From The Pen Woman, Fall 2024
Elaine Bossik’s (Boca Raton Branch) novel, “Body Merchants,” was selected as a thriller finalist in the 2024 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. In the story, reporter Ellie Andrews risks her life to expose a sinister scheme to harvest and sell organs from prisoners and uncovers an organ trade that reaches into law enforcement, government, and her own family. “Body Merchants” is fiction, but it is rooted in fact and based on the illegal worldwide trade in human organs. Learn more at elainebossik.com.
Jo Jo Harder (Boca Raton Branch) was presented with an International New York Film Festival Diamond Globe Award in June for her documentary, “Dogs Make a Difference,” a retrospective of America’s Top Dog Models that have made a difference and a fascinating look at the way people celebrate their pups. The documentary, which was written, produced, and directed by Harder, consists of videos from 2007 to 2021 that follow America’s Top Dog Models and their parents during the brand’s contests, events, interviews, and private visits, capturing those contest winners and finalists who have made a difference in an extraordinary way.
Sara Etgen-Baker (member-at-large) had several pieces published in different publications. “A Girl, A Bike” was published in Victoria Magazine, “In the Quiet Corners of My Heart” in Guidepost’s: God’s Constant Presence, and five stories including “The Time of My Life” and “Christmas 1957” in Good Old Days Magazine.
Victoria S. Peterson (Southwest Florida Branch) released the second edition of “The Pathfinder: An Inspirational Journey of SelfDiscovery.” This beautifully illustrated, interactive journal is designed to guide individuals on a transformative journey of personal growth using a series of thoughtful activities and journal prompts that encourage deep introspection and the cultivation of emotional intelligence. Through creative expression and mindful reflection, it empowers readers to harness their inner strength, embrace a more fulfilling and joyful life, and tap into the power of the “I AM.”
Michelle Smith (member at-large) had two essays published recently. One essay, published in the June issue of The Sun, was a response to the magazine’s themed call (“uniforms”) for its Readers Write segment. Her short story, “No Time to Wave Goodbye,” was published by the Canadianbased publication Dreamers Creative Writing in August.
Rodika Tollefson’s (member-atlarge) debut book, “The Freelancer’s Compass: Navigate Your Way from Corporate Cog to Solopreneur Star” was released in August. Based on her 25 years in business, Tollefson offers insights and advice to freelance creatives, solopreneurs, and independent consultants on how to organize their business operations for success. “The Freelancer’s Compass” reached the rank of No.1 New Release in Vocational Guidance category and No. 1 in Business Consulting category in the Amazon Kindle store. Learn more at freelancerscompass.com.
From The Pen Woman, Summer 2024
Jennifer Hambrick’s (Central Ohio Branch) fourth book of poetry, “a silence or two,” was recently published by Red Moon Press. A collection of avant-garde haiku and short prose poems, “a silence or two” is hailed as “a stunning collection” and for its “brilliance of language and heart.” Hambrick also received four first-prize honors, three honorable mentions, and a special award in the inaugural Heliosparrow Haiku Frontier Awards. Created by Dr. Richard Gilbert, professor emeritus in the Faculty of Letters, Kumamoto University (Japan), and one of the world’s leading critics of contemporary English-language haiku, the awards “praise leading-edge poems and poets illuminating inspiring directions in haiku poetics.”
Karin Dahl’s (Central Ohio Branch) solo exhibit, “How Does Color Sound,” was at the McConnell Art Center in Columbus, Ohio, through July 2. Dahl is the winner of the Jeny Reynolds Award for Creativity (Best of Show) at the 51st NLAPW Biennial.
Jamie Tate (Delta Branch) received Best in Show for her painting, “It is Written” (acrylic on canvas, 36 x 36), in the 2024 Mississippi Showcase exhibit of the National Museum of Women in the Art. She also exhibited two other acrylic pieces in the showcase, “Return to Avalon” and “Laundry Day.” The exhibit was judged by Jean Blue and was hosted in the Jackson Street Gallery in Vicksburg, Mississippi.
Sandra Berris’ (Greenwich Branch) latest publication, “Indelible Shadow,” is part of Finishing Line Press’ critically acclaimed chapbook series featuring annual contest finalists. Her chapbook reveals the shock of a teen suicide and the subsequent grief, anger, confusion, guilt, acceptance, and ultimately hope that reverberates with family, friends, and community. She speaks from experience as her poems weave together a tragic story and give powerful testament to the national suicide crisis. Berris has pledged all royalties to teen suicide prevention and mental health agencies.
Loretta Goldberg (New York City Branch) will have her second novel published by MadeGlobal Publishing in June. “Beyond the Bukubuk Tree: A World War II Novel of Love and Loss” won an International Firebird Book Award for War Fiction in 2023. Set in Australia and Papua New Guinea, it tells the story of a lone battalion defending Rabaul against the Japanese invasion through a widely diverse cast of characters.
Winifred Thompson’s (Diablo-Alameda Branch) “Surge,” an acrylic painting, was chosen from 78 artworks as first place in the “40 Years of A.R.T., Inc.” This landmark exhibit was featured at the Adobe Art Gallery in Castro Valley, California in May.
From The Pen Woman, Spring 2024
Carol Susan “Sue” Johnson (Member-at-Large, Indiana) has published her sixth book, “Politics and Healthcare: Where is Nursing?” and her seventh book, “Native American Health: Then and Now,” both by leading academic publisher Ethics Press. Politics are part of our daily lives and nurses’ involvement is essential to improve our communities and our country, Johnson believes. “Politics and Healthcare” is “for all nurses who want the world to be better” if they run for office, support colleagues who run, advocate for issues, consider board service, or become more informed voters. “Native American Health” talks about the health and healing practices of indigenous tribes across the United States prior to the arrival of settlers through the present day.
Karen L. Kirshner’s (Long Island Branch) solo exhibit, “Epiphany,” is at b. j. spoke gallery in Huntington, New York, through April 28. Critics have said her art is “strikingly original,” complex, exciting, and beautiful and that she does not accept the status quo and keeps challenging herself with new possibilities.
Michelle Smith (Member-at-Large, California) won a top-20 spot in the Writer’s Digest 2023 annual poetry contest. Nearly 1,000 poems from around the world were submitted to this contest. Her poem, titled “The Journey,” is a magical realism take on the Middle Passage. It will be published in the July/August issue of Writer’s Digest.
Elaine Bossik (Boca Raton Branch) published her second novel, “Body Merchants,” a medical thriller that exposes the hidden, widespread illegal trade in human organs. In the story, reporter Ellie Andrews is propelled into a murder investigation in a Virginia prison that triggers a shocking discovery — the inmate’s organs and other body parts are missing. Risking her life to look for answers, Ellie exposes a sinister scheme to harvest and sell organs from prisoners, and uncovers an organ trade that reaches into law enforcement, government, and her own family. “Body Merchants” is fiction, but it’s rooted in fact and based on the dirty underbelly of the worldwide trade in human organs.
Linda Eve Diamond (Member-at-Large, Florida) was the editor of a recently released digital anthology, “The Art of Listening: An Anthology of Listening-Themed Poetry and Visual Arts.” The free publication of listeninginspired artistry includes contributions from more than 60 inspiring artists, including NLAPW friends, as well as insights from members of The International Listening Association.
From The Pen Woman, Winter 2024
Martha L. Germano (Scottsdale Branch) celebrated her 50-year anniversary as a Pen
Woman this past year. She joined NLAPW in August 1973 as part of the now-defunct Cleveland-
Western Reserve Branch and transferred to the Scottsdale Branch in 1993. Germano was elected national registrar in 1978-1980. She currently designs women’s contemporary lapel pins.
Leigh Grant’s (Greenwich Branch) book, “Mask of Dreams,” received an honorable mention in the mainstream/ literary fiction category of the 31st Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards. There were 1,543 overall submissions in eight categories this year and only 25 honorable mentions were awarded in total.
Sheila Firestone’s (Boca Raton Branch) songs, “Oh God, How Will I Know You” and “Dancing in the Light,” were selected by The Women’s Sacred Music Project for “Resounding Voices,” a new online collection of hymns by women.
Karen L. Kirshner (Long Island Branch) was featured in Long Island’s East Meadow Herald and other local publications. An excellent review was published in the fall issue of Gallery & Studio Art Journal of Kirshner’s work seen during her June solo show at the George Billis gallery in Chelsea, New York City. Kirshner has also been in the news because she received the best in show award for “Faith #2” in the exhibition “Inspiration Rediscovered – Mixed Media Masterpieces” at the Westbury Arts, Westbury, New York.
From The Pen Woman, Fall 2023
Joyce K. Ellis (Minnesota Branch) was honored recently with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 75th anniversary banquet of the Evangelical Press Association (EPA) for her “exceptional contribution to the field of Christian journalism.” A Pen Woman of 40 years, Ellis began writing children’s fiction stories and books when her own children were little. After 20 years of freelancing, at the age of 39, she finally had the opportunity to begin college as a more-orless traditional student, attending classes in person, and she graduated with a bachelor’s of art in English with a writing concentration. During her freelance career, she has published hundreds of magazine and newspaper articles, has received numerous other awards, and has published 18 books. She has held staff editor positions for three national magazines and frequently presents at writers conferences, conventions, and her Minnesota Branch.
