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The Pen WomanFALL/WINTER 2013
Cover:"InspIratIons" by barbara nuss, bethesda branCh, Md More art by pen woMen at www.nLapw.org
baLLot & 2014-2016 offICer CandIdates - pg 11-13
It's here! froM pen woMen press: spIrIt, peaCe and Joy - baCk Cover aLso the greenwICh branCh poetry book - pg 15
bIennIaL sCheduLe, hoteL and weLCoMe froM atLanta branCh - pg 22-23 regIster for bIennIaL - InsIde baCk Cover
vInnIe reaM MedaL to be announCed at bIennIaL - pg 24
The Pen Womanbranch news & features 3 Happy 100th Birthday, Helen Holt! Patricia Daly-Lipe 8 Creativity and Sociability Bettie Jane Owen Wooten14 Holly: Mayor's Award, Fundraisers, Exhibits Joyce Hammond Lewis16 Pensacola: "Branching Out" with First Gallery Show Nancy Nesvik18 Wellesley, MA: Reading The Summer Cottage Dr. Priscilla Cogan19 La Jolla's Star Reporter19 Fort Lauderdale Branch News19 Roanoke Valley Meeting Features Opera and Art Gail Lambert
league communication 5 Planned Giving Donation Form 8 My First Webinar Experience Dr. Bernice Reid 9 Webinars: A Creative "Shot in the Arm" Candace Long10 Proposed Standing Rules Amendments Bettie Jane Owen Wooten10 Tribute to Phyllis Wood Bettie Jane Owen Wooten22 Greetings from Atlanta! Biennial Host Branch Welcome Ann Alexander23 Biennial Schedule Highlights24 Vinnie Ream Medal to be Unveiled at the 2014 Biennial in Atlanta
Katie Witek30 Chaplain's Inspiration Interlude: What Do You Hear?30 Obituaries
fiction/non-fiction Sheryl L. Nelms, editor 4 Watching it Rain Gayla Drake Paul 4 Instant Love, Through the Eyes of a Godmother Nell Rude
music Virginia Franklin Campbell, editor25 Vinnie Ream: Some Notes About the Pen Woman Behind the Name
poetry Treanor Wooten Baring, editor6-7 Accident at the Crossing
Elena’s Birthday Party (or: The Quality of Forgiveness) Sofia M. Starnes, MAL & Poet Laureate of Virginia
Remedy Cassandra Thomas • Freedom Mary Joan MeagherA Daily Prayer Linda Newman Woito
Surprising Benediction Janet Fagal • Ghosts of War Marlowe Olson ArnoldGoing On Lois Batchelor Howard • Sanctuary Rose GleisbergThe Woodcutter Nancy Godbout Jurka
book reviews Annie Laura Smith, editor26 Lockets & Lanterns • Slash & Turn • Flicker Willy and the Winchester Motorcycle28 The Red and Black Breed • A Year of Essential Correspondence
The Dementia Dance
competitions20 2014 Biennial Competitions – Call for Entries, Music & Letters21 2014 Biennial Art Competition– Call for Entries
Greenwich, CT Publishes
Poetry Bookpg 15
Southwest Florida Exhibitspg 19
All Branch Newspg 14-19
Making MAGIC: A Monumental
Workpg 11
Vote for 2014-2016officers.pg 11
Candidate bios pg 12-13
NLAPWOFFICALBALLOT
Book Your Roomfor the Biennial
pg 22Registration
Form on Inside
Back Cover!
The Pen Woman 1
From the President
Sharyn Bowman Greberman, Sc.D. National President
Reduce Your Taxes with an IRA GiftBy Lorna Jean Hagstrom, Acting Treasurer
Did you know that you can reduce your taxes for 2013 by making a gift from your IRA to charity? An IRA rollover is a simple and easy way for you to use your IRA to help The National League of American Pen Women fulfill its mission.
As part of the fiscal cliff law, Congress reauthorized the IRA rollover for 2013. This means that if you are 70 1/2 or older, you can make a charitable gift from your IRA in any amount that is best for you up to $100,000. Your gift will qualify for your 2013 required minimum IRA distribution and you will not pay federal income tax on the amount given.
You can lower your taxable income by transferring some of your IRA required distribution to NLAPW. Lower taxable income, in turn, means you could reduce your income and capital gains taxes this year. To make an IRA rollover gift, simply contact your custodian and request
that an amount be transferred to NLAPW. As always your gift can be unrestricted or designated for a specific pur-pose. For information about how your charitable dona-tion should be transferred, you or your custodian may contact National Headquarters at 202-785-1997 or 1300 17th St. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036 or via email at [email protected].
If you are not ready to make a gift to NLAPW from your IRA this year, you may want to consider making a charitable bequest. A bequest of part or all of your IRA permits you to make full use of your funds during your lifetime. The League benefits in the future from what re-mains. Your IRA custodian can provide you with a form to designate NLAPW as a beneficiary of your plan.
No matter which avenue you choose, your gift will en-able the League to carry on the important work of promot-ing women artists, writers, and composers. You have until December 31, 2013 to act.
