Tag Archive | Payson Book Festival
November 28, 2019  

President’s Message – November, 2019

President’s message for November, 2019

Marie Fasano

In November we start planning for the holidays. Some may have family members over to their home; others share the days with friends and neighbors. Lots of writing takes place even if it’s just in cards and email notes.

This year, my first Thanksgiving as president, I am writing to you, the members of APW, to say “Thank you” for your commitment to your chapter by attending meetings to share your writing stories and learn more from excellent speakers.

We have recruited several new members in Central and Rim Country Chapters. There are new ideas to get the word out about you as a writer and to promote APW. Jaimie Bruzenak, our webmaster, has sent out a call to see who might be interested in participating in developing a short video for YouTube or an audio Podcast. Let us know what you think about this idea.

We are excited to announce our plans for 2020 including:

APW representation at the ASU Desert Nights Rising Stars Writers Conference on February 22 by six members: Jan Cleere, Jody Sharpe, Susan Anderson, Jane Ruby, Mary Rechkemmer Meyer and Barbara Lacy. To help with the registration fee, each author will pay a small amount to participate with APW taking up the remainder of the cost. This is just one advantage of being an APW member.

Plans are in place for a spring conference on May 7 in Payson. More info later. Save the date.

Don’t forget Rim Country’s Payson Book Festival July 18, 2020. Sign up early in January to hold your place.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Keep Writing,

Marie A Fasano

President, Arizona Professional Writers

July 31, 2019  

President’s message – July, 2019

Most of July was spent getting ready for the APW Rim Country Payson Book Festival July 20.

It was a wonderful success. The new Kids Zone had dozens of little ones giggling with the puppet show and lots of smiles from the parents. The workshops, especially the favorites, Marshal Trimble, Arizona’s Historian, and Buckshot Dot, with her songs and poetry, played to a packed room. The 90-plus authors sold many books and enjoyed talking with their readers.

I ran around handling AV snafus and any other problem that came along. It was a fun and exhausting day that we plan to repeat next year.

Now on to the fall conference – FREEDOM TO WRITE – at the Wild Horse Pass Casino in Chandler…. SAVE THE DATE Saturday, 28, 2019. Registration will be through Eventbrite.com.

The Presenters are all set. We are so pleased that Gwen Larson, our NFPW President, will be there to speak to our members in the morning and in the afternoon to share a panel on First Amendment Advocacy. She will be joined on the panel by Gregg Leslie, the executive director of the First Amendment Clinic at ASU’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, on the topic Who Will Defend the First Amendment?

At the request of members, Mark Athitakis will present Writing for Free? How to Make Money in Today’s Media Market. For a little levity in the program, we have invited APW member Jodi Weisberg to present a stand-up comic routine – Freedom to be Funny: Stand Up or Sit Down & Write.

For our luncheon speaker The Arizona Newspaper Association brings Matt Adelman, incoming President of the National Newspapers Association, to discuss current issues facing journalists. To round out the day, Kristen Gilger, senior associate dean in charge of professional programs for the ASU Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, will speak on the topic of Women in Journalism.

We haven’t had a conference in a few years, so I am excited to meet one of my goals as President and, together with the Board of Directors, bring you this fabulous line-up of speakers in our joint conference with ANA.

As a final note, I will be attending the memorial service for Bing Brown on Saturday 10:00 am August 24 at the Community Presbyterian Church in Payson. It would be wonderful for Carol if she could see some of her APW friends in attendance as well.

Enjoy the rest of the summer.

Keep writing.

Marie A. Fasano
APW President

July 24, 2019  

James “Bing” Brown obituary

Obituary for James C. “Bing” Brown III
May 17, 1939 – May 31, 2019

James Carrington Brown III, (Bing Brown), 80, of Payson, passed away in Phoenix on May 31, 2019, following a brief illness. He is survived by his wife, Carol G. Brown, Payson, sons James C. Brown IV and Bryan Lee Brown (Ronda) and grandson Asa, of Los Angeles; brother David Brown (Magaly), of Glendale, sister-in-law Stella Brown, of Elfrida, AZ, and numerous nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by parents James Carrington Brown Jr., Virginia, and his brother Tom Brown.

Bing was born in Wilmington, Delaware and the family moved to Prescott, AZ on July 4, 1945. Bing began his career as a teen DJ with a Prescott radio station. He was a reporter with the Prescott Courier, before joining the newsroom staff of the Phoenix Gazette in 1961, where he later served as business editor. A graduate of Arizona State University (ASU), he joined the media and information department of Salt River Project in 1965 and worked there for nearly 25 years in various management roles prior to becoming an information officer for the City of Phoenix Water Services Department. He was an adjunct professor at ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and taught writing and business courses at Rio Salado Community College. Bing was president and co-owner of Carrington Communications, a public relations firm. His articles and photographs were published in Sunset, Westways, Arizona Highways and many other magazines and newspapers.

