Branch News, Fall 2024
Santa Clara County Shines Spotlight on NLAPW
By Dorothy Atkins, Outreach Chair
Fifteen members including an artist from our Diablo Alameda Branch highlighted all their creativeness on a sunshiny day in a lovely setting at the Headen Inman Museum House in Santa Clara in August. Artists, writers, dancers, and entertainers introduced Pen Women to the community.
Under canopies filled with artwork and books of all kinds, visitors were able to meet and greet each artist while shopping and learning more about NLAPW. Inside the vintage house, Pen Women displayed their latest books and art while chatting with guests.
The day was filled with friends of Pen Women who entertained with a sing-along, guitar music, vocalist, an on-the-spot sketch artist, and, to top it off, a visit from Mae West. Our writers were invited outdoors to read passages from their latest books to the delight of the audience. A free raffle rounded out the day and attendees were invited to hang out for a complimentary lunch provided by the branch.
Participating Pen Women were Kathryn Tyler, Mary Miller Chiao, Jude Tolley, Gerri Forte, Carol Woodard, Carol Greene, Ariel Smart, Dorothy Brown, Luanna Leisure, Gail Lockhart, Elizabeth Hack, Dorothy Atkins, Lorraine Gabbert, Elvira Rascov, and Pat Fisher. Much appreciation to the husbands and sons of Pen Women who did our setup and takedown and to the many members who contributed their support. It may have been a hot day, but it was certainly a joyful day.
Pensacola Showcases Artists and Writers in ‘Hai-Art’
Pensacola’s show, “Hai-Art: A Fusion of Art & Haiku,” graced the Suzanne Robbert Gallery inside Artel Gallery in downtown Pensacola Aug. 6-Sept. 13. The 38 pieces of art were each accompanied by a haiku, with 19 artists and 10 writers participating.
Working on the monthslong project were Anne Baehr, Lou Mitchell Courtney, Karen McAferty Morris, Heather Mitchell, Vivian Spencer, and Andrea Walker. A haiku-writing workshop took place in June; artists submitted two pieces, and the writers composed haiku inspired by the pieces. See a video of the show created by Anne Baehr.
A collaboration by Claire Massey (poet) and Gaylene Brotherton (artist) ‘Gardens of Babylon’
man-made Eden
the world wonders . . .
God’s oasis or desert mirage?
— Claire Massey
All Cities Exhibits at Bayard Cutting Arboretum
By Lisa Hermanson
Members of the All Cities Branch on Long Island in New York state exhibited artwork and had a poetry reading at the lovely Bayard Cutting Arboretum, the former summer estate of William Bayard Cutting and his family in Great River, New York. The exhibit, titled “Impressions: The Artist’s Eye,” was shown from June 20 through July 7, with a well-attended reception and poetry reading on July 7.
The gallery space overlooks the Connecticut River and the gorgeous grounds of the arboretum. It is set in the gracious rooms of the manor that has a Tudor influence, with colorful Tiffany windows throughout. This gracious home was built at the turn of the century.
Our exhibit focused on works with a connection to the natural world, romantic paintings of land and sea by Eleanore O’Sullivan, lyrical botanical drawings by Patricia Giancontieri, stunning photos of flowering plants in their natural habitat by Lisa Hermanson, and poetic interpretations of flora with a bit of magic in watercolor by Dina Fine. Poet Anna Di Bella, a past national NLAPW president, entertained the assembled audience with a lively reading from her several published books as well as from her new poetry works.
The event was quite successful in bringing new and former patrons to the exhibit and the festive reception.
Diamond State Back in Action After Busy Season, Break
By Mary Lou Griffin, Diamond State Branch President
The heat and humidity of the summer months has given way to some cooler temperatures, which is a sign that fall is near and it’s time to get back to our regular monthly branch meeting schedule. We are looking forward to reconnecting with our sisters and starting a new creative season.
A Musical Farewell by Evelyn Swensson
NLAPW performance.
Our branch meeting season ended in May with a farewell musical performance of Gershwin tunes by our distinguished music and letters member Evelyn Swensson in the Terrace Room at Stonegates Retirement Community.