We have a new Administrative Assistant in the office. Her name is Devan Daly. She replaced Xavier Johnson, who resigned to have her baby. Devan is learning quickly and will be ready to help you if you contact National.
I am planning to launching a Google+ page that will enable League members to connect to one another and post their work online. You will probably have heard about this by e-mail before you receive this issue of the magazine. I am very optimistic that this Google+ page will bring together members who wish to communicate with each other, whether locally or across the country. It will also serve to showcase our organiza-tion to nonmembers and to interest them in joining us.
We are going to develop an NLAPW trailer to be viewed online. This will provide another way for nonmembers to learn about us. You will probably also have heard about this at the individual and branch levels before receiving this magazine. We will be requesting photos of members in the process of doing their work. We will also be requesting original compositions from Music members. We will conduct a competition for choice of the music for the trailer. I hope we will have a lot of participation in this new method for showcasing the League to others.
The 2014 Biennial registration information is in this issue. In addition to an exciting program, the Biennial Committee has worked very hard to develop choices that will be financially beneficial to our attendees. For members, complimentary break-fasts are available plus a low rate for the Vinnie Ream Banquet. Please see the registration information for further details. If you have not yet made your hotel reservation at The Georgian Terrace, please do so soon. We have a limited number of rooms at our deeply discounted rate and many rooms have already been reserved. If we fill the rooms and more are needed, the hotel will charge a far higher rate for the additional rooms.
The Biennial competition information appears again in this issue. Please pay close attention to deadlines. The art exhibit begins well before the Biennial so, if you do not live locally, you will probably be required to ship your work to Atlanta. While you must pay to ship the work to the show, the League has a special fund that will pay for the return shipping to you. We have many writing competitions, as usual, so please read each one for information on what to submit. We again have a music com-petition, so make sure you submit to that if you have an original composition.
I am looking forward to seeing many of you at the Biennial. Until then, have a very happy holiday season and an exciting and creative new year. —Sharyn
2 Fall/Winter 2013
Next issue:Spring 2014
Submission deadline:January 15, 2014
The Pen Woman (ISSN) 0031-4242 is published quarterly by The National League of American Pen Women, Inc., 1300 17th Street NW, Washington D.C. 20036-1973, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation. Subscription price for the magazine is includ-ed in annual dues to members. Professional and nonprofit organizations, libraries, museums, schools, women’s organizations: $18 per year. Prices subject to change for special issues. Periodical postage paid at Washington, D.C. and additional mailing offices.
Copyright 2013, The Pen Woman, National League of American Pen Women, Inc., 1300 17th Street NW, Washington D.C. 20036-1973. All rights reserved. All individual artwork, writing, and all articles are copyrighted by the artist/writer unless other-wise specified. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or me-chanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher. The National League of American Pen Women, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation, does not necessarily endorse the views of contributors to the magazine. Although reasonable care will be taken, neither The Pen Woman nor the National League of American Pen Women, Inc. is in any way responsible for the accuracy and/or philosophy of any of the material published in the magazine.
Department EditorsArt
Submit Art to Editor-in-Chief
Chaplain’s CornerRev. Christina Laurie33 Viewcrest Drive
Falmouth, MA 02540508.540-0762
CompetitionsKelly Ann Compton3020 S. Glencoe St.
Denver, CO 80222-6806303-758-6713
Fiction & Non-Fiction Sheryl L. NelmsPO Box 1374
Clyde, TX 79510-1374817-760-8333
MusicVirginia Franklin Campbell
5011 Cliff Point Circle WestColorado Springs, CO 80919
PoetryTreanor Wooten Baring650 Diamond Leaf Ln.
Houston, TX [email protected]
Book Review EditorAnnie Laura Smith
annielaurasmith @comcast.net564 Farmingdale RoadHuntsville, AL 35803Phone: 256-880-6213.
Reviewers Needed! See pg 26
The Pen Woman FALL/WINTER 2013 • Vol. LXXXX No. 6/7
Please send all address changes in writing to:National League of American Pen Women, Inc.
1300 17th Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036-1973 [email protected] • www.NLAPW.org
(202) 785-1997 • Fax: (202) 452-6868
Would you like to become a member?See page 32 for Membership Chairs if you are
Submitting an Application
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Publications ChairMarilyn Lewis-Alim
3612 Greenbriar DriveHuntsville,AL 35810
Special Thanks to Ann Rosati forallowing us to use her owl to mark the end of each article.
Submit all Art and Branch News to:April Myers, [email protected]
For questions, call:360.271-9824
Submissions should be sent by e-mail as a Word document (.doc or .docx) or directly in the body of the email. Include your name and branch or M-A-L at the top of your submis-sion. Photographs should be 4" along one side at 300dpi.
Please allow one week for receipt acknowledgement.
The Pen Woman 3
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Pen Womenin the NEWS
Patricia Daly-Lipe placed first in the category of Non-Fiction in the Virginia Writer's Club Summer Shorts Contest with her essay, Journey into the Heart of Creativity. She was also named a finalist in the Fiction Category in the First Annual Fiction, Poetry and Non-Fiction Contest by the online journal, The Write Place At the Write Time.
