Jan Cleere – NFPW Award winner!
Jan Cleere is another APW winner in this year’s National Federation of Press Women’s Communication Contest. After winning first place in the At-large competition, her entry went on to the national contest. Jan placed second in her category: “Books, Biography or History” with her entry, Military Wives in Arizona Territory: A History of Women Who Shaped the Frontier.
Congratulations, Jan! We are proud of you!
Jan Cleere – 1st place winner!
Jan Cleere is one of three First Place winners in the At-large division of the NFPW 2021 Communications Contest!
Jan won 1st place in the Books, Biography or History category. Her entry, Military Wives in Arizona Territory: A History of Women Who Shaped the Frontier, will go on to the national level of judging. National award winners will receive a Certificate of Achievement at the NFPW National Communications Conference Awards banquet to be held in Fargo, ND June 23-25.
Accord to Teri Ehresman, contest director , “We had an extremely competitive at-large contest again this year. We had strong entries from entrants from Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Spain, Washington D.C. and Washington state.”
Congratulations, Jan, and good luck!
APW wins big in the At-large contest!
Arizona winners in the 2021 At-large NFPW communications contest
From Teri Ehresman, Contest Director: “You have an outstanding number of winners again this year in the NFPW at-large communications contest.”
Bobbi Bennett – 2nd place, Publication regularly written by entrant; 3rd place, Publication regularly written by entrant; two honorable mentions for Publication regularly written by entrant
Wynne Brown — Honorable Mention, Books, Biography or History
Jan Cleere — 1st place, Books, Biography or History
Chrisann Dawson – 2nd place, general fiction; Honorable Mention, Fiction for adult readers
Jodi Decker — Honorable Mention, Specialty Articles, History
Marie Fasano — 2nd place, photo/writer; 2nd place, Informational Column, 2nd place, Feature story
Rebecca Goodrich — 1st place, Short Stories
Brad Graber – 1st place, Fiction for adult readers
Janelle Molony – Honorable mention, specialty articles, history
Jody Sharpe — 3rd place, Novellas
We had an extremely competitive at-large contest again this year. We had strong entries from entrants from Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Spain, Washington D.C. and Washington state.
Congratulations to all! First place winners in their category move onto the national contest.
2021 APW Virtual State Conference
2021 APW Virtual State Conference
Making the Past Come Alive:
Stories from Days Gone By
Attend the 2021 State Virtual Conference
of Arizona Professional Writers
Saturday, April 17, 2021, 9 a.m. —12 p.m. on Zoom
The conference is presented by Arizona Professional Writers (APW), a non-profit statewide organization of professional women and men in the communications field. The Conference is being brought to members and nonmembers at no charge by APW. To reserve your seat and receive notification of the Zoom link, register at Evenbrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/stories-from-days-gone-by-tickets-147437893709 You will need to register for both the Program open to the public and the general meeting, if you wish to attend both free sessions.
We’ll be holding our annual meeting from 9 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.; followed by a program with two excellent Arizona authors and speakers: Jan Cleere and Linda Pressman. Click here to see more details. Or, click on the navigation tab 2021 APW Virtual State Conference.
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- Speaker Linda Pressman
President’s Page – February & March 2021
March is Women’s History Month. This month I published an article in the Payson Roundup on three interesting women who each have non-traditional jobs: a tree trimmer, an airplane and power-plant inspector and a Septic Pumping company owner. It was fun interviewing each of them. There are so many stories out there. You can find stories about other unique people as well. (See article.)
Speaking of the unusual, this month APW Central had speaker Patty Mahoney tell us about her life growing up in a mortuary where she had to keep secrets that she heard as a child. Only now as a mature adult is she able to tell those stories as a writer. Fascinating!
Marylee MacDonald spoke with the APW Rim chapter in February and March. She has an encyclopedic knowledge of marketing and getting reviews for your publications. If you missed it you really missed an opportunity. We are thinking of having a workshop later in the year with this same topic to learn more from her expertise. Don’t you think that’s a good idea?
If you haven’t been attending the virtual meetings you are missing out on exceptional opportunities for learning how to improve your writing. This is just one benefit of your membership.
We will have an annual APW virtual conference again this year on April 17. We have two excellent speakers – Jan Cleere and Linda Pressman. It will be a half -day program from 9:00 AM to 12:00 noon with a membership meeting 9-10, Jan Cleere speaking from 10-11 and Linda Pressman from 11-12. Short but informative. Come join us. The Zoom invite will be out soon.
The APW Book Club is rolling along. We have become a cohesive group hearing how each member developed their story, sharing their ideas about their book. All members are welcome to join us the fourth Saturday of each month at 10:00 AM.
Several members of APW have won awards in the NFPW Communications Contest. What a group we have! Winners are being posted on the APW website and our FB page and will be recognized at our annual meeting.
At the annual meeting on April 17, 2021, we will be voting for officers for 2021-22.
The Slate includes:
President -Connie Cockrell
Past President- Marie Fasano
Vice President- Bobbie Bennett
Secretary Brenda -Whiteside
Treasurer – open. We need a volunteer-Interested? Email me at mfasano.apw@gmail.com
Keep Writing,
Marie A.Fasano
APW President
Rim Country Chapter June 10 Zoom meeting
Speaker Jan Cleere
We are inviting all members of APW to join us for our next meeting. Nonmembers are welcome too.
Join APW Rim Country for a virtual Zoom meeting on June 10 at 1:00 pm for a presentation by author, historian and lecturer Jan Cleere. Be sure to mark your calendars to save the date. The Zoom link will be forthcoming prior to the meeting.