Recognized for giving his time and talents to community groups, Bing received many awards, including ones from the Boy Scouts of America, Western Coalition of Arid States, Recordings for the Blind, Nature Conservancy and the Heard Museum. After moving to Payson in 2001, Bing raised funds to help the Northern Gila County Museum to build a replica of the original Zane Grey cabin. He worked as a docent in the cabin for many years, enjoyed singing with the Payson Choral Society and helped start the Payson Book Festival.

A celebration of Bing’s life will be held at 10 a.m. on August 24, 2019, at the Community Presbyterian Church, 800 W. Main Street in Payson. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Humane Society of Central Arizona or the scholarship fund of the Payson Choral Society.

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June 25, 2019  

President’s message – June, 2019

President’s Page June 2019

Things are happening!

Bing Brown: As some of you may know, our friend Bing Brown, husband of long-time member Carol Osman Brown, made his transition on May 31, 2019. Bing was a wonderful support to Carol and to APW. He was always there to help and to take photos for us and did it with a smile. We will miss you Bing.

APW Fall Conference: We are well into preparation for the Fall Conference Sept 28, 2019. Be looking to your email and on the arizonaprofessionalwriters.org website for registration information in the next few weeks. We are holding a joint conference with the Arizona Newspapers Association. I met with Tim Thomas, President of ANA, and his staff to plan the conference. We are excited to work together. The day, running from 8:30 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., will include a General Membership meeting, our own meetings and a joint luncheon. The Wild Horse Casino Hotel in Chandler, where we are holding the conference, is giving us a special rate for those who would like to spend the night. We will need volunteers to help get the word out and be there to help on Sept 28. Let me know how you want to participate.

Payson Book Festival: Right now, I am deep in planning for the Payson Book Festival Saturday, July 20, 2019. The APW Rim Country members have been hard at work for months. All the Media work is done (my job).  The volunteers are all lined up and ready (also my job). The 90 authors and vendors are set to go and the Mazatzal Casino is in good form (Connie Cockrell’s job). We have auction items (due to the gathering skills of Bobbie Bennett) the written program is set (Marsha Ward’s job). We have many sponsors and the children’s programs are ready (thanks to other members of our committee from the community).

Literacy: The Payson Chapter does meet once a month to bring in outside speakers for information and enlightenment to our members, but we are also doing things that I think the chapters might try. We are working with other organizations in the community to promote literacy for children. The children have produced a book and are working on a puppet show for the Payson Book Festival. How many other ideas can members come up with in your own community?

Central Chapter meeting: I attended the Central chapter meeting on Saturday July 20th at the home of Barbara Lacy. In attendance were Lois McFarland, Emily Cary, Brenda Warneka, Bobbie Bennett, Pam Stevenson, Barbara and me. The group was pleased we are having a fall conference and several folks agreed to help with getting the word out.  The group wanted to continue the APW group and is planning their next meeting, a luncheon, in Westminster Village in Scottsdale on September 14. Barbara Lacy will let you know more, later. Those in Central can put it on your calendar.

Virginia Piper: That same after noon I attended the Virginia Piper Inaugural meeting of the #PhxLit serve : A collective space for creative writing community organizers to stay connected and communicate as they work towards common goals .

My goals were to network with the literary community; make them aware of APW and the Payson Book Festival. Those goals were met. I have several more contacts who are interested in APW, our fall conference and the Payson Book Festival.

Bylaws: Now back to work on the draft of the Bylaws revision. When I accepted the job of President, my promise was to work to revitalize APW and that’s what I am spending my time doing. It’s exciting to meet active, former and new members.

See you at the Payson Book Festival July 20!

Keep Writing,

Marie A. Fasano

President, APW

 

May 28, 2019  

President’s Message May 2019

This has been a month of travel for me for happy and sad reasons. My family held a memorial for my sister, Fran in Long Island, New York near where we grew up. Her children and grandchildren put together a video about her life. They truly honored their “Grammie.” It brought back many memories of growing up in the city. The good part, as with any reunion, was connecting with my diverse family. We then drove to Colorado for a grandson’s high school graduation. As we traveled, I noticed all the variety of colorful blooms from the dessert to the snow peaked mountains.