Dorothy Atkins entered the Northern California Liter-ary Contest hosted by the Santa Clara County Branch and received an Honorable Mention for her short story, Age of Innocence. "I am an artist, but have just begun to put my writing out there," she said. "I am so encouraged."
Linda McNeil, president of Chester County, PA branch, had a solo show of her work at the Historical So-ciety of the Phoenixville Area from August 2 through all of October. It showcased her watercolors, pen & inks, hand colored serigraphs, etchings, and a unique collection of handmade books and paper structures. A video of her show is linked on her blog at brushcolor.blogspot.com.
Denver Pen Woman Jo'el Roth had an article pub-lished in the August 2013 issue of Counseling Today, "Inclusive group facilitation strategies for all abilities." Her article is based on the workshop of the same title she conducted at the Association's 2011 national conference in San Francisco.
Corrections:Kyra Belan, author of Lucid Future: In the Summer Is-
sue in the Book Reviews section, the date and ISBN number were taken from the first edition, published by Aegina Press. The second edition was published in 2012 by CreateSpace and the numbers are now: ISBN-13: 978-1481019644 and ISBN -10:1481019643 (for UK distribution). We apologize for the error.
Nevart Apikian's obituary was incorrect in the summer issue. She was a member of the Central New York branch, not the Syracuse branch. Apologies from the chaplain.
In the article, "DC Welcomes First Student Mem-bers," on page 19 of the Summer Issue, the unknown per-son in the photograph is Susan Szulman, a member of the DC Branch.
In the article, "DC Branch Honors Jean Holmes' Service" on page 18 of the Summer Issue, Linda Reese-Davidson and Patricia Daly-Lipe are holding up a poster depicting The Boat House in Coronado by Georgeanna Lipe, Patricia's mother-in-law who died last year at the age of al-most 103. Georgeanna was an honorary member of the La Jolla Branch when Patricia was president. In addition, Patri-cia Daly-Lipe was incorrectly nicknamed "Patti."
Happy 100th BirthdayHelenHolt!West Virginia's First Woman Secretary of State has been a Pen Woman for 61 years.By Patricia Daly-Lipe, DC Branch
August 16, 2013, Helen Holt celebrated her 100th birthday. Candace Long, 2nd Vice-President and Adminis-trator of PenWomen Online presented Helen with a docu-ment confirming her creativity and 61 years as a member of the NLAPW, Inc. Sharp and marked with an incredible memory, Helen continues to take an interest in the lives of others, never conceding the importance and influence of her own life on others.
Two of Helen's favorite aphorisms speak volumes about the life she has led and continues to lead: "We know the fullest blessing of the light when we have come through the darkness;" and "When it comes to doing things for others, some people stop at nothing."
Helen received her B.A. from Northwestern University in 1934. In 1937, after being encouraged to pursue a graduate degree, Helen applied for a teaching fellowship in Zoology at Northwestern University and "to my surprise, I was accepted."
In the Spring of 1938, Helen received her M.A. degree and went to teach at National Park College, a girls' school near Washington, DC, on the side of Rock Creek Park, cur-rently in the process of being saved as a historic treasure.
Her summers were spent working for the Dermetics Co. at Rockefeller Center in New York City. In NYC, she also took a modeling course and she says, "It was one of those pictures that my students sent into Life Magazine for their spread of the 'prettiest school teachers in the US.'" The magazine did a double page spread of pictures. "I received a lot of letters from all over, even some fellows in the service." It was one of those pictures that her future husband, Sen. Rush Holt, saw. He pointed it out to his sister Jane. When her reply was, "I know her," Rush said, "Prove it."
Sen. Holt was the youngest man ever elected to the Unit-ed States Senate. He represented West Virginia. However, since he was only 29, he had to wait six months before being allowed to take his seat (two days after his 30th birthday).
Continued on page 5
Celebrating at the National Park Seminary, where Helen Holt once taught. Pictured on the right, Son Rush Holt, Jr. and
Patricia Daly-Lipe.
4 Fall/Winter 2013
Fiction/Non-fictionSheryl L. Nelms • Editor
Our Facebook page is growing and is becoming a forum for women across the United States to gather and share the love of words, visual arts and music. You don't have to be a member to like the page. If you have a Facebook account, search for: National League of American Pen Women. "Like" the page and join the conversation. And you can also post information related to your current and your Branch
activities. This is an excellent oppor-tunity to create public visibility in a searchable web space and 'get the word out' about you as a creative professional, about your branch and help the league grow. Tell all your friends!
Anyone Can "Like" NLAPW Facebook Page and Connect to our National Arts Community
Watching it RainBy Gayla Drake Paul, Iowa City Branch, IA
We stood with the back door open, watching the rain come pouring down, lightning flashing and thunder rum-bling closer by the minute. The little balcony was drenched from a waterfall off the roof.
You reached over to brush the hair back from my face. “You’re not watching it rain,” I said, gently teasing.“I’ve seen it once or twice before.” Your voice was soft
and low, almost a whisper. “You’ve seen me, too.”“Never like this.” You slipped your hand around my
waist at about the pace honey pours from a cool jar, and you kissed my shoulder with more tenderness than I can describe.
