Letter from NLAPW National President

(See more news: News from Pen Women and Branch News.)

Letter from the National President Sheila M. Byrnes, Spring 2025

New Opportunities to Honor Creative Women

Sheila Byrnes
Sheila M. Byrnes

The past few months have been a busy time for the League. We continue to offer new competitions, educational opportunities, and honoring Women Who Make a Difference.

The Cross-Genre Collaboration Competition is an excellent opportunity to work with members from different classifications. Competition teams may be made up of Pen Women within one branch or multiple branches. Network with someone new and stimulate your creativity. Each team must be made up of two to four Pen Women who work in different genres. The intent behind the competition is to inspire new creative and collaborative projects (not ones previously created and repurposed for this competition). The deadline is May 7.

The complete guidelines of the new cross-genre competition for all NLAPW members are available on our website.

Pen Arts Event March 2025
Pen Arts was the site of the NLAPW’s first “Women Who Make a Difference” event on the evening of March 22. This special occasion, honoring nonmembers who are extraordinary professionals in their fields, Arlene Selber and Colette Dafoe (pictured), marked our recognition of Women’s History Month. About 40 people attended the very successful celebration of women professionals before a reception in the dining room prepared by Second Vice President Nancy Dafoe and Art Chair Joan Applebaum. Pen Arts Director Evelyn Wofford introduced the event and gave a brief history of the building, and President Sheila M. Byrnes presented the certificate awards to the two honorees chosen by our committee. We hope to re-create this recognition event every two years to honor other professional women who give to their communities.

On March 22, we hosted our first NLAPW Women Who Make a Difference evening at Pen Arts. The purposes behind this event are to continue to raise the profile of our organization, to celebrate and honor women during Women’s History Month, to interest the women in joining our organization, to raise the profile of these women in their respective work environments and in the community, and to raise funds for the NLAPW. In addition to honoring each woman, a reception was hosted by board members.

Lyn Loewi has been appointed music chair. A resident of Washington, D.C., she is an organist, choir director, and research scholar of women composers in D.C. She is also an associate organist at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square. Nancy Haskett, an educator for over 30 years and a poet from the Modesto Branch, California, will become the new poetry editor in September. A warm thank you to Claire Massey who has been the poetry editor for the past three years.

2026 Biennial News

The Central New York Branch will host the 52nd Biennial on April 24-26, 2026, in our National Capital. Members are invited to summit proposals for 60-minute or 90-minute multi or individual presentations. (Read the guidelines here.) The biennial committee is looking at walking tours of D.C. and a possible bus tour if there is enough interest. Would you or your branch like to sponsor a new letters contest to be in the 2026 Biennial Letters Competition?

For additional information or questions, contact lettchair@nlapw.org. My goals for the rest of my term include creating new networking and educational opportunities for members, recording the history of the League and Pen Women, and creating new avenues of revenue growth.

See President’s Letters Archive for past letters.