Michelle Smith (Inland Empire Branch, California) participated in a July event titled Creative Alchemy that showcased the works of four collaborative teams of BIPOC (Black, indigenous, and people of color) writers and choreographers who came together and merged their ideas into a performance of dance accompanied by the spoken word. Each team presented unique interpretations of the process before a nearly sold-out audience in an art gallery setting. The event was followed by a question-and-answer session with the creative artists and was very well received.
Judy Welden (Atlanta Branch) will have a one-page biography included in the “2023 Marquis Who’s Who” book, to be released near the end of 2023. Welden is a singer-songwriter, author, and inventor who has received numerous awards and recognitions for her music achievements. Her bio is available online at marquistopartists.com/2022/07/19/judy-welden.
Carol Greene (Santa Clara County Branch) recently wrote and illustrated a book titled “WOW” (available at amazon.com) that includes many of the successful activities and ideas that she created during her career as a teacher and educator. Green taught grades 4-6 for 33 years in a classroom. For 12 years, she was a traveling creative arts specialist in the Moreland School District in San Jose, California. She is also a certified Orff Schulwerk music specialist, a ventriloquist who used puppets to help teach, and a former Girl Scout, Cub Scout, and Webelos leader.
Mary Rieser Heintjes (Manhattan-New York City Branch) had her work included, with two other artists, in a show titled “NOWHERE, NOW HERE” at the Carter Burden Gallery in New York City in August. She presented abstract, dynamic sculptures that utilize the technique of oxyacetylene welding with steel, which is then kilnfused with glass. The pieces, named after elements on the periodic table, eloquently combine two disparate elements: the luminosity, liquidity, and fragility of glass with the solidity and strength of steel. To view the show, go to photos.app.goo.gl/dsMp416pWJ22k9jG7.
From The Pen Woman, Summer 2023
Buzzi for “The Kindness Project.”
Karen Kirshner (Long Island Branch) was invited to have a solo show at the George Billis Gallery in Chelsea, New York. The reception was on June 1 and the exhibition ran through June 29. Kirshner and her exhibit were also featured in the East Meadow Herald in May.
Frances Altman (member-at-large, Maryland) has published her 10th book, “Destiny’s Daughter,” with Apprentice House Press of Loyola University. The book highlights the life of Mary Edwards Walker, an 1800s suffragist, Civil War doctor, and the only woman Medal of Honor recipient. Walker was an extraordinary individual whose advice resonates with women today, such as “know your self worth” and “learn to listen.” The U.S. Mint will soon duplicate Walker’s portrait on a new quarter.
Susan S. Buzzi (Fort Lauderdale Branch) has received an individual artist grant from Broward County Cultural Division to present “The Kindness Project.” Programming explored empathy, mindfulness, and kindness through a multidisciplinary and intergenerational community workshop on May 11 during National Mental Health Awareness Month. The exhibition, featuring works completed by participants, opened on May 27 at Tamarac Community Center and continued through mid-July.
From The Pen Woman, Spring 2023
Claire Massey and Karen McAferty Morris (Pensacola Branch) received honorable mentions in the 2022 Soul-Making Keats Literary Competition, an extended community outreach program of the NLAPW “open to everyone, everywhere.” This competition receives not only national, but also global submissions. Massey placed in the Flash Fiction category for “Tantrum on the Beach” (which appears in her recently published book of prose and poetry, “Driver Side Window”). Morris placed in the Prose Poetry category for “A Field of Moss” (which is included in her recently published poetry collection, “Significance.”) Massey is the poetry editor for Pen Woman and Morris is the NLAPW letters chair and the Vinnie Ream chair.
Mollee Kruger (Bethesda Branch) has published her 12th book, “A Collector’s Item,” at age 93. “A Collector’s Item” is a COVID-themed novella about the challenges of time and friendship. The new book also features awardwinning short stories and essays. Kruger’s work is available at amazon. com, including her two memoirs, “Port of Call” and “The Cobbler’s Last”; her novel, “The Swift Seasons”; and seven poetry collections.
Marcy Von Kohorn (Vero Beach Branch) was featured in the Jan. 9, 2023, issue of Vero Beach Magazine. The in-depth, multipage article, titled “The Art of Aging Gracefully,” is by Ann Taylor, with color photos by Kelly Rogers. The article explores 97-year-old Von Kohorn’s positive attitude and the evolution of her art and style, as well as some of her personal history. Much more of this is revealed in her 2019 autobiography, “Fate’s Palette.”
Nancy Haskett (Modesto Branch, California) recently participated in an ekphrastic exhibit at the local Mistlin Gallery. The exhibit, “Collision VII,” paired poets with photographers, and their works were displayed side-by-side in the gallery. Haskett worked with photographer Rebecca Harvey, and one of their collaborative pairs was selected to showcase the exhibit on posters and flyers. Haskett’s poem, “Questions for Ai-Da,” surrounded the photo image on the poster (above) that contained information about the show, which ran from Jan. 3 to March 4 in Modesto.
From The Pen Woman, Winter 2023
Virginia Nygard’s (Vero Beach Branch) eclectic short story anthology,“Fish Tale…and other stories with a HOOK!,” was recently released by Scatteredfrost Publishing and is available on Amazon and Kindle. Forrest Gump would see this collection as a metaphorical box of chocolates — tales that are light or dark, sweet, spicy, or tangy enough to satisfy any craving at any moment. A member of both the Florida Writers Association and the Florida State Poets Association, she also entered several poems in the latter’s 2022 call for contest submissions for an annual anthology, titled “Cadence.” “Empathy,” her first-place award entry in the Miami Poets division, was selected for inclusion in the book.
Jennifer Hambrick (Central Ohio Branch) has been appointed poet laureate of the 75th-anniversary season of the world-class Chamber Music Columbus concert series, which includes performances by the world’s most acclaimed classical chamber music artists. Hambrick’s appointment comes with a commission to write and perform a new original poem for each of the seven concerts of the 2022-23 season. Hambrick also recently presented the workshop “I’ve Got a Story for You: Narrative Hybridity in English-Language Haibun” at the virtual Haiku Down Under conference in Auckland, New Zealand.
Georgia Popof (Central New York Branch) has been named poet laureate of Onondaga County during an awards event at the CNY Philanthropy Center in Syracuse, New York, in September. Popoff, a professional poet who has won many awards, will hold the position for two years and hopes to bring some wonderful programming to her region. Her plans include coordinating with other cities around the globe to bring poetry to communities.
Marilyn Valiente’s (Coral Gables Branch) work was recently part of the “Archetypes: the imprint of the human mind” exhibit at the Archbishop John C. Favalora Archive and Museum at St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens, Florida. Valiente is an alumna of the university, where she obtained a master’s degree in mental health. “Marilyn Valiente renders a combination of figures, places, experiences, moods, and feelings made of incredible colorful, unique brushstrokes combined with fragments of past medical transcriptions that vibrates the archetypes,” wrote curator Isabel Medin.
From The Pen Woman, Fall 2022
Nancy Dafoe (Central New York Branch) was featured, along with Aaduna poet Shawnte Blyss Barr, at the Seward House Museum as part of the Auburn First Friday event on Aug. 5 in Auburn, New York. Dafoe read some of her newest poetry about our confrontation with climate change from a collection-in-progress, along with a poem from her collection to be released by Finishing Line Press in October, “The House Was Quiet, But the Mind Was Anxious.” Emcee for the evening event was Bill Berry, Jr., Aaduna, Inc. CEO.
Mary Belle Cordell (Atlanta Branch) will be the new president of the Georgia World Organization of China Painters. She will be in charge of a one-day luncheon convention that will include 10 china painting clubs throughout the state of Georgia. Gail Smith (Fort Lauderdale Branch) will compose a special song for this event and for the World Organization of China Painters. Smith is a nationally known composer and musician. Cordell also exhibited in the Metro Montage XXII exhibition in the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art in Marietta, Georgia in July-August.
Martha Steger (member-at-large, Virginia) received five writing awards in the 2022 National Federation of Press Women’s Communications Contest: second place, single poem, for “Pop’s Figs” (published on NLAPW website); second place, blog, nonprofit (government or educational), for “Old 96 District: Roads Less Traveled”; third place, specialty article, physical health, for “Happy Holidays? Handling Anxiety and Stress”; third place, specialty article, travel, for “The Carolina Connection”; and honorable mention, personal essay, for “Going for the Digital Gold?” All awards had to be for published material and be a first-place winner in one of 25 affiliates’ contests in order to compete at NFPW level.
Karen Pastorello, PhD (Central New York Branch), a women’s suffrage scholar and author, recently led the efforts to acknowledge local suffragists with historical markers around Upstate New York. The first marker was unveiled on South Street in Auburn in June to recognize the work of Eliza Wright Osborne, who founded the Auburn Branch of the Educational and Industrial Union. The placement is aligned with its proximity to the New York State Equal Rights Heritage Center in Auburn. Pastorello also led Auburn to place a second historical marker acknowledging the Cayuga County Political Equality Club, founded by suffragist Emily Howland. The designations were timed to align with the National Votes for Women Trail.