She is an accomplished singer, musician, conductor, and composer, and a 27-year member of NLAPW. Swensson has been a soloist and conductor with the “Brandywiners,” Opera Delaware, Delaware Symphony, and the Aldergate United Methodist Church choir director. We wish her well in her retirement as she ends her public performance career and leaves Pen Women. She will be missed.
The Grand Challenge Is Underway
author Anthea T. Piscarik with her husband
at the Palette and the Page.
At our April meeting, our Diamond State Branch launched a new challenge project. Arts and letters members were paired with partners. The pairs had the summer months to exchange jpgs of existing paintings and written work. The existing work will be inspiration for a new creative piece. The new project is called The Grand Challenge and will result in an April 2025 show at the Grand Opera House in Wilmington, Delaware. What an exciting venue to showcase our branch artists and writers and to educate the public about NLAPW.
Traveling Show and the Page Reopening
The artwork and writing pieces from our From Inspiration to Expression 2023 challenge project was featured at the May 3 reopening of the Palette and the Page in Elkton, Maryland. It was the weekend of Cinco de Mayo in the streets of downtown Elkton, so an opportunity to meet other writers and artists at the venue and to educate them about Pen Women, who we are, and what we do.
Fall Exhibit Planned
The branch will again be keeping our “creative week at the beach” tradition and heading down to Rehoboth Beach from Sept. 21 to 28. This creative time will hopefully inspire some new artwork for our exhibit at Rodney Pratt Gallery Old New Castle from Oct. 25 through Nov. 17. After all, we are what we create!
Greenwich Pen Women Get All Shook Up
By Linda Hortick
April 5, 2024, was the monthly meeting of the “Letters” group of Greenwich Pen Women writers. Anticipating an interesting, intellectual morning at Deborah Weir’s beautiful home, some members arrived early.
Critiquing each other invariably is a learning experience. It is productive to discuss our manuscripts and new concepts as a group.
We began discussing our submissions and were ready to move on to the next member when suddenly, out of the blue, we felt tremors. The table started vibrating as the tremors escalated. The house began shaking and the dishes rattled. All hands went to the table to brace ourselves. We looked at each other in fear and wonderment. What the heck was happening?
Alarmed, we all stayed seated as the tremors continued. Our hostess said, “This must be an earthquake.” When she said that, I looked at the person across from me and as our eyes met, she looked as fearful as I felt.
Then, as quickly as it began, the tremors stopped. The group was relieved, and it was quiet for a moment. Then the shaking resumed, but not as strong. “It must be the aftershock,” someone said. More rattling ensued, but this time it was only for seconds.
Diane Morello, always quick to research something and fill us in, was on her iPad in a flash. She told us it was a 4.8 earthquake that began in Lebanon, New Jersey, and spread to several states. She showed us the fault lines on her iPad.
Everyone began talking all at once about the earthquake and how they felt. I said, “It was like a seance in the vintage movies. The walls would rattle, and a ghost would appear from the dead.” I don’t know if anyone heard me because of all the excitement around the table.
I later thought to myself, “What a great experience! No one hurt, minimal damage, and our letters group will forever be bonded because of this experience.”
Other members in attendance to witness this phenomenon were Rosemarie Anner, Barbara Ehrentreu, Anita Keire, and Alma Rutgers.
Can’t wait for the next letters meeting. It’s at my home, but I can’t top this experience!
Branch News, Summer 2024
Santa Clara County Hosts Fundraiser, Student Awards
Celebrity Luncheon was a grand success. Our Excellence in the Arts awards are funded by individual donations and by the proceeds from our Celebrity Luncheon. The celebrities are professional women in the community talented in the arts, and our newest members. This year’s achievers were Shelley Rodgers in art and Jo Ann Blum, Janet Silver Ghent, and Evelyn Romero Martinez in letters.
Entertainment included Patty Dick with partner Michael Wright, who danced the flamingo; Tonya McQuade and Lorna Kohler, who played on their guitars and sang original compositions; Edie Matthews, who performed standup comedy; ventriloquist Carol Greene, who brought her puppet (pictured); and Carol Brolin, who demonstrated her talent in art.