And love flashed like the lightning, right then and there. I knew, beyond fact or fiction, beyond truth, that this was what love was all about. It’s more than a roaring flame, much more. It’s a night light, and it’s a tidal wave, and it’s a trickling brook, and it’s sunshine on a day when the rain is pouring so hard you can’t see the house on the other side of the yard. This little moment in the rain was more sustaining than any grand romantic gesture under a clear sky with a full moon could possibly be.
“I love you.” It was just a whisper, inaudible over a thunderclap, but you heard and held me tighter, your fore-head pressed to the back of my head. You didn’t have to say anything. I couldn’t have doubted your feelings if I was the thickest brick in the wheelbarrow. I closed my eyes, leaned into you, and silently wove my fingers with yours.
Instant Love, Through the Eyes of a GodmotherBy Nell Rude, Sarasota Branch, FLWritten in honor of all mothers who have a child with a disability.
Christian Rabjohns was born nine weeks early on September 16, 1975. When baby Chris arrived home, I went to visit. I was in a dream world as I held this small person for the first time. We were eye to eye as I was told that Chris was meeting his godmother for the first time. With tears running down my cheeks, I knew instant love.
Chris was a year and a half old when his parents were informed that Chris needed special help. Their next step was finding a facility that would take of his special needs with a home environment for such a small person. Then a blessing arrived, Sister Rosemary from Misericordia. She opened her heart and home and wanted baby Chris. Misericordia is a home for
children and adults with special needs.
Each time I visit Chris, I am reminded that he never got to ride a school bus to school, play sports, go to his prom,
marry his best friend or become a parent. His life has been full of ups and downs with health issues. Although Chris canot walk, talk or recognize people, even his sister and brother, he has been a joy to everyone who has had the op-portunity to know him. He loves T.V. because of the color and movement, and he is entertained by faces and has a smile for all the help that surrounds him daily.
Back in 1975, before leaving the hospital, his par-ents were told Chris would not see his first birthday. On September 16, 2013, he turned 38 years old. Baby Chris is now a man with a loving family and a special godmother.
Sister Rosemary just celebrated 40 years a Misericor-dia. She will continue on with the work she does because God takes care of his special angels.
Thanks to Reg and Micheline Rabjohns and Sister Rosemary.
Sister Rosemary and mom, Michelene.
Chris and Godmother Nell.
The Pen Woman 5
NLAPW Planned GivingDonation Form
One way you can help sustain the League is by com-mitting yourself to planned giving. Any donation you choose will be appreciated. We will track all these do-nations throughout each tax year. If your total con-tributions for a given year reach $75 you will become a Bronze contributor; at $150 you will reach Silver; $400 will be Gold; $700 will be Platinum and a total of $1,000 in one tax year will reach the Diamond level.
Every contribution is charitable and may be deducted on your income tax if you itemize.
Name _______________________________Address ______________________________City, State & Zip _________________________Phone _______________________________E-mail _______________________________q Member q Non-Member
Giving level (single tax year): q Bronze $75 q Silver $150q Gold $400 q Platinum $700q Diamond $1,000
My Contribution$_______________ for the General Fund$_______________ for the Commemorative Endowment Fund (CEF)
Please note either CEF or Unrestricted on the memo line of your check. Return this form with your check payable to NLAPW, Inc. and mail to:
NLAPW, Inc.1300 17th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036-1973
If you have any questions, please don’t hesi-tate to call us at 202-785-1997 or e-mail us at [email protected]. You may also make contributions by credit card at www.nlapw.org.
Happy 100th Birthday,Helen Holt! (cont. from page 3)
Sadly, Rush Holt, Sr. died at the age of 49, leaving Helen with three children to raise, aged 6, 8 and 12. Despite being left with no income, Helen moved on. "I'd worked closely with the people of West Virginia and became a member of the House of Delegates." Next, Helen was elected as the first woman ever to be their Secretary of State.
So many stories! One Helen mentioned was about a flight she took with Charles Lindbergh. He was barnstorming around the country and stopped in her town. She sat in the plane, a little two seater, with her dad and was flown by Lindbergh above her little town in Illinois. (Charles Lindbergh had yet to make the famous flight across the ocean with his Spirit of St. Louis.) However, perhaps that's not as important as Helen being responsible for the building of 1600 nursing homes with 150,000 beds (which she did)! Initially appointed by President Eisenhower in 1960 who tasked her with fixing the nation's ailing network of nurs-ing homes. When she was ensconced in her office in the Federal Housing Administration building, she had a secretary but no in-structions. "My first act was a conference with the commissioner of the FHA. His only words to me were, 'You are on your own because no one knows anything about this.'"
Helen writes that people were clamoring for help in their communities. "All there had been up until this time were 'old peoples' homes; some were called 'poor houses' and some were 'pop and mom' care places. They needed something better and wanted it." The focus had to be on the humane care of the elderly. By 1965, 314 nursing homes had been insured and 210 had been completed with 201 endorsed by the FHA. At that time, Helen estimated there were 16,914 beds in use in the homes and that the combined mortgages totaled 98 million dollars. "I tried to do the best job I could and I must have done something right because I served under seven Presidents."