 

It reminds me that May also brings the flowering of new ideas. Our plans to revitalize the organization are coming to fruition. This month we finalized our fall conference. On September 28, 2019 we will join the Arizona Newspapers Association for a joint conference at the Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino in Chandler, Arizona.

The morning sessions will be the APW gathering and general meeting. The luncheon with a guest speaker and afternoon sessions will be of interest to both APW/ANA members. APW has not had an annual conference for a few years and this was one of my goals on becoming President. So be ready to hear more about the conference on our website and Facebook page.

 

The Rim Country Chapter has completed its school literacy project together with Gila County Library District and the Payson Book Festival, Inc. Through its after-school program, Payson Community Kids now has a book written and illustrated by the children that will be sold at the Payson Book Festival. Their MicrozineWorkshop with Phoenix Poet Laureate Rosemarie Dombrowski and sixth-grade students at Rim Country Middle School produced many Micropoetry books.

 

Barbara Lacy, director of the Phoenix Chapter and I are planning a gathering of the Phoenix area members at her home on Saturday, June 22 , 10-11 a.m. Take an hour out of your day to join us. We would like to connect with all the Phoenix members. Plan to be there to get an update on APW happenings and future plans. Contact Barbara at blacy1@cox.net.

 

To promote APW, I am planning to attend an inaugural meeting in June of The Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing #PhxLitServ, a network for creative writing community organizers to come together and work towards common goals. I hope to make some important contacts and reach new members. 

 

The Bylaws Committee continues to look at what needs changing in our evolving organization. As a member you can view the Bylaws on the member page of our website. We would be pleased to have member input for needed changes. If you don’t have the code for the member page contact our webmaster Jaimie Bruzenak calamityjaimie@gmail.com

 

Keep Writing,

 

Marie Fasano
President

Arizona Professional Writers

April 13, 2019  

President’s Message – April 2019

April, 2019

“Those April Showers bring May flowers.” What beautiful carpets of flowers we have throughout Arizona because of all the rain this year. On a personal note, the song was one my sister and I sang about three years in a row as children in Mt. Manor, Pennsylvania at talent shows each year. She recently passed away and that song and picture came to mind.

Bobbie Bennett, first VP and Event Planner, and I continue to work on the fall conference. The date is still fluid at this time and as soon as we select a venue and set a date we’ll let you know. It’s good to have members who know the history of the organization and Carol Osman Brown has been a wonderful help to these new officers in sharing the history and helping with the planning.

Since I reside in the Rim Country District I want to tell you what we are doing to promote literacy. Perhaps this will encourage other chapters to do more outreach. Many of you know about the successful Payson Book Festival, now in its 5th year. This year we have several pre-festival workshop projects. Elaine Votruba with the Gila County Library, Public Services is joining the Payson Book Festival on three projects. One project, with the non-profit Payson Community Kids, is working with youngsters to write their own books that will be sold at the Payson Book Festival for all to see. Proceeds will benefit the Community Kids. The older children are preparing a puppet show for the Festival in our “Kids Zone.” The children are excited to be part of the Festival.

Most of my activities these days are devoted to putting together media, planning radio interviews and writing articles to promote the Payson Book Festival.

We want to hear about your writing and new books. Let Jaimie Bruzenak, website and Facebook administrator, know about your projects. Let’s continue to share what we are doing.

There is much in the news now about journalists’ rights. How timely this is since the theme for our upcoming state conference is the First Amendment. We have not had a gathering of Arizona Professional Writers for several years and we are looking forward to meeting members this fall.

Keep Writing,

Marie Fasano

February 21, 2019  

Susan Haught wins 2019 Best Writer Award in the reader’s choice Best of the Rim contest!

Susan Haught

Susan Haught: A member of the Arizona Professional Writers, Rim Country Chapter,Author Susan Haught, has received the 2019 Best Writer Award in the reader’s choice Best of the Rim contest sponsored by the Payson Roundup Newspaper. Susan’s response to the award.”There’s nothing more thrilling and humbling than for your work to be recognized in your home community. I’m forever grateful to those who took the time to vote. ”

Here is a little about Susan in her own words.

Hello, everyone. It’s early morning here in Payson and I’m deathly allergic to morning, so allow me to introduce myself before my coffee gets cold. My name is Susan Haught and I make things up, write them down, and call them novels. Besides being a mom, it’s the hardest job I’ve ever had, yet ranks up there with motherhood as the most rewarding. To hold months of hard work in your hand as a physical book never gets old, even after four novels. That moment makes months of joy, tears, and frustration worth it, and when a reader contacts me to say my words affected them in some way, I know I’ve done my job.