A silent auction, jewelry sale, and beautiful basket raffle helped fund our Excellence in the Arts Awards for young women graduating from high school and for undergraduate college students who are continuing their educations. It was a joyful and entertaining event.
Award presentations took place the following month at the home of member Edie Matthews, who delighted Pen Women, award winners, and their families with a tea party. This year’s awards of $1,500 each went to Keir Silver in letters, Hannah Seegar in art, and Lynn Dai in music.
On the same day, our 2024-2026 branch officers were installed by Parliamentarian Susan Zerweck: President Luanna Leisure, Vice President Jude Tolley, Secretary Gail Lockhart, and Treasurer Sharon Haugen. The day was electric with excitement.
Pensacola Performs ‘A Gathering of Muses’
“I wish we could take that on the road,” remarked Kathy Breazeale after the performance of “A Gathering of Muses: A Celebration of Poetry, Photography, Dance, and Music” at Pensacola’s branch meeting in April. Breazeale and Vivian Spencer conceived and produced this collaboration of three poets (who submitted poems), three photographers (who created work inspired by them), and one dancer (who choreographed interpretations of each pairing).
Participating were poets Andrea Walker (“Winter Blue”), Karen Morris (“Unintended Destination: Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun”), and guest Debra Stogner (“Juke Joint”); photographers Anne Baehr, Christine Salomé, and Vivian Spencer; and dancer/choreographer Genevieve Fortner, accompanied by two guest dancers (Kathleen Carter and Reid Ginoza). Guitarist Bob Teague provided the music. Lou Mitchell Courtney provided sound support and painted the backdrop of a juke box. The event took place at the beautiful Artel Gallery.
The performance was enthusiastically enjoyed, with one viewer commenting that a kind of “texture” was achieved by hearing a poem, then seeing the photographs brought out for display, then seeing a dance, then another set, then another.
“This creative collaboration between our writers, visual artists, and performers opened doors of growth and understanding in the participants as well as those present for the performance,” Spencer said, adding that the branch is fortunate to have such talent.
Modesto Celebrates Poetry Winners
The Modesto Branch, in collaboration with Modesto/Stanislaus Poetry Center (MoSt), hosted the Aileen Jaffa Memorial Youth Poetry Contest winners celebratory reading at the Carnegie Center for the Arts in Turlock, California, in May. This annual contest is conducted in memory of Aileen Jaffa, poet, artist, sculptor, former agricultural reference librarian at UC Berkeley, and past president of the Piedmont/Oakland Branch.
Contest Chair Lynn M. Hansen received 81 entries from students enrolled in kindergarten through high school in Stanislaus County. Twenty student winners read their poems to an audience of admiring parents, friends, and teachers. Cash awards for first-, second-, and third-prize certificates, along with honorable mention certificates and a booklet of student winning poems, were provided by MoSt Poetry Center. The Modesto Branch provided two grand prize cash awards.
This year, Faith Delgado, Stanislaus County Youth Poet Laureate, assisted in handing out certificates to the contest winners. Grand-prize winner for grades 7-12 was Angel Li, grade 8, for her Tanka poem titled “Pleasant Dreams” and grand-prize winner for grades K-6 was Addison Paden, grade 2, for her acrostic poem titled “Dresses.”
Branch President Lisa Bruk presented the winners with certificates and cash prizes. After the reading, student poets, their teachers and families enjoyed a reception with refreshments provided by MoSt Poetry Center.
Sarasota Recognizes Future Leaders in the Arts
By Wilma Davidson
The Sarasota Branch recently sponsored a “Launching Leaders in the Arts” competition for high school seniors. At an April Performance Luncheon at Bird Key Yacht Club, this year’s winners displayed their art and read their writing to the delight and awe of members, teachers, family, and donors. Ten students talented in art and letters spoke about their inspiration and plans and shared their work. No music awards were given this year.
This year’s judges noted, “With diverse entries from many schools, choosing the winners was challenging. In the end, the winning entries showcased the immense talent and passion of the students and their ability in art and writing to let us into their emotional lives. We also marveled at how the winners powerfully expressed the motivation
underlying their winning pieces when receiving their awards.”
This was the 37th year of the Sarasota Pen Women awarding monetary prizes to high school seniors. The program has grown to include seniors talented in visual arts, letters, and music from 17 high schools in Sarasota and Manatee counties.