Susan Buzzi (Fort Lauderdale Branch) recently received her third Individual Artist Grant with the Broward Cultural Division. As an educator, coach practitioner, and former law enforcement officer, Buzzi is a longtime victim advocate. “Although an unpleasant conversation, it has become a critical one for all of our communities and to raise awareness through art is truly my privilege,” she says. She is presenting a photo documentary examining domestic violence titled “This is How I Feel” at the Sunrise Civic Center Gallery, with a reception hosted on Sept. 18.
Sage Stossel (Wellesley Branch) received the 2022 first-place award for her editorial cartoon in the Boston Globe by the prestigious National Society of Newspaper Columnists. She was chosen from among 150 entries and more than 80 different publications. Sage is the author/illustrator of the children’s books “On the Loose in Boston,” “On the Loose in Washington D.C.,” “On the Loose in Philadelphia,” “On the Loose in New York City,” “T-Ride,” and the graphic novel “Starling.” She lives outside Boston with her husband and son, and regularly cartoons for the Boston Globe and the Provincetown Banner.
Sara Etgen-Baker’s (member-at-large, Texas) story, “The Miracle of Finding Mr. Right,” will be published in an upcoming issue of Mysterious Ways Magazine (a sister publication of Guideposts). She also had several pieces published in Good Old Days Magazine and another story, “Buried Alive,” published in “Chicken Soup for the Soul: Believe in Angels.” Additionally, Baker received first place in Preserve’s annual Winner’s Circle Contest for her memoir vignette, “Intangible Ingredients,” and honorable mention in this year’s Soul Making Keats Literary Competition for her memoir vignette, “The Poor Little Matchstick Girl.”
Linda Eve Diamond (member-at-large, Florida) received a 2022 Artists Embassy International award for her poem, “Chromatic Harmonies,” which she planned to read as part of the 29th Annual Dancing Poetry Festival, scheduled online for Sept. 24. The event will remain linked from the home page at DancingPoetry.com. Additionally, Diamond’s photograph, “Watch the Birdie: Studio Shot,” was selected for cover of THEMA Literary Journal’s summer issue. She created the image in response to the journal’s Watch the Birdie theme.
Treanor Wooten Baring (Bayou City II Branch) won first place in the Spring Ghost Story Supernatural Fiction Award for her short story, “The Unseen.” The winning short stories are published on the Ghost Story website at theghoststory.com and in an upcoming print anthology.
Sydney Popovich’s (Denver Branch) book, “The Arden,” was a finalist in the sci-fi category of the Indie Book Awards 2022. She wrote the book under her pen name, L.S. Popovich.
Cinzi Lavin (member-at-large, Massachusetts), composer and musical dramatist, has received the Yellow Rose of Texas Award, which was conferred upon her by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. The Yellow Rose of Texas Commission is the highest recognition the state can bestow on a woman, and it’s given only through the Office of the Governor to honor women for exceptional contributions to their communities and to Texas “in the preservation of our history, the accomplishments of our present, and the building of our future,” according to the award notification. Lavin, who was raised in Texas, has promoted American history through her musical and dramatic works.
Karen L. Kirshner (Long Island Branch) exhibited with the George Billis Gallery of Westport (Connecticut) and LA, in the popular Art Market Hamptons, Water Mill, New York, Aug. 11-14.
Nina Adkins (Yucca Branch) was designated a “local treasure” by the Albuquerque Arts Business Association in June at a ceremony at the Albuquerque Art Museum. This award is in recognition of her service to the arts community. She organized artists to form The Gallery ABQ, has held many board positions in the New Mexico Watercolor Society, volunteered for committee work for the Albuquerque Arts Business Association, and has exhibited her art at craft fairs and studio tours. Adkins is also a member of the Yucca Gallery, formed in 1991 by the Yucca Branch. She is the second Yucca member to receive this honor — Lyla Garcia was designated a local treasure in 2016.
Griot Vanessa Johnson (Central New York Branch) designed and directed “Girls Change the World,” a summer camp for 8- to 11-year-old girls, hosted at the Matilda Joslyn Gage Foundation in Fayetteville, New York, in July. Johnson is working with The Matilda Joslyn Gage Foundation and the Center for Social Justice Dialogue to engage community audiences in programs, performances, and interactive exhibits that have not had access to the Gage Center because of geographic distance, the lack of transportation, and a perception that the Gage Center is not relative to people of color communities.
From The Pen Woman, Summer 2022
Lynn M. Hansen (Modesto Branch, California), a professor emerita of biological sciences at Modesto Junior College, was honored with an unveiling of a brass plaque of her poem about the vernal pool ecosystem in the Central Valley of California. Titled “Lasthenia californica,” the poem was unveiled in a ceremony at the Great Valley Museum of Natural History at the college. Adding to the festivities were 22 community poets, who read their poems celebrating nature as part of the celebration honoring Hansen’s achievement.
Karen Kirshner’s (Long Island Branch, New York) “Onward & Upward” show was hosted at the B.J. Spoke Gallery in Huntington, New York, in May. The exhibit displayed her unique, complex paintings.
Cathy Shouse (member-at-large, Indiana) received a $500 Louise Eleanor Ross Kleinhenz Scholarship, an award for a mature Indiana journalist from the Woman’s Press Club of Indiana, to support her work and education. Shouse is a freelance journalist who has worked for newspapers and magazines for more than two decades; she also pens novels. One of two award recipients, Shouse was honored at the group’s annual awards banquet in May in Indianapolis.
Polly Curran (Sarasota Branch, Florida) has been leading monthly photographic walks at the invitation of the Sarasota Bay Conservancy, along a newly created park and public space in downtown Sarasota, Florida. She began this volunteer opportunity last year while the Bay Bayou Walkway was under construction. On the third Saturday of each month, interested photography professionals and amateurs meet for about an hour to seek interesting photographic spots, and each month presents the opportunity for a unique and new finding. The Sarasota Bay Conservancy is a unique endeavor for the region and one of 40 park conservancies across the country. The Bay Bayou is a multiphase project to create an active, safe, free park for community use. The photo walks serve to follow the progress made as the project evolves in new environmental and green spaces, reminding visitors how time spent in nature benefits physical and mental health.
From The Pen Woman, Spring 2022
Brenda Spalding (Sarasota Branch) won the children’s book award at the Eyelands International Book Awards for her book, “Sailing Away to Nod.” Based in Greece, the competition receives entries from all over the world. Her book has also received the Florida Authors and Publishers President’s Award. Spalding is a prolific author, with eight children’s books and 10 romantic suspense novels to her credit.
Carol White (Boca Raton Branch) was interviewed for Art & Culture of Palm Beach County Winter 2022 magazine edition. The subject: “Work in Progress – A Playwright’s Tale.” The article describes her 20 years as a playwright and involvement in the theatre community.
Cinzi Lavin (member-at-large, Massachusetts) was selected as the recipient of the 2022 Golden Shield Award by the National Society Daughters of Founders and Patriots of America (NSDFPA). The Golden Shield Award is given to a nonmember who is prominent in his or her field of expertise and who has made exemplary contributions in one of the areas to which NSDFPA is dedicated. Lavin’s award recognizes her achievements in promoting American history through her musical and dramatic works.
Gail Wilson Kenna (Chesapeake Bay Branch) recently completed a fifth year as creative nonfiction judge for the 30th Soul-Making Keats (SMK) literary competition in San Francisco, an outreach program of the NLAPW. In 2020, Kenna bound 13 award-winning fiction and nonfiction selections in her book, “A Soul-Making Keats Collection” (available at amazon.com). Included in the book are five winners from the 2020 NLAPW Biennial, plus “Three Artists in Arrested Time,” second overall winner (of three genres) in the 2019 Vinnie Ream competition.
Jamie McArdle’s (Bayou City II Branch) first fiction work, “Grace,” won a short story contest titled “Ritual” by Synkroniciti, a Houston, Texas, digital magazine. The story was also published in the magazine’s March edition. “The contest was extremely competitive … and ‘Grace,’ the first published work by an extremely talented writer, stole our hearts,” the magazine’s announcement said. “The characters are so well fleshed out and human that you will finish wanting more about this new American family.”
Marcia Dunscomb’s (Atlanta Branch) piano books are now available on amazon.com and on lulu.com: “Let’s Begin,” a beginning piano or keyboard method; “Let’s Perform Book One,” which contains compositions of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, and Grieg; and “Let’s Perform Book Two,” which contains easy piano arrangements of famous melodies from the classics.
her exhibition, “This is How I Feel,” is a digitally manipulated image so as not to compromise an identity.
Susan S. Buzzi’s (Fort Lauderdale Branch) story, “Looking Back and Moving Forward,” was included in the collection “And Then the Pandemic Hit… COVID Chronicles,” published by Middle River Press in 2021. She also recently received a 2022 individual artist grant from Broward County, Florida, for her photo-documentary, “This is How I Feel,” which will consist of an exhibition, lecture, and workshop addressing domestic violence and abuse.