Helen is a firm believer that each of us is here with a purpose. "It was challenging from the be-ginning, new challenges every day. It was satisfying work because I was always helping people." Hel-en continues to be an advocate of women in public service. Deserv-edly, Helen was awarded the Inter-national Women's Year Achieve-ment Award and declared West Virginia Woman of the Decade. In 1971, Helen Holt was chosen as Professional Woman of the Year for the Washington area by the Potomac Business and Profes-sional Women's Club. This year, 2013, Helen received an honorary degree from West Virginia University for her service to the state.
If the business of life is to live each day with vim, vigor, and vitality, then Helen Holt is the perfect example of living that life.
The 65-foot high vaulted ballroom, 100 feet long and 60 feet high, topped with beam-
buttressed dormers, chandeliers and stained glass windows,
6 Fall/Winter 2013
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PoetryTreanor Wooten Baring • Editor
FreedomBy Mary Joan MeagherMinnesota Branch, MN
The sun, blue skies, green treesThe road.
No doctors, no nurses,No stethoscopes, no scans,No charts, no needles,No chemicals, No hanging bags of blood.
The sun, blue skies, green trees,The road.
Accident at the CrossingBy Sofia M. Starnes, Member-at-Large,Poet Laureate of Virginia
Now barely are his bones alive,now barely is the dragonfly a fire-god on the handlebar: gold tumbler— Look. The sun is ripe.
The trucker missed him on his bicycle,the boy’s hand waving, banner-like,from gust to cartwheel on the open tar: O solemn, sullen color.
Now whitest are his bones alive.Did you not see him on his bicycle,before he pedaled through the cross-bone paths, and sped forgetful?
One body to one stead, O child.(The trucker leapt out of his cab and cried,cried blindly from a blind left eye.) Now brilliant are his bones alive,
and flitting is the dragonflyover the flip-and-flop, the barely-breath—It may or may not be the breath that saves the trucker’s heart.
Elena’s Birthday Party (or: The Quality of Forgiveness)By Sofia M. Starnes, Member-at-Large,Poet Laureate of Virginia
Good night, Elena, of the pinpoint stars,good night, young hostess in your cornerchair; the garden’s empty, and no guestsarrive: peekaboo, peekaboo… Two girls come, riding in their father’s car;your hope, a parody at the gate. Fairgame, they grimace over wholes and halves: half a yard, half a toy—a ring of curfew lights. You lost them then, immersedin bidding wars, to higher roses clamberingin other yards. No one sleeps over,when the Dipper dives: Later, Elena, later… Your early dueis yielding futures now. A foreign carhas fastened upon your drive, and the myrtlesbow over two bowing heads—oh, kinder selves. They don’t remember then, or you, or that:You hold them tight.
RemedyCassandra ThomasPikes Peak Branch, CO Everyone tried to cure meGreat brown owl curooedCurandera boiled herbsShaman spread colored sandsIn ancient patternsDrummers beat forSeven humid nightsCircle dancing continuedUnder crescent moonsBlack leeches clamped my heart. The healing began When poetry piqued My silver pen.
A Daily PrayerLinda Newman WoitoIowa City Branch, IA
Bony ribs twisted to the breaking point, pain passingin spasms around a torso crying out to passersby: come help me strangers in a strange land, come weep with me on pyres of worn-out tears afraid to fall below their bones for fear of wrenching yet another rib, cracked insidebrains where haunting melodies may one day come to rest -- ringing out their daily news and singing no more twists or turns today, only waltzes please.
The Pen Woman 7
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Here's More Pen Women poetry!• Subscribe to receive an emailed Poem of
the Week at www.nlapw.org.• Order a copy of Spirit, Peace and Joy, the
new poetry anthology by Pen Woman Press. See back cover for order for.
• Order your copy of Women’s Voices of the 21st Century: Experiences that Shape Women’s Lives, now available through the Greenwich Branch. See page 15 for more information.
Poetry submissions should be 36 lines or less. Use the name of the poem as the file name, and be sure it has a .doc or .docx ex-tension. Include your name and branch above the poem's text.
To submit poetry for the Poem of the Week website feature, email to the Poetry Editor, Treanor Baring, at [email protected] with the subject line Poem for the Website. If you wish to be considered for both the magazine and the website, please indicate so in your email.
The WoodcutterBy Nancy Godbout JurkaPikes Peak Branch, CO
His sense of smell has dwindlednever forgetting the scent of apple wood as he splits decayed branches inside the weathered red barn. He reminds himself that the barn is in need of fresh milk paint come spring.
Aged hands on his grandfather’s axehack the wood into pieces of splintered fuel.He breathes the chilled October air;Prayerful words tumble with each strike.Sweating, he interrupts his rhythmto unbutton his frayed flannel shirt.
Outside, russet colored leavestwist and drop as another season chauffeurs himtowards a dusty end.
SanctuaryBy Rose GleisbergOmaha Branch, NE
Twilight’s sun spraysacross Lake Erie –stunning as tiered candleslit in a crystal chandelier,awaiting a visitor’s praise.