Through the generosity of a donor, we were able to invite the winners, parents, and teachers to enjoy lunch and the performance awards ceremony with us. After all, they are winners as well. Along with them, this year’s talented students stand as proof that the arts are alive and thriving.
Huntsville Celebrates 37-Year Anniversary
The Huntsville Branch, Alabama, celebrated the 37th anniversary of its founding and honored the charter founders at a luncheon on May 18. Three of the four remaining original members attended the celebration: Margaret Vann, Virginia Gilbert, and Beth Thames. Judith Moon, the fourth remaining charter member, was unable to come. The attending charter members were each given a single red rose floral arrangement
The branch was founded in 1987 with 11 members. At the time, it was one of four branches in Alabama; it is now one of two remaining. The group has been very active over the years, sponsoring a state conference in 1991, supporting scholarships, making presentations throughout the state, providing books to local schools, and sponsoring a Creative Spirit Award, which honors three area women in their respective fields of art, music, and letters.
Attendees enjoyed a salad luncheon at the home of Kate Leonard, followed by installation of officers for 2024 and a showcase where members were invited to share a written or artistic piece. The branch was honored to welcome Karen Morris, NLAPW letters chair, as a special guest.
Diablo/Alameda Enjoys Meeting in Members’ Homes
By Winifred Thompson, Diablo/Alameda Branch President
The Diablo/Alameda Branch enjoys garden parties and potlucks at members’ homes.
In March, Vice President Pat Doyne performed with her dynamic troupe of taiko drummers. She hauls her huge drums in her Ford van to many school assemblies and multicultural festivals throughout the Bay Area. As a volunteer, she teaches a “skills and drills” class to new drummers. When Pat learned that a community group was looking for a drum activity for kids before and after the main feature, she brought 23 “shime” drums and led kids in rhythm activities.
In May, members hosted a Mother’s Day Arts and Craft Sale and hung an art exhibit at the Kenneth Aitken Senior Community Center in Castro Valley.
Manhattan-NYC Exhibits Art at Federal Courthouse
An exhibition of art by the Manhattan-NYC Branch opened at the Charles P. Sifton Gallery in the Theodore Roosevelt U.S. Courthouse in Brooklyn, New York, in March. Chief U.S. District Judge Margo K. Brodie announced the opening of “Resilience in Color and Form” to coincide with Women’s History Month.
A reception was hosted with remarks from U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert M. Levy and branch President Liz Amadio, with music on harp by branch Treasurer Christina Britton Conroy.
“Our branch continues to carry on the distinguished legacy of the Pen Women. We are resilient and we express our resiliency in our art, in color and in form,” Amadio says. “Whether that artwork is an oil painting, a watercolor, a sculpture, a photograph, or a drawing, our collective body of work represents a singular vision. Women are, and always have been, leaders in our society, peacefully paving the way for progress, for change.”
The exhibit features the work of branch members Amadio, Deborah Worthington Dorsey, Mary Rieser Heintjes, Stephanie Liu, Sybil Maimin, Nancy Miller, and Clare Stokolosa.
An afternoon employee reception preceded the opening, hosted by U.S. Magistrate Judge Vera M. Scanlon, where women judges from the Eastern and Southern districts were honored, along with the art and history of Pen Women.
The gallery is located on the first floor of the Federal Courts building and is open to the public on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The exhibit runs through September.
Golden Gate-Marin Celebrates 50-Year Member
By Lucy Arnold, Branch President
Golden Gate-Marin Branch celebrated the 50- year membership of Joan Booséy, who joined in 1974, just two years after the branch was formed. At age 93, Joan continues to paint and exhibit gorgeous, large abstracts. Our May 23 meeting at the Marin Society of Artists Gallery was dedicated to honoring her. Joan received a certificate documenting her 50-year membership, plus a tiara (which she cheerfully wore), a large planter of tropical flowers, cards, personalized cake, and very decadent cookies.
We enjoyed lunch and dessert as we shared recollections of how and when we each joined our branch. We found that Joan herself was responsible for bringing in quite a few past members, as well as several of us present!