Patricia Dennis (Santa Clara County Branch) won first place in the photography division at LGAA Greater Bay Art Show for her photograph, “Resilience.” The photograph captures barren trees in the Yellowstone forest that have been devastated by fires and stand in stark contrast with the vastness of the rippling blue lake. “The tree branches remind you that things can change in an instance. The fact that the trees still stood spoke of resilience. In the distance, a forest stood and with it came the knowledge that the surrounding area would also be renewed during time,” she said.
Bonita Tabakin’s (Chevy Chase Branch) spiritual art creations were selected to appear in an international exhibit at the Vatican’s Palace the beginning of March. The exhibit was by invitation only. In Rome, Italy, the exhibit was highly publicized throughout all the PR media. Tabakin will be receiving two books based on this exhibit.
From The Pen Woman, Winter 2022
Martha Steger’s (member-at-large, Midlothian, Virginia) travel articles on the pottery trails of North and South Carolina and on the holiday illuminations in Virginia’s Hampton Roads area appeared in the November and December issues of “Richmond Magazine.” A regular contributor to the magazine, Steger also wrote a feature article on handling stress, anxiety, and depression for the December issue.
Kay Williamson (Cape Canaveral Branch) recently took first place for her composition “Christmas Day” in Florida’s biannual conference that took place virtually in October.
Ida Angland (Greenwich Branch) recently created short videos of live performance excerpts with the Gateway Orchestra, where she serves as music director and conductor (as well as the artistic director for Gateway Classical Music Society). The professional orchestra has approximately 70 musicians, and Angland’s videos feature symphonic and operatic repertoire and highlight outstanding soloists from all over the world. View the videos at gatewayclassical.org.
Vera Ripp Hirschhorn (Boca Raton Branch), author of “I’m Somebody & So Are You! A Toolkit for Encouraging Personal Growth via the Arts,” was invited by Richard Blanco, President Obama’s inaugural poet, to share in Blanco’s newsletter her presentation based on his poems. It was in celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month. Blanco also suggested that his subscribers check out her website for ways to “create curricula for social change.”
Sherry Boschert’s (member-at-large) new book, “37 Words: Title IX and Fifty Years of Fighting Sex Discrimination,” will be released by The New Press on March 8 and is available for presale. She’ll be speaking at the American Historical Association meeting in January and at the Organization of American Historians meeting in April/May, among other events. See more information on her blog, “37 Words.”
Robie Benve (Central Ohio Branch) had work at the Marcia Evans Gallery, in the Columbus Short North Arts District, during October. For this show, Benve created a new body of work — a collection of colorful, semi-abstract, landscape paintings using paper and acrylic paint.
Marie-B Cilia De Amicis’ (D.C. Branch) Washington Printmakers Gallery photography exhibit, “Moments Exceptionnels,” was reviewed in the Washington Post. “In a De Amicis picture, color is sheer joy, and its lack can be ominous,” the review said. De Amicis was born in Africa, where the light and the colors gave a sense to her passion for photography.
Joan Cartwright, PhD (Boca Raton Branch), has been invited to be the keynote speaker at the 2022 Documenting Jazz Conference in Wales in March. It will be a hybrid conference due to COVID restrictions. The conference theme is The Real Book of Diversity.
Dawn Petrill’s (Central Ohio Branch) painting, “Passing Through,” was included in the Cleveland Institute of Art’s Alumni Show. Her mixed media drawing, “Musing at Indian Run Falls,” was part of the Dublin Art League’s juried Irish Show, and her painting, “A Calm Landing,” was part of the Floyd Center for the Arts 2021 Juried Show.
Bev Goldie (Central Ohio Branch) received a professional artist grant from the Greater Columbus Arts Council for 2021-22 for a series of encaustics titled “Derived from the Palettes of the Masters.”
Patricia Moore’s (Sarasota Branch) column, “The Iconic Statue on the Bay,” was published on the Herald Tribune opinion page Sept. 21. She wrote the column in response to an article titled “Sailor and the Nurse” published in the newspaper.
Anita F. Burgess’ (Central Ohio Branch) mixed media painting, “Magpies” (below), was shown this past fall in the 19th Kaleidoscope Exhibition for Akron visual artists. The juried show featured 65 artists.
Vivian Ripley’s (Central Ohio Branch) 49 pieces—watercolors, pastels, and acrylic paintings— are on exhibit at The Arts Castle in Delaware, Ohio, through Jan. 7.
Dawna Hammers (member-at-large, MA) recently released a new CD, “Look Into the Fire: New Chants for a New World” (available at dawnahammers.com). It features 15 original chants with her soothing native drums, rattles, flutes, and velvet vocal melodies and harmonies. Her music also weaves in prayers for earth, air, fire, water, and sacred sound.
Julian Adair (Omaha Branch), Ever After Productions artistic director, staged “Nutcracker Delights,” an original piece she wrote and produced, at Bellevue Little Theater in December. She also choreographed the production of “Bright Star” by Steve Martin and Eddie Brickell, to be staged Jan. 21-Feb. 18 at the Omaha Community Playhouse; and “Ernest in Love” coming to the University of Nebraska Omaha Theater Department in April.
Renate Fackler (Central Ohio Branch) was commissioned by the family of James Thurber and Thurber House to create a bronze sculpture of his mother’s dog, known as “Muggs, The Dog that Bit People.” The beautiful, life-sized sculpture of Muggs, sculpted then poured in bronze, sits atop a tall granite pedestal at the Greenlawn Cemetery in Columbus, Ohio.
Tina Jones Williams (Santa Clara County Branch) was featured alongside prominent South Berkeley figures in a mural depicting the history of the city. She garnered the honor due to her “Julia Street” book series and bi-annual neighborhood walks that begin and end on the namesake street, where she grew up and her four books are set. Recently, a plaque was added to the mosaic art at the base of the mural with her name and quote.
Julie Dolphin (Greenwich Branch) recently performed her original composition, “Da pacem Domine/L’oiseau bleu” for the special confirmation ceremony presided over by The Rt. Rev. Andrew ML Dietsche, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, at Saint Matthew’s Church in Bedford, New York, where she has been singing with Anthony Newman since 2015. This composition takes the form of an auto-duet as she sings along with herself (via iPad) in her new setting of the well-known Latin text combined with her setting of a poem by Mary Elizabeth Coleridge, which offers a fleeting glimpse of peace.
Karen Kirshner (Long Island Branch) showed her artwork for sale at the Red Dot Miami exhibition with the George Billis Gallery, the National Association of Women Artists anniversary exhibition in New York City, and at the ADC Gallery in Cincinnati (as a finalist in the international competition “Art Comes Alive”). She also recently received an honorable mention from the highly competitive, juried national exhibition at Southern Mississippi University for her painting “Red Scene.”
Michelle Smith (Inland Empire Branch) won first place in the humor category of the 2021 SouthWest Writers Competition for her piece, “Bitch Wings,” which is published in the 2021 anthology, “Ramblings and Reflections: Winning Words from SouthWest Writers’ 2021 Contest,” available at amazon.com.
From The Pen Woman, Fall 2021
Faith Gaillot (Southwest Florida Branch) has been accepted to the 2022 edition of “Who’s Who in America” and was recently featured in the local newspaper in conjunction with her art show at Harbour View Gallery in Cape Coral, Florida. Additionally, she received two honorable mention awards in separate Cape Coral Art League-judged shows this past spring.
Barbara Freeman’s (Omaha Branch) children’s book, “Black History,” made its debut at the Black Plains Museum (pictured on the left). Her book signing at the museum, on July 28, was on Native Omaha Day.
Linda Trice’s (Metropolitan New York Branch) picture book for ages 3-9, “Kenya’s Art” (Charlesbridge Publishing), was celebrated throughout July by The Center for Climate, Health, and Equity. “‘Kenya’s Art’ reminds us of the importance of recycling to help keep our parks clean, and of reusing things to create beautiful art,” the center stated.
Debra A. Collins’ (Diablo-Alameda Branch) papercut, “Zooming Church” (see The Pen Woman, Summer 2021), has been accepted into the Cimarron National Works on Paper Exhibition hosted by the Oklahoma State University. Of 450 entries that were received, only 48 were accepted. This is Collins’ first time showing on the national level.
Elizabeth Yahn Williams (Member at Large) had her book, “Flourishing / Florescence,” published in June and also garnered two pages of praise from the California State Poetry Society’s newsletter. This prompted the organization’s president to feature Williams at the Sunland-Tujunga Village Poets Zoom meeting, where her Penguin, Bob, showed slides as the emcee. An illustrated, bilingual parallel reader, the book features reflective, whimsical and humorous vignettes.
From The Pen Woman, Summer 2021
Nancy Dafoe’s (Central New York Branch) new book, a contemporary fable and antiwar novella titled “Naimah and Ajmal on Newton’s Mountain,” will be released in July from Finishing Line Press. The novella, a “thought experiment” on the potentiality of peace, went on presale on International Women’s Day, a perfect entrance for a story about immigration and a woman searching for her son after being separated from him during a war.