And I, the blessed traveler,carry home a cherished memory –the wet sanctuarystill in its glow,stillness in my soul.
Going OnBy Lois Batchelor HowardPalm Springs, CA
The road drives itself through the milesor is the road driven through the miles?As a passenger in the busI am fueled with only memoriesand through the vehicle’s windowsI see gone years pressing against the glassthe latchless windows securely closed,keeping the past from entering.Traveling through the driving milesnew road signs paint the way;the compass reads north andtickets of future are scattered on the pavement
Surprising BenedictionBy Janet FagalCentral New York Branch, NY
We always heard the story,how he rode the train for four of his fivedays of leave. All the wayfrom San Antonio to New Yorkand back.It was World War IIand he wanted to see her.For even one day. The train. Changed so muchof history. Rails bringingthe circus or the camper,the worker or the friend.Connected by the humof the wheels. Tasting timein quick breaths between stations, the trainas certain as the heart.Riders tucked in a berth or a seat, on a bench or alone. How much do so many owe to a train,trailing puffs of steam,screeching toward home?
Ghosts of War By Marlowe Olson Arnold
Vero Beach Branch, FL
The goggled-shaped spectaclesand the brown ballooned
suspendered trousers hung on the peg –
Memories like ghosts now Sheltered in storage.
I can picture him, my Dad, firing from
dirt-banked rows of rat-infested trenches as the ever-present threat of
mustard gas could cloud the air.
I can hear his desperate prayer, “Dear Lord, let me live or die tonight.”
Morning came. He lived to hear the order: “The 14th Field artillery
Battery C will be going home.” The war to end all wars was over.
8 Fall/Winter 2013
Pen Women Online: My First Webinar Experience
By Dr. Bernice Reid, Past President (2002-2004)
One of the most innovative proj-ects of the 2012-2014 administration of the NLAPW, Inc., is the establish-ment of the PenWomen Online, a we-binar initiative conceived and chaired by 2nd VP Candace Long, a Pen Woman well versed in internet com-munications. PenWomen Online is a series of webinars [seminars using the web] taught by members that showcase the specific talents and qualifications of long-standing professionals in the League for the benefit of our members and as an outreach to interested public learners as well.
As a “webinar instructor,” at first I had no idea what to expect. I was totally unfamiliar with the webinar format, and how to “teach” what I do using today’s technology. Yet this adventure held unexpected rewarding experiences. One of them was the excitement I felt showing a lifetime’s body of work using a computer…and learning that others enjoyed the presentation! It was as if I had become a mem-ber of a new august body of “teachers of the arts” using technology as the classroom. I also came away from the experience with a new revelation that these webinars can help fulfill the aims and purposes of the League.
This initiative does require a certain expertise in computer technology, a field unfamiliar to many of our members since it is so modern and requires a different set of skills. However, I found Candace to be a patient and competent guide to enable me to create an effective webi-nar presentation. The best thing is that the webinars are re-corded and stored in an online “vault,” and can be accessed for an indeterminate length of time as fundraisers for the League to educate the next generation of Pen Women.
In sum, PenWomen Online is a noteworthy addition to the offerings of NLAPW, Inc. and fits well in the present and future continuance of our existence.
Dr. Reid is an award-winning artist, journalist, musician and edu-cator and author of Grandmother's Shelf.
Creativity and SociabilityBy Bettie Jane Owen Wooten, Delta Branch (since 1960)
CREATIVITY and SOCIABILITY are deeply linked. Each of us for whom the end product of our time, wak-
ing and sleeping, our efforts, ideas and dreams is a piece of sculpture or a painting, a poem or an essay, a dance, a symphony or a concerto--each of us longs for discourse with others in creative fields of endeavor.
This vitality of spirit, excited by conversation, was brought to my attention recently by a Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) exhibit and the resulting ten pound book, Inventing Abstraction 1910-1925 How A Radical Idea Changed Modern Art.
In an outstanding interview by Charlie Rose, the MOMA curator, Leah Dickerman, explained that the inven-tion of abstraction in painting, the most important re-write of the rules since the Renaissance, happened at the same moment in time with innovations in all the arts: abstraction in art, visual poetry, experimental sound and poetry perfor-mances, non-narrative Modern dance, atonal and radically dissonant without melody or tune music.
Music. poetry, dance, and sculpture gave way to innova-tions as artists in various fields discarded hundreds of years of rules and traditions. The characteristics of these innova-tions, how they moved in "fits and starts," began with the letting go of the idea that a picture had to be “of some-thing." Artists had to imagine new types of expression and organize new rules. They did it by talking with each other.
Francis Picabia, Guillaume Apollinaire, Rudolf Laban, Mary Wigman, Arnold Schonberg, Man Ray, Sonia Delau-nay, Morgan Russell. . . these artists, not just painters, but people from a wide range of disciplines, were connected. They all knew each other. The MOMA book shows a chart with lines connecting the names. There is a web of inter-connectedness. Artists talking across continents; collabo-rating across media types; that's how it was figured out- in conversation.
