwriters.org/about/join-2/ for the form. State-only membership is $30. Thank you everyone for your continued support of this historic organization.
That’s it for 2023. Everyone stay safe, enjoy the upcoming holidays, and hope to see you at the next meeting!
Connie Cockrell
APW President
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.
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- Delicious lunch!
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- Speaker Debra Utacia Krol
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- Debra Utacia Krol
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- Grace Meinema – 2023 Scholarship Winner
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- Jody Sharpe & Connie Cockrell presenting the scholarship to Grace Meinema
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- Connie Cockrell – APW President – Annual Meeting
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- Elena Selestewa, speaker
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- Bobbie Bennett, Conference organizer, thanking Elena Selestewa
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- Jody Sharpe, Scholarship Chairperson, announcing the winner for 2023
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”
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- Connie Cockrell
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- Nancy Marshall
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- Jodi Decker
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- Jody Sharpe
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- Marie Fasano
Arizona Professional Writers 