Michelle Smith-Johansen’s (Scottsdale Branch) piece on voter suppression, titled “Stop saying, ‘This is not who we are.’ America, this is exactly who we are,” was published in the opinion section of the San Diego Union Tribune in January.
Vivian Ripley’s (Central Ohio Branch) “Winter Colors” was accepted into the Central Ohio Watercolor Society show at the Columbus Cultural Arts Center this past spring. Another painting, “Sunlight in the Smokies,” was accepted into the Ohio Watercolor Society spring show, which will travel to The Gallery at Lakeland in Kirkland, Ohio, July 18 – September 3.
Mary Jane Ingui’s (Vero Beach Branch) article about Dr. Sheldon Kushner, the subject of her book, “Trauma and Tenacity in Vietnam, A Surgeon’s Story,” appeared in the February issue of Vietnam Magazine. Dr. Kushner was a surgeon who was part of a Military Provincial Health Assistance Program (MILPHAP) unit stationed in Vinh Long, Vietnam, in 1968-’69. He performed six to seven surgeries a day on South Vietnamese civilians, as part of a U.S. program that attempted to elevate the healthcare of the South Vietnamese.
Deborah M. Anderson (Central Ohio Branch) designed and fabricated a 7-by-3-foot banner for the First Congregational Church in Columbus, Ohio. The banner was dedicated on Easter Sunday, April 4.
Jo Jo Harder (Boca Raton Branch) released “America’s Top Dog Model Book of Fairy Tails,” a book of stories by America’s Top Dog Model 2020 contest winners that takes readers on an adventurous romp through beautiful gardens, scary forests, and enchanted castles, with 12 amazing dogs as trusted guides. The book was published by TriMark Press.
Veena Bansal’s (Central Ohio Branch) solo exhibition, titled “Veena Bansal, Flowers and Landscapes,” was shown at the Marcia Evans Gallery in Columbus, Ohio, in March and April.
Linda Trice’s (Metropolitan New York Branch) story, “Barnacle Bay,” was published in the Black Voices edition of the Green Mountains Review. The Boston Globe recently cited GMR as one of the top 10 literary magazines in New England. GMR’s writers have often won the Pushcart Prize and have been published in Best American Short Stories.
Rodika Tollefson (member-at-large, Washington state) was named one of 10 cybersecurity ghostwriters to watch in 2021 by Cybercrime Magazine, an online, global, business-to-business publication for the cybersecurity industry. Tollefson writes content for global brands and startups in cybersecurity and technology.
Christina Britton Conroy (Manhattan-New York City Branch) was interviewed live, online for her novel, “One Man’s Music,” by the Historical Novel Society, New York City Chapter’s Music in New York – from Gershwin to Carnegie Hall. The novel, which is loosely autobiographical, describes the conflicted, 1970s world of a gifted young soprano on her way to Carnegie Hall — until obsessive love stops her.
Robie Benve’s (Central Ohio Branch) medical abstracts painting, “At Any Rate,” was accepted into the 2021 Ohio Art League Spring Juried Show, which will be virtual. This piece is part of a 2019 series featuring her fascination for views of the human body under the microscope.
From The Pen Woman, Spring 2021
Ilona Duncan (Chesapeake Bay Branch), recently won two writing awards, including a third place in memoir vignette for the Soul Making Keats literary competition in San Francisco, a NLAPW outreach program in its 30th year. Her winning essay, “The Little Crapaud,” was also a finalist in New Millennium Writings, a contest by Tennessee’s second-oldest and most-circulated literary magazine. The author of two books, “My Jewish Great Grandmother” and “At Home on the Road,” Duncan is completing a third book this year.
Connie Spittler (Omaha Branch) was invited to read her essay, “Pink Moments,” for National Public Radio’s Bob Edwards Show some time ago. Her reading now appears on the “This I Believe” 100 essays list. Below her name are John Updike, Pearl Buck, and Albert Einstein. The essays are available at thisibelieve.org.
Patricia Daly-Lipe (Jacksonville Branch) was selected as the Author of the Decade by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP) for her creativity, longevity, and dedication to the literary world. Additionally, Daly-Lipe recently had two books published, “Miami’s Yester’ Years and Its Forgotten Founder, Locke Tiffin Highleyman” and “Horse Tales, Teddy and Just’n Come to an Understanding.”
Cinzi Lavin (member-at-large, Winsted, Connecticut) received the Women in the Arts Recognition Award from the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) in December. To qualify for nomination to the NSDAR’s American Heritage Committee for this honor, a woman must have contributed to her artistic field in an outstanding manner. NSDAR Boston Tea Party Chapter Regent Peggy O’Connor presented the award to Lavin remotely at the chapter’s meeting, which celebrated the 247th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party.
From The Pen Woman, Winter 2021
Sheila M. Byrnes (Central New York Branch), current national first vice president, was interviewed by 55 Plus for an article on genealogy, “Researching Ancestry Beyond the List of Names.” Byrnes is a member of several national genealogy societies including the Central New York Genealogical Society, where she serves as editor of the society’s national newsletter, “CNYGS E-News.”
Peg Hanna’s (Central Ohio Branch) latest book, “Changing Lanes, Poetry Throughout a Woman’s Life,” a collection of serious, whimsical, and thought-provoking poetry, is now published. Each lane/chapter speaks to a woman’s life. Hanna, the mother of six and grandmother of 11, finds inspiration in her large and loving family, their experiences together, and the joy they share.
Robie Benve’s (Central Ohio Branch) solo exhibition opened in October at Marcia Evans Gallery in Columbus, Ohio. The show concentrated on travels and places she treasures. Two of her works were also featured on billboards in downtown Columbus.
Linda Trice (Metropolitan New York Branch) has received praise from top reviewers for her picture book for ages 3-9, “Kenya’s Song” (Charlesbridge Publishing). School Library Journal wrote: “Kenya’s appreciation for the music around her and her loving relationship with her father make this an appealing story.” From Kirkus: “‘Kenya’s Song’ provides a glimpse of a loving family living in a multicultural neighborhood.”
Virginia Nygard’s (Vero Beach Branch) poetry book, “Maggie the Bag Lady,” was uploaded to Amazon-Kindle by publisher Scatteredfrost Publishing. Nygard says the inspiration for giving voice to Maggie, a fictional homeless woman who lives in the author’s head, was born from assembled threads of both homeless and other folks’ lives and experiences. The life lessons she has learned — sometimes the hard way — have given her insight into the behavior of others whose paths cross hers.
Darlene Yeager-Torre (Central Ohio Branch) had a photograph, “Dreams Deferred,” accepted into the prestigious show at the Art Barn in Athens, Ohio. The show, “Wide Open: Excellence in Photography,” opened Oct. 2. Additionally, Yeager-Torre’s photo, “Daisies and Mixed Messages,” was one of eight works selected from “2020 News Headlines,” an ongoing series, to be featured in “South by Southeast Photomagazine.”
Meryl Davids Landau’s (Boca Raton Branch) mindfulness/yoga women’s novel, “Warrior Won,” received the gold medal in the Living Now book awards and the bronze medal in the prestigious Independent Publisher (IPPY) book awards. The novel, popular with women who meditate and do yoga, follows her earlier novel, “Downward Dog, Upward Fog,” which was also an award winner.
Ronni Miller (Sarasota Branch) has recently published her eighth book, “Between Lovers,” a collection of short stories and 10 theater pieces about the search for love and connection. Published by Robi Jode Press, the book is available on amazon.com.
Susan S. Buzzi’s (Fort Lauderdale Branch) photograph (actual film), “Waterlilies,” was among the recently selected artwork by the Public Art Program with the city of Sunrise, Florida, to be included in the “Traffic Box Project.” During fall, 29 boxes were unveiled throughout the city as part of the project.
Usha Shukla (Diablo-Alameda Branch) received a 2020 Alameda County Arts Leadership Award for her achievements and contributions impacting the arts community and residents of Alameda County, California. The Alameda County Board of Supervisors presented the commendations to the seven award recipients in conjunction with the county’s celebration of October as National Arts and Humanities Month.
Marie-B Cilia De Amicis’ (Washington, D.C., Branch) photograph, “Time Bomb’,’ was part of the Sea Change Show at Washington Printmakers Gallery in Washington, D.C. The exhibition, which ran between Nov. 5 and Jan. 3, was focused on climate change and the present environment. View the show online at washingtonprintmakers.com.
Dottie Fletcher’s (Jacksonville Branch) new novel, “HOJO Girl,” is available at many independent bookstores and online at amazon.com and Barnes and Noble. An insightful journey into womanhood back in the turbulent year of 1968, the story takes place as the Vietnam War raged, the Civil Rights movement spread across the land, and the sexual revolution began to impact the lives of Americans.
Karen L. Kirshner (Long Island Branch) had a solo exhibit titled Color Blast at b. j. spoke gallery in Long Island, New York, from Oct. 28 to Nov. 29. Her intention was to evoke hope and joy through her abstract paintings.
Barbara Ehrentreu (Greenwich Branch), the author of two young adult novels and a poetry book, received a certificate in honor of the 74th anniversary of Indian Independence Day for global excellence in writing. The award was given by India’s premium literary institute, Gujarat Sahitya Academy of the state of Gujarat; and Motivational Strips, a Facebook page that currently has the most visitors of any literary group.