That is what NLAPW offers: the opportunity for wom-en in different fields of creativity, employing almost end-lessly diverse media and techniques, to meet and talk with each other.
We live two lives: one with each other one with the rest of the world.
In a community of fellows whose pastime concern is with politics and football, a new dimension is added by in-troduction of those whose pastime is creation of art, music, dance, poetry. As individuals we can contribute this spirit of images and ideas, sights and sounds, but as a group our voices are joined into a mighty chorus which will amplify the effects of our creativity.
But this article is not about this gain membership in NLAPW gives to communities. It is about the gain for us as
individuals by our multiple opportunities to communicate with creators in other disciplines- in our concert halls, in art exhibits, in writing workshops, in poetry readings, in our coffee houses and wine-bars, everywhere we "penwomen" gather to refresh our spirits, open our pores to gather in, as-similate, and breathe new live into our art.
The sociability we experience in NLAPW is the link to our creativity.
The Pen Woman 9
Webinars: A Creative "Shot in the Arm"Get the FREE webinar on growing your branch, plus others to help you be successful as a writer, artist or musician — just $15 for members!By Candace Long, 2nd V.P., PenWomen Online Administrator
In September, we rolled out our first webinar of the season: “Build Your Branch,” featuring 3rd Vice President Christina Laurie, who has been a Pen Woman for 48 years! Christina loves being a Pen Woman. Besides that, her enthusiasm for increasing membership is contagious, and it showed by the number of people who responded. A record 42 women signed up…the interaction and ideas generated among them were exciting. Here’s what listeners came away with:
• The types of meetings that attract new members.• How to communicate to newcomers the benefits of
being a Pen Woman.• Success stories of branches developing their own
“signature programming” that people look forward to attending year after year.
• The secret to a branch’s health: encouraging the gifts of others.If you’d like to view this webinar, you can do so abso-
lutely free. Go to our Webinars page (www.nlapw.org/pen-women-on-line/) and click on the “Buy Now” button, even though it is free. We will send you a link of the recorded webinar, and you can view it on your computer any time you like.
OTHER WEBINARS$15 for members at www.NLAPW.orgSee What I’m Saying:What Children Tell Us Through Their Art
Instructor: Dr. Myra Levick, Ph.D., ATR-BC,Art & Letters Member (Boca Raton Branch, FL)
How to Create an Online PresenceInstructor: Lynn Morgan Spreen, Letters Member(Palm Springs Branch, CA)
Digital Composing Using Today’s TechnologyInstructor: Candace Long, 2nd VP and Music,Letters & Art Member (Atlanta Branch)
Effective PR: Create Buzz About You & Your WorkInstructor: Sylvia Hoehns Wright,Letters Member-At-Large
Shine Your Light: Promote Your Work Through Blogs & Twitter
Instructor: Treanor Wooten Baring, 1st VP andLetters & Art Member (Delta Branch, MS)
The Value of Expressive WritingInstructor: Ronnie Miller, Letters Member(Sarasota Branch, FL)
An Intimate Portrait as Seen Through the Eyes of a Portrait Artist
Instructor: Dr. Bernice Reid, Past President andArt, Letters & Music Member-At-Large
The Magic of Light: The Secret to Unforgettable Photography
Instructor: Dr. Sharyn Bowman Greberman,President and Letters & Art Member (Chevy Chase Branch, MD)
Finding Your Voice – Part 1: The Journey that Beckons Every Writer, Artist or Composer
Instructors: Marilyn Lewis-Alim, Poet and LettersMember (Huntsville, AL Branch) &Barbara C. Thompson, (Music Education Writer)Art & Letters Member-At-Large
UPCOMING WEBINARSPosition Yourself to do Your Great Work
Instructor: Mariette Edwards, 18-year Executive Coachfor High-Achieving Creative Womenwww.doyourgreatwork.com
How to Write A MemoirInstructor: Janis F. Kearney, Official Diarist forPresident Bill Clinton during his administration.www.writingourworldpress.com
When a Work of Art Takes on a Life of its OwnInstructor: Jane Maclean, President and Art Member (Yucca Branch, NM). Jane created a large, signature project called MAGIC, which involved the hot air ballooning community and took her creative journey on the ride of her life. See page 11.
Our webinars are a great way to develop your own talent…to reach out to other creative women looking for mentoring opportunities from seasoned professionals…and to showcase what you do using today’s technology. My sincere thanks to the many gifted women who have braved this new technology and taught us more about their excellent work!
Learn more: www.nlapw.org/pen-women-on-line/.
10 Fall/Winter 2013
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Proposed Standing Rules AmendmentsSubmitted By Bettie Jane Owen Wooten, Governance Chair
Notes from Governance: Tribute to a Special Friend of the League, Phyllis Wood
Return this page, or copy and return, or download and print this ballot at www.nlapw.org. Don't forget to in-clude your vote for officers as instructed on the ballot for election of officers.
Proposed amendment one (1)to the STANDING RULES OF THE LEAGUE, allowing
the Finance and Budget Committee (a standing committee of the league, chaired by the treasurer) to present the budget to the Board of Directors in June of the even year, as now required, but in April of the odd year rather than in June as previously required.
qYes, I vote to adopt amendment 1.qNo, keep the requirement for budget
presentation in June for both years.