I consider myself a black liquorice connoisseur, coffee addict, wine sipper, and brown-thumb gardener who spends a great deal of time murdering the poor plants unfortunate enough to end up in my cart. I’m also an award-winning author who writes deeply emotional stories of family, friendship, and the healing power of love. I’m somewhat handier with stories than I am with a garden shovel. But I find gardening helps me to decompress and it takes my mind off writing, at least for a little while. Come to think of it, so does Australian or Finnish black liquorice!

I’ve been blessed to have received several awards for my work, the most recent the Rim Country Best Writer award sponsored by the Payson Roundup.

The Whisper of the Pines series consists of four novels and a companion book: A Promise of Fireflies, In the Shadow of Fate (A Promise of Fireflies companion), A Thousand Butterfly Wishes, The Other Side of Broken, and Outside the Lines. Three have gone on to win awards for excellence in independent publishing in women’s fiction and/or romance, are Reader’s Favorite 5 Star novels, and The Other Side of Broken was chosen by Writer’s Digest (judge 17) as “a novel not to be missed.” and Ink & Insight says, “This is what women’s fiction is supposed to be.” Outside the Lines is my newest baby, released Jan. 15, 2019, and I’m in the process of writing Book 5, Christmas Under the Tuscan Stars which will be released for the 2019 holidays.

I’m a member of Romance Writers of America, RWA-Women’s Fiction writers, Women’s Fiction Writers Association, APW, and APW Rim Country Chapter. I’ll be at the Payson Book Festival in July, and if you’re in the area or plan to attend, please stop by and say hello. I’d love to meet you!

February 4, 2019  

Payson Book Festival -save the date!

Save the date – July 20, 2019. For more information see the Payson Book Festival webpage.

November 14, 2017  

APW member Beverly Raphael Konik Dies

Beverly Raphael Konik, owner of Write Visions Communications, worked as a free-lance writer. She served for more than a decade as state treasurer of Arizona Professional Writers (APW) and was in this capacity on the APW State Board of Directors until her death on Nov. 6, 2017. Bev passed away in her sleep after battling cancer for a brief time. She enjoyed friendships with many APW members who appreciated her quick wit, great sense of humor and compassion for others.

Bev joined APW in 1995 and also was a member of the National Federation of Press Women. A respected freelance writer, she used her strong writing, organization and research skills as a volunteer working on many APW projects. These included APW high school student scholarships, educational programs for journalists and organizing state conferences. Bev was an avid reader with a strong curiosity and love of travel. She delighted in meeting authors and helped secure grants for the Payson Book Festival, an APW literacy project.

Born Dec. 28, 1938 in Pittsburg, PA, Bev came to Arizona in 1975. She worked for the State of AZ in labor relations where she helped resolve conflicts and then worked for the City of Phoenix for more than 15 years.before retiring in 1996 to take care of her father. She was a community activist who mentored youth and helped promote positive changes in education, environment, wildlife and social issues.

She is survived by her daughter, Rachel Harvey of San Francisco, brother Barry Konigsford, and his wife Kitty Konigsford of Mt. Prospect (Chicago,) IL, and their children Brian Konigsford and Janice Konigsford, and Sue Jaeger, sister-in-law. She was preceded in death by her brother, William Konigsford, and parents Evelyn Konigsford and Lewis Konigsford.

A memorial service/celebration of life for Bev is scheduled for 11 a.m. – 3 p.m., Dec.2, 2017 at Christ’s Community Church, 3710 W. Orangewood, Phoenix, AZ 85051. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Arizona Community Foundation, 602-381-1400 or www.az.foundation.org .

If you have memories or photos to share, you can send them to the APW Facebook page and to an email address established by the family: bevsmemorial2017@gmail.com .

July 7, 2017  

Payson Book Festival featured on KTAR FM 92.3

The Rim Country District of APW is co-hosting the Payson Book Festival on July 22 at the Mazatal Casino in Payson. Check  the Facebook page for upcoming interviews with APW members and other authors on Payson’s radio stations KMOG and KRIM.

The Payson Book Festival and two of its authors will be featured on Saturday, July 8 on Glendale FM station KTAR.

KTAR – 92.3 will host featured authors Roger Naylor and Stella Pope Duarte on July 8 from 7:00 a.m. 5to 8:00 a.m. on the RosieontheHouse show, host by Rosie Romer. Listeners can listen live, online or via app.

Tune in! And we hope to see you on July 22 at the Payson Book Festival!

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