Jan writes extensively about the people who first settled in the desert Southwest. She travels around the state presenting the stories of early pioneers who were instrumental in settling and civilizing Arizona Territory. Jan is a Roads Scholar with Arizona Humanities and her monthly column, “Western Women,” appears in Tucson’s Arizona Daily Star newspaper detailing the lives of Arizona’s early amazing women. Her freelance work appears in national and regional publications. Jan latest book, From Reveille to Taps: Military Wives on the Arizona Frontier is scheduled for release by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (TwoDot) in March 2021.
Research comes second nature to Jan Cleere who just completed her sixth historical nonfiction book, the stories of women who came west with their military husbands to live on early army posts. But whether you are writing fiction or nonfiction, every book requires research. What have you found helpful? Where do you find subjects or check important details of a location or time period? Jan will be sharing her research methods in locating important documents for her latest book but would also like to hear how others find resources necessary for creating storylines. Join in a round-table discussion of research tools and techniques that will benefit the writer of every genre.
RSVP to Marie Fasano The link for the ZOOM will be sent to your email address prior to the meeting.
President’s message – January, 2020
APW Anthology
As we welcome 2020, we are excited about our many new members coming to our programs in Phoenix Central and Payson Rim Country each month and hearing exceptional speakers.
One item in our history that we almost forgot about is our book, Skirting Traditions. Members of the Arizona Press Women put together this wonderful volume of Arizona Women Writers and Journalists with Brenda Warneka editing. Many of our members, who started the organization in 1953, are included as part of this history.
The book was a project of the Arizona Press Women, Inc. in affiliation with the National Federation of Press Women Education Fund. In 2012, it was approved as an Arizona Centennial Legacy Project by the Arizona Historical Advisory Commission. Profits from the sale of the book will fund scholarships for Arizona students at Arizona colleges and universities.
Recently, I reread several sections. In the first chapter of the book, member Jan Cleere writes of Sharlot Mabridth Hall who fell in love with the Arizona Territory and helped push it to statehood. Sharlot was one of the first inductee’s in the Arizona Women’s Hall of Fame.
Member Marion Gold showcased member Pam Stevenson’s story of being one of the first women newscasters on KOOL-TV. Pam did ten interviews a week and has won numerous awards for her documentaries including News Women: 50 years of Change, which is a celebration of Arizona Press Women’s 50th Anniversary.
One of our goals this year is to reintroduce you to this fabulous historical book and encourage you to purchase it through your usual outlets, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc. and support our scholarship fund.
Keep Writing,
Marie A Fasano
President, Arizona Professional Writers
It’s all about research! February Central Chapter meeting
Jan Cleere
Research is everything! When writing historical biographical books like our February speaker, Jan Cleere, it is easy to see how essential research is. But every book requires research—even fiction. What have you found helpful? Where do you find subjects or check important details of a location or time period? Jan will be sharing her research methods and material sources but would also like to hear how others find resources necessary for creating storylines. Our meeting will be a time of learning and sharing. We hope you can join us!
All about angels- January Central Chapter meeting
APW Central Chapter hosted Jody Sharpe in January on the topic of “The Angels On The Writer’s Shoulders.” Writing about angels became healing for Jody after losing her daughter. The valuable lessons learned about moving forward have set her on a mission to tell stories with love and spiritual awakening, which she shared with the attendees.
Central Chapter Director, Barbara Lacy, said of the meeting, “I have been thinking about ‘my’ Angel ever since!” Two memories came to mind. Here’s one of them in Barbara’s words”
“..two things that happened because of Amazing Coincidence’s. . .that I never could have imagined.
“In 1977, my family and I lived on the Navajo Reservation. I was working on a book about Navajo plant use—being careful to leave out anything about sacred plants. I even had a publisher.
“Then, the Navajo Medicine Men’s Association heard about the book and, as men who were charged with protecting the Tribe’s sacred knowledge of plants, they banned my book. I had finished my project by then. . .and left the Reservation that week.
“Almost 10 years later, a woman professor from Illinois who came to the reservation every summer to research Navajo music, walked into the (now defunct) Navajo Press Bookstore to see what was new. Sitting on the counter was my manuscript!
“’Oh,’ she said, ‘Are you publishing Nanise?’
“’We want to, but we can’t find the author,’ the clerk said.
“My friend (or Angel!) pulled her address book out of her purse and gave her my Phoenix address! (I had met her the summer I stayed behind, after my family had moved to Phoenix, to finish up book details. She spoke Navajo and had been in the room when the Navajo Medicine Men banned the book and told me of their decision right after the meeting. I knew her for all of three days that summer and had no contact with her once I left the Reservation.)
“Did my Angel put the manuscript on the counter that day and direct my friend to the bookstore? Had that meeting almost ten years earlier been directed by my Angel?”
Next month we hear from Jan Cleere who researches interesting Arizona women and writes about them and will talk about sources for research.
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- Barbara Lacy
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- Jan Cleere
More At-Large Communication Contest winners!
APW had several winners in the National Federation of Press Women’s At-Large Communication Contest. Two members won honorable mention for their entries.
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- Dianne Ebert Beeaff
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- Jan Cleere
Dianne Ebert Beeaff won honorable mention in the category- “Short Stories- Single Story,” for A Packet of Arthritis Pills in the Potomac Review Issue 62, Spring 2018.
Jan Cleere won two honorable mentions in the category- “Columns/General.” Jan won for her articles in Western Women columns that she writes for the Tucson Arizona Daily Star.
Congratulations to both!
NFPW is a nationwide organization of women and men pursuing careers across the communications spectrum, including print and electronic journalism, freelancing, new media, books, public relations, marketing, graphic design, photography, advertising, radio and television.
Arizona Professional Writers 