From The Pen Woman, Fall 2020
Mollee Kruger (Bethesda Branch) has published “Port of Call: Memories of an Ancient Mariner,” a sequel to her coming-of-age memoir, “The Cobbler’s Last.” The new book deals with the ups and downs of her career as an award-winning freelance writer and the influence that fellow Pen Women have had on her life. She was also recently honored by the University of Maryland Alumni Association in a blog-post interview and by coverage of her 91st birthday in Baltimore and Washington, D.C., area publications.
Elaine Abramson’s (Yucca Branch) book, “From Fat to Fabulous: A Lifestyle Guide for Restaurant Lovers,” received a proclamation from Mayor Timothy W. Keller of Albuquerque, New Mexico, declaring the week of July 20, 2020, “From Fat to Fabulous Week” in the city. Albuquerque’s world-class restaurants and unique culinary diversity inspired Abramson (who writes under the name E.S. Abramson) to create her series.
Dawn Petrill (Central Ohio Branch) showed work in the Dublin Art League’s Art Stroll, Dublin, Ohio, in July. Her painting, “A Chance Encounter,” was also included in the Dublin Art League’s Irish Show July 25 – Aug. 30.
Linda Trice (Metropolitan New York Branch) had two of her stories published in prestigious literary journals. “Penumbra Literary and Art Journal” published “Removal at Seminole Mound,” her Florida-based story about a Seminole Indian Woman, as part of the journal’s “Black Voices and Experiences” series. Her contemporary story, “A Bottle of Old Times,” was published in Vol. 4, Issue 3 of “Rigorous: a Literary Journal by Black, Indigenous and People of Color.”
Debra Collins and Winifred Thompson (Diablo-Alameda Branch) had their individual works — “Prayer for the Greening” and “Sailors’ Delight,” respectively — accepted into The de Young Open Exhibition. The theme of the show is “On the Edge,” and fewer than 900 works were accepted from 11,000 submissions.
Rodika Tollefson’s (member-at-large, Washington state) personal essay, “As the Wheel Turns,” received honorable mention in the memoirs/personal essay category in the 89th Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition. The competition received more than 4,000 entries in nine categories. Tollefson’s essay describes her experience as a young woman living in the United States, away from all her family, after growing up in the Soviet Union.
From The Pen Woman, Summer 2020
Rosemary Barkes’ (Central Ohio Branch) humorous article “Coronavirus Chronicles: Sitcom, reading, 5 p.m. cocktails provide a lifeline” was published in the Columbus Dispatch on April 4 — a bit of levity regarding the pandemic scare.
Kat Heckenbach (Tampa Branch) has both her talents featured in the newly released anthology, “Stories That Sing: HAVOK Season Two,” published by HAVOK Publishing. Heckenbach’s young adult story, “A Fly on the Wall,” is a humorous take on a high school crush involving two teens and one bizarre secret. The phoenix adorning the cover of the anthology is an image of Heckenbach’s 16×20-inch mixed media piece that earned a third-place ribbon in the Florida State Fair Fine Arts Competition in February 2020 and won Best in Show at Tampa sci-fi/fantasy convention Necronomicon in October 2019.
From The Pen Woman, Spring 2020
Mary Jane Ingui (Vero Beach Branch) won second place at the 2019 Florida State Association Conference in Daytona Beach Shores for her nonfiction book, “Trauma and Tenacity in Vietnam, A Surgeon’s Story.” The book details Dr. Sheldon Kushner’s tour of duty in 1968-1969 in Vinh Long, Vietnam, as a trauma surgeon who worked on South Vietnamese civilians. Dr. Kushner was a longtime resident of Vero Beach, Florida, where he practiced medicine. Now retired, he resides in Point Clear, Alabama.
ShaRon Haugen (Santa Clara County Branch) won first prize at the Coastal Arts League juried show with her oil painting, “Old Man” (left). The show had more than 200 entries and Haugen’s art took the honors over the other 72 displayed.
Jennifer Hambrick (Central Ohio Branch) performed in Denison University’s TUTTI Festival in “Words and Music,” a program featuring new musical works in response to her poetry and performed by ETHEL, quartet-in-residence at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, in March.
Yucca Branch (New Mexico) and Jane Maclean, editor of the branch newsletter, won first place in the 2020 New Mexico Press Women Communications Contest. Winners were announced March 14. The award is based on the quality of writing, photography, and design of a single edition of a newsletter or non-newspaper publication by a nonprofit, government, or educational organization. The NMPW contest takes place annually, with more than 500 entrants in more than 100 press-related categories.
Judy Nunno’s (Ft. Lauderdale Branch) painting was selected along with several other artists’ work to be duplicated and featured on bars of Hoffman’s Chocolate Art Bars and sold at a major art exhibit and fundraiser in Fort Lauderdale (Art + Soul) last November. A South Florida native, Nunno (right) is an internationally recognized, realistic-watercolor artist who has exhibited in dozens of local, national, and international shows, winning numerous awards. Her specialty is portraits and paintings of crystal and glass.
Judith La Fourest (Indianapolis Branch), past national president (1998-2000), presented a paper on Vinnie Ream to the Fortnightly Literary Club in Indiana. There were over 75 women members in the audience and some high school essay winners with their parents and teachers. Fortnightly was founded in 1885.
Deborah Anderson (Central Ohio Branch) exhibited 12 quilts at Argo-Lehne Jewelers, in January through March.
Lucy Arnold (Golden Gate-Marin Branch) had her latest children’s illustrated book, “Druk and Mita,” released in March. This is Arnold’s third collaboration with author Tracy Tandy. The other two illustrated books are “Alphabet Dreams” picture book and its companion, “Alphabet Dreams Coloring Book.” All were published by Inevitable Ink Publishing.
Dawn Petrill and Bev Goldie (Central Ohio Branch) had pieces in the prestigious Bryn Du Art Exhibition in Granville, Ohio. The Bryn Du Art Show is an annual juried exhibition held at the beautiful Bryn Du Mansion.
From The Pen Woman, Winter 2020
Jennifer Hambrick (Central Ohio Branch) performed her poem “Circles Against the Spin” in its musical setting by composer Dr. Mark Lomax II in two concerts in Columbus, Ohio, as part of The Big SCORE, an innovative poetry and music commissioning project created and supported by The Johnstone Fund for New Music. On commission from Columbus’ Sunday at Central concert series, Hambrick also wrote four new poems for Antonio Vivaldi’s masterpiece “The Four Seasons” and gave the world-premiere readings of those poems in September. Through an invitation-only application process, she was also appointed the first Artist-in-Residence at historic Bryn Du Mansion in Granville.
Karen Kirshner (Long Island Branch) is featuring 28 paintings in a solo exhibition, “Abstract Adventures,” at the Bryant Library gallery located at 2 Paper Mill Road in Roslyn, New York. The exhibit runs through Oct. 31. Kirshner also recently exhibited with the National Association of Women Artists’ 130th exhibition in Tribeca and was also voted as Artist of the Month in September by the National Art League in Douglaston, Queens.
In the photo: Former National President Anna Di Bella (center) at the Oct. 5 reception for the solo exhibition, “Abstract Adventure,” by Pen Woman Karen Kir (left). Also pictured is Dan Keene, a musician who played classical Spanish guitar at the event.
Abby Feinknopf (Central Ohio Branch) had a solo show at Argo and Lehne Jewelers in Columbus, Ohio, in September and October.
Jeny Reynolds’ (Central Ohio Branch) home and art was featured in the September “Home & Garden” issue of Columbus Monthly.
Renate Fackler (Central Ohio Branch) has two bronze sculptures, “Madonna and Baby Jesus” and “Mrs. Plank,” featured in the Garden of Peace at St. Mary’s Church in German Village in Columbus, Ohio. The Kelley Family, who are grandchildren of Mrs. Plank, are responsible for the beautiful garden and the sculptural additions that were installed in summer 2019.
Priscilla Cogan, PhD (Wellesley Branch) submitted two plays to the 2019 Community Theater Association of Michigan blind playwriting contest: “Tidal Shifts” (on elder abuse) and “Love, Lust, and Other Liabilities” (on youthful passion), and won both first and second prize in the contest. Playwriting is her third career, following that of clinical psychologist and published novelist. The Wellesley Branch has been very instrumental in sharpening her theatrical skills with its annual reading of her latest play.
Bev Goldie (Central Ohio Branch) showed work in the “Wax to the Max” Encaustic Exhibition at Wittenberg University’s Koch Hall in October.
From The Pen Woman, Fall 2019
Sara McDaris (Huntsville Branch) recently celebrated 20 years singing with the acclaimed Huntsville Master Chorale, an organization whose mission is to provide excellent choral works to North Alabama residents. She also is a master storyteller of the South, sharing her storytelling talent with the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library for 30 years and Alabama Public Television for 19 years.
Jo Jo Harder (Boca Raton Branch), creator and CEO of the America’s Top Dog Model brand, is the writer, director, and producer of its new weekly reality series “How to Get to the Top,” which premiered on YouTube in August. Additionally, her new monthly pet column launched in The Observer Newspaper, with an article about taking care of your canine family member while being sustainable.
Jessica Temple, PhD (Huntsville Branch) has been named 2019 Poet of the Year by the Alabama State Poetry Society (ASPS) in recognition of her service to the organization and to poetry in the state. Temple serves as secretary/treasurer for ASPS; co-directs the syndicated poetry radio show “melodically challenged”; and teaches at Alabama A&M University. She’s the author of the chapbook “Seamless and Other Legends” (Finishing Line Press, 2013) and a forthcoming, full-length collection from Madville Publishing.
Margaret McMullan (member-at-large, Washington, D.C.) has a new memoir, “Where the Angels Lived: One Family’s Story of Loss, Exile, and Return,” based on her research as a Fulbright professor in Pécs, Hungary, where she taught and researched her mother’s family, most of whom died in the Hungarian Holocaust. Portions of the book appeared in USA Today, The Washington Post, and The Los Angeles Times, among other publications. She will be at the U.S. Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. for a book talk and signing on Oct. 13 and 14.
Susan S. Buzzi (Fort Lauderdale Branch) recently received an honorary membership to Alpha Phi Sigma, the International Honor Society for Criminal Justice under the Florida Chapter with St. Thomas University, Miami, Florida. Buzzi, a former law enforcement officer, is now a victim advocate, coach practitioner, a contributor to the Human Trafficking Academy at St. Thomas University School of Law, an adjunct faculty member, and a member of the Broward County Commission on the Status of Women.
Sara Etgen-Baker (Dallas Texas Branch) took both first place and honorable mention in the Chesapeake Bay Writers Group annual Keating Award Contest. She also had two pieces published in Good Old Days Magazine. Her memoir, “The Lovely Month of May,” was published in the recently released “Chicken Soup for the Soul: Mom Knows Best” and “Finding My Light” was published in “Chicken Soup for the Soul: Running for Good.”
Dawn Petrill’s (Central Ohio Branch) painting, “Pastoral Monologues,” was exhibited at the Ohio State Fair for two weeks in July-August. She will also have a solo exhibit, titled “Dawn Petrill Re-Imagined,” at First Commonwealth Bank in Columbus, Ohio, through Sept. 30.
Linda Trice (Manhattan-New York City Branch) received the Pewter Plate Award by the Highlights Foundation for her profile of the Harlem Renaissance artist Jacob Lawrence. The article was published in “Highlights for Children,” a magazine for young people. Lawrence, who often used bold primary colors and cubism to illustrate African-American life, is best known for his “Great Migration” paintings.
Renate Fackler’s (Central Ohio Branch) work was shown at Gallery 22 in Delaware, Ohio, along with artist James Mason, July 5 through Aug. 24. Fackler exhibited sculpture and Mason exhibited paintings.
Christina Laurie and Elizabeth Moisan (Cape Cod Branch) recently collaborated on a Christmas book, “The Lobsters’ Night Before Christmas,” an undersea retelling of the Rev. Clement Moore’s “A Visit by St. Nicholas.” Laurie wrote the tale in clever rhyme, while Moisan did watercolor illustrations. Following the poem is a tutorial, where adults and children can learn many interesting facts about lobsters. The book was released in October and is available at local bookstores.
Hannah Rogge’s (Manhattan-New York City Branch) “Hello Honeybees,” a beautifully designed board book for ages 2 to 4, was recently published by Chronicle Books. The book stands upright to make a hive and has ribbons attached with two bees that children can fly through the pages to visit a garden, tour the beehive, and learn how busy bees are.
Darlene Yeager Torre’s (Central Ohio Branch) work, “Onlookers” (see page 13), was juried into the 13th Annual Julia Margaret Cameron Awards for women photographers. Nearly 500 photographers from 71 countries submitted over 6,500 images for the awards, which will be given at an event in Barcelona, Spain, in October.
Pen Women in the Spotlight, The Pen Woman, Summer 2019
Gloria Sampson (Columbus Branch) was featured in the Sept./Oct. 2018 issue of Southwest Georgia Living magazine. The article, which was reprinted in the Columbus Artists’ Guild magazine, reflects her lifelong commitment to art, as well as showing books and paintings resulting from her extensive travels. The article is available at bit.ly/GloriaSampson.
Sharon Canfield Dorsey (Chesapeake Bay Branch) received first place in poetry for her poem, “Warrior”; second place in nonfiction for her article, “Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History”; and third place in juvenile fiction for her story, “Lost!” at the Christopher Newport University Writer’s Conference in Newport News, Virginia, in May. In December, she also debuted her third children’s book, “Buddy and Ballerina Save the Library,” illustrated by her granddaughters, Emma (7) and Adaline (10).
Jane Parks-McKay (Santa Clara County Branch) recently placed third in a woman’s issues writing contest sponsored by the DAR (Daughters of American Revolution). She wrote about her experiences of being a longtime family caregiver, along with thoughts on what she should have known going into it.
Dawn Petrill (Central Ohio Branch) was named Artist of the Month by the Ohio Art League. Her work will be shown at First Commonwealth Bank in Columbus, Ohio, during the month of September, with a reception planned for Sept. 7.
Renate Fackler’s (Central Ohio Branch) bronze sculptures are featured in “Urban Pocket Prairie,” in the Spring and Summer edition of Home and Garden, which features German Village garden delights, including her meadow-like garden. A colorful, full-page photo shows her bronze sculpture “Cultivating Beauty,” which is tucked among the perennials showcased in her garden. Fackler has also been commissioned to proceed with two life-sized bronze sculptures for St. Mary’s Church and a Meditation Garden. German Village and St. Mary’s Church are in Columbus, Ohio.
Meryl Davids Landau’s (Boca Raton Branch) “Warrior Won” novel was released May 14. It’s a standalone follow-up to her prior novel, “Downward Dog, Upward Fog.” Both feature a protagonist using mindfulness and yoga to keep her inner peace. Foreword Reviews called it “spiritual fiction that is both compelling and fun.”
Jeny Reynolds’ (Central Ohio Branch) artwork was included in a monthlong exhibition for Women’s History Month, titled “Women’s Palette: Women with a History, 40 Years of Fine Art” at the Shot Tower Gallery this spring.
Marcia Zina Mager’s (Honolulu Branch) award-winning, two-woman musical “MONEY TALKS: But What the hell is it saying?” is making its “mainland” debut on June 21 as part of the grand reopening of the Historic Ute Theatre in Saguache, Colorado, after three years of performances around Hawaii. Mager is the playwright, performer, composer, and performer of the musical, which tells the autobiographical story of two struggling artists, a German and a Jew, born a generation apart, trying to understand the deeper meaning of success, failure, and self-worth. Learn more at www.ilovemoneytalks.com.
Jacksonville Pen Woman Receives Prestigious Award
Susanne Schuenke received the prestigious ROWITA (Recognizing Outstanding Women in the Arts) Award in March at the Limelight Theatre in St. Augustine, Florida. An internationally acclaimed artist who holds a doctorate degree in art history from
the University of Cologne, Schuenke has works in private, museum, corporate, and public collections throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States. Her work was published in a compendium of “Women in Art – The Great Female Artists from the Middle Ages to the Modern Era” by R. Fuchs (Vienna 2013).
Schuenke paints narrative surrealism that piques the imagination and provides visual delight for the discerning eye. Her massive painting of seven butterflies, “Give Me Wings,” fills a wall at Mayo Clinic-Jacksonville and has been described as possessing “healing qualities.”
A member of the Jacksonville Branch for nearly a decade, she is exhibitions chair and is in charge of the upcoming “Visions & Verses” exhibition at the Vandroff Art Gallery, Jewish Community Alliance, from June 30 through July 31. This multidimensional art show presented by 28 branch members pairs paintings, photographs, or woven images with the written word in poetry, essay, or prose commentary.
Pen Women in the Spotlight, The Pen Woman, Spring 2019
Halide K. Smith (Sarasota Branch, Florida) has had a number of award-winning compositions performed in the past two years. Last March, soprano Jessica Salley and pianist Jessica Koebbe performed Smith’s “I Hear Voices” at the Kansas City SAI Musicale. Pianist Vicki Hedger performed Smith’s “A Rose” in the Sensory Friendly Concert in Overland Park, Kansas, last April and “Field of Bluebonnets” for the Sensory Friendly Concert in Overland Park, Kansas, in April 2017.
Bev Goldie’s (Central Ohio Branch) encaustic work, “Rolling Along,” was accepted into the nationally juried International Encaustics Artists show, “Survey of Contemporary Encaustic Art,” which took place Jan. 17 through March 10 at the Chaffey Community Museum of Art just outside of Los Angeles.
Brenda Layman (Central Ohio Branch) had her articles, “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” and “Magician with a Message,” published in the December/January and February/March 2019 editions, respectively, of Pickerington Magazine. Her article, “To My Editors, with Thanks,” was featured in the December 2018 issue of Outdoor Lore, the newsletter of The Outdoor Writers of Ohio.
Kathy Michels (Member-at-Large, Pennsylvania) was appointed as the Pennsylvania delegate for the International Watercolor Society (IWS) USA. The goal of IWS USA is to become the largest and most active watercolor organization in the world. Plans are under way for the first USA International show as well as online contests, plein-air events, and other opportunities for watercolor artists.
Veena Bansal’s (Central Ohio Branch) paintings were included in a three-woman show at the Marcia Evans Gallery and in the Worthington Area Art League Member Exhibition at the Riffe Gallery in Columbus, Ohio. Her work was also featured in a solo show at Copius in Columbus.
Nancy Bloomer Deussen (Santa Clara County) had several of her compositions performed this year: in January, “Two American Songs” at NACUSA Southern Oregon Chapter, “Woodwind Quartet” at Spiritus Winds Cultural Center, and “Peninsula Suite” at Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra Prep Ensemble; in February, “Two Pieces for Violin and Piano” at St. Teresa of Avila in San Francisco and “American Hymn” at Memphis Youth Symphony; and in March, “Woodwind Quintet” at Contra Costa Performing Arts Society. Her “American Hymn” composition will be performed on May 3 by the Milpitas Community Band. Deussen has also had six orchestral compositions and many chamber music performances of her work in the past year.
Sandra Eliot’s (Member-at-Large, Pennsylvania) three sculptures, “Riding the Crest,” “Guardian,” and “Wrapped Spectre,” were accepted into the Annual Works In Wood juried show at the New Hope Arts Center through January. At the same time, her sculpture titled “Lovely as a Tree” was featured at the Johnson Educational Center in Princeton, New Jersey. Eliot’s works are assemblages of objects she creates with wood that has been weathered by natural forces, with metaphorical imagery open to different meanings and interpretations. (Read more about her process on p. 15.)
Mimi Sherman Pearce (Jacksonville Branch, Florida) won first place for her oil painting titled “After the Rain” in the juried exhibition of the Jacksonville Coalition for Visual Artists (JCVA) that took place in Pontevedra Beach, Florida through mid-January. Her mantra is, “Art is for everyone. Art should be everywhere. In the workspace as well as over the fireplace. It has the power to transport, to calm, and to heal the spirit in times of confusion.”
Miriam Cassell (Sarasota Branch) was featured in the Venü Magazine’s Winter/Spring 2019 issue. The article was titled “The Storied Life and Art of Legendary Artist and Art Activist Miriam Cassell,” and the publisher’s letter described her as “an artist ahead of her time” who “has been pushing the envelope with her outspoken images and artistic commentary against social wrongs for more than five decades.”
Karen Kirshner, Chris Greene, and Katherine Criss (Long Island Branch) recently participated in the annual Artist’s Choice 2019 exhibition at b. j. spoke gallery. With other gallery members, the three Pen Women invited Long Island artists they admire to partner with them. Additionally, Kirshner’s work was featured in the last few months in numerous exhibitions, including in New York City in two Tribeca galleries and others, and in galleries in the Hamptons, Long Island.
Maria Keane’s (Diamond State Branch) mixed media work, “Benediction,” was selected for the National Association of Women Artists, Inc. online exhibition, “Women Celebrating Creativity.” The exhibition may be viewed at www.NAWAonlinegallery.org through May 29.
Evelyn Swensson (Diamond State Branch) is taking her musical talents abroad from April 27 to May 7. She will sing in Munich, Vienna, and Prague with the Hickory North Carolina Concert Choir.
Elaine Abramson (Yucca Branch) has been included for the 29th year in a row in the invitation-only Marquis “Who’s Who in America” biographical directory. She has also been featured in Marquis “Who’s Who in Entertainment,” “Who’s Who in American Art,” and “Who’s Who in the South and Southwest,” and last year received the Marquis Who’s Who 2018 Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award.
Sheila Firestone’s (Boca Raton Branch) musical, “Miriam and the Women of the Desert,” premiered in February at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Delray Beach, Florida. The musical — the fascinating Biblical story of Miriam and the women who surrounded her — will then be performed March 28 to April 7 at the Empire Stage Theater in Ft. Lauderdale. Bonita Tabakin (Chevy Chase Branch) created original art works featured as backdrop during various scenes.
Susan S. Buzzi (Ft. Lauderdale Branch) recently exhibited at The Archbishop John C. Favalora Archives & Museum at St. Thomas University in Miami, Florida, during National Human Trafficking Awareness Month. She created the ongoing series, titled “Responsibility & Vigilance,” specifically for the Human Trafficking Academy at St. Thomas School of Law. The series is a photographic documentary promoting awareness, victim advocacy, healing, and important prevention measures for all communities across the United States.
Billie Travalini (Diamond State Branch) received the 2019 Individual Artist Fellowship award in literature and fiction ($10,000) from the Delaware Division of the Arts — the highest monetary award for an individual at the master level. The fellowships recognize artists in a variety of disciplines for their outstanding quality of work and provide monetary awards. This year, 136 artists applied and 20 received fellowships in various categories.
Pen Women in the Spotlight, The Pen Woman, Winter 2019
Terry Cox-Joseph (Chesapeake Bay Branch) had her first poetry chapbook, “Between Then and Now,” published by Finishing Line Press in November. In the words of Virginia Poet Laureate Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda, “An accomplished artist, the author relies on visual astuteness to recreate indelible moments of her past in poems that serve as curative antidotes. … Every word matters in this chapbook that captures truths we often fail to address.”
Martha Steger (life member-at-large) received one of 12 honorable mentions in the poetry category in the Mid-Atlantic Celebration of the Arts Contest sponsored by the Beacon Newspapers and the Maryland Federation of Art. The category, open to residents of Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C, who are least 50 years of age, received 212 entries. Steger’s poem, a sestina entitled “Re-enactment,” was honored with other winners and honorable mentions in Silver Spring in October.
Karen L. Kirshner (Long Island Branch) received the 2018 Abstract Artist of the Year Award in a national juried art competition for her painting, “Rivaling Faith,” which was on exhibit in October and November at ADC Fine Art Gallery in Cincinnati. Organizers say the competition, called Art Comes Alive, has become known as the “Academy Awards” for artists. It awards prizes that include gallery and publishing contracts and categories such as lifetime achievement and star student.
Billie Travalini (Diamond State Branch) received the 2018 Communicator of Achievement Award from the National Federation of Press Women (NFPW) in September. This prestigious award, given for 61 years, is the highest honor bestowed by NFPW upon members who have distinguished themselves within and beyond their field. The recipient, chosen from nominees selected by state affiliates from around the country, is recognized for exceptional achievement in the communications field, as well as service to NFPW and to the community. Travalini also received the Governor’s Award for the Arts, Education, and was named an Outstanding Volunteer of the Year for her work with Delaware’s youth.
Veena Bansal (Central Ohio Branch) won first place for her oil painting, “Mystic Village in France” in an exhibit presented by the Worthington Art League. Francoise Bartram (Central Ohio Branch) has published her first novel, “French Leave,” a suspense-filled tale of a woman whose world comes apart when she finds herself squarely in the middle of dangerous events that are mysteriously connected to her life.
Sara Etgen-Baker (Dallas Branch) had her story, “Promise Me,” published in November in the anthology “Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Best Advice I Ever Heard.” Additionally, her story, “The Lovely Month of May,” will be included in “Chicken Soup for the Soul: Mom Knows Best,” due to be released in March. Deborah Dickinson-Deacon (Western New York Branch) had two poems published in the Pockets magazine (a subsidiary of The Upper Room): “It Takes Courage” (September 2018) and “The Golden Rule” (October 2018).
Iris Gray Dowling (Diamond State Branch) had two books released in 2018. “The Morning Surprise” is an educational, scientific story about the black swallowtail butterfly as it progresses through the metamorphic stages and becomes an adult. The book encourages children to use modern phones to photograph living specimens for study, instead of catching and mounting a disappearing species. Her second book, “Praying Mantis —Disappearing Friend,” takes place in a school classroom, with a discussion between the teacher and the children revealing the truth and misconceptions about praying mantises. Dowling illustrated the book using photography and original paintings.
Maria Keane’s (Diamond State Branch) collection of poems, “Being There,” was published in October by Page Publishing. The central themes are personal reflections about aging, relationships that thrive or fade, compassion needed for trials and confrontation, and the grace that blesses those who are wounded and wait patiently for healing in their special places. Keane used her original art for the cover of the book, as well as included six illustrations.
Elizabeth Diane Martin (Pikes Peak Branch) released a new book, “The Heart’s Mind: How Unconscious 
Responses in Life and Work Naturally Improve Our Lives While We Make Other Plans.” The heart’s mind is the source of self-renewing positive motivation that stirs the heart to be happy in work, to be original, and to have courage in the face of adversity. Martin shows that unconscious behavior is proof we intuitively reach toward good in all circumstances. Go to12phases.com/index.php/books for more information.
Darlene Yeager-Torre (Central Ohio Branch) had her work juried into an exhibit in Gainesville, Florida, called “Creativity Takes Courage.” Titled “White Spring Blossoms,” her piece was a long-exposure, night photograph of a tree full of white blossoms, painted with light to provide a stark contrast that makes the tree appear to be glowing in the dark.