Proposed amendment two (2)to the BYLAWS OF THE LEAGUE black indicates present text; added text, or amended to
read, in red ARTICLE VI THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Section
3. MEETINGS A. The Board of Directors shall meet quarterly: in April,
June, October, and January, unless it orders otherwise. The dates and whether the meeting is to be held onsite or electronically shall be determined by majority vote at the first meeting of the administration. Members are expected to attend the first annual meeting of the administration and at least 3 (three) other regular meetings during their two-year tenure.
In lieu of meeting onsite, meetings may be held by any form of communication that enables dialogue, debate, the amending and voting on motions, and the reports of officers
and committees. Electronic means may include, but shall not limited to, Skype, webEx,Telecom. Electronic meetings may be held for any January meeting, and the June meet-ing of the odd year by majority vote of the board at its first meeting,
At onsite meetings electronic voting may not be made except by members physically present.
B, C, D, E remain unchanged. F. A total of 9 (nine) members of the Board of Direc-
tors, at least 5 (five) of whom shall be elected, shall consti-tute a quorum for the transaction of business at all regular and special meetings of the Board of Directors.
Members connected electronically to onsite meetings shall not be counted in the quorum count.
q Yes, I vote to adopt the portions in red.q No, I vote not to amend ARTICLE VI,
but for it to remain as now stands.
Proposed amendment three (3)to the Bylaws of the LeagueARTICLE I. OFFICERS AND ELECTIONS Section 2
NOMINATIONS B Nominee Qualifications1. Nominees for the offices of national president and
first vice president shall have been Active Members in good standing (dues current and no disciplinary charges pend-ing) for the past 5 (five) years and have served on the Board of Directors in elected offices for 2 (two) terms or one term in an elected office and two terms as a Standing Committee chair.
q Yes, I vote to adopt amendment 3and change the qualifications.
q No, I vote against adoption ofthe amendment.
By Bettie Jane Owen Wooten, Governance Chair
She was a member for only a short time- in order to be bylaws chair for her friend, President Elaine Waidelich. As a Professional Registered Parliamentarian she could serve pro bono only for an organization to which she belonged.
So, she joined.She immediately saw that our patchwork–like national
bylaws needed work and she recommended a membership- mandated committee for their revision. When the revision failed to be adopted by membership vote at the 2000 bi-ennial, she agreed to work with a revision committee from
2004 to 2006 and at the Denver biennial business meeting of the membership, she flew to Denver and was Special Pre-sider for the presentation of a revision which was adopted and which gave us the workable bylaws we now have.
She freely advised us when we appealed for help. She is no longer “subject to call,” having passed away in October. Her name – Phyllis Wood.
You may send a gift to the Commemorative Endow-ment Fund in her name.
We all owe her our gratitude.
The Pen Woman 11
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Do you need a book coach or editor? For over 30 years, Maureen Stack
Sappéy has taught the techniques of Dwight Swain, the master instructor of fiction writing whose techniques cover every element of writing a story or novel in all genres and for all reading audienc-es. She has applied Swain's techniques to her six novels, two non-fiction books and a collection of short stories.
Maureen served as the National Librarian for two terms. She will present at the biennial on the topic of legendary Pen Woman Vinnie Ream. Ream is the subject of her New York Times recommended epistolary novel, Letters from Vinnie, which is being made into a documentary and miniseries. One of Maureen's recent clients is Katie Witek, Letters Chair and author of a 2013 Gold Seal for Fiction from the Literary Clas-sics Organization for her novel The Trial of Misella Cross. Katie recommends her editor for that book:
“Maureen is remarkable—very knowledgeable, pa-tient, kind, and encouraging . . . I believe you could not find a better editor to help you with your work.”
Maureen coaches in person or by phone, and edits with pen or electronic tracking. Rates are negotiable. Contact her by calling (410) 778-5979 or email [email protected].
Author Maureen Stack Sappéy is a
write-in candidate for Recording Secretary.
PRESIDENTo Candace Long or o ____________________
1st VICE PRESIDENTo Christina Laurie or o ____________________
2nd VICE PRESIDENTo Lorna Jean Hagstrom or o ____________________
3rd VICE PRESIDENTo Meletha Everett or o ____________________
4th VICE PRESIDENTo Sandra Gartner or o ____________________
5th VICE PRESIDENTo Virginia Campbell or o ____________________
TREASURERo Evelyn B. Wofford or o ___________________
RECORDING SECRETARYo Petrina Gardner or o ____________________
NLAPW, Inc. OFFICIAL 2014-16 BALLOTPLEASE READ COMPLETELY: All Active, Associate, Internation-al Affiliate, Members-at-Large, and Life Members in good standing may vote for national officers. The official ballot shall be returned to the ELECTION COMMITTEE, Pen Arts Building, 1300 17th St., NW, Washington, DC 20036-1973, postmarked on or before March 15 with the name and address of the voter clearly marked on the envelope, but not on the ballot. You may also download the ballot at www.NLAPW.org or make a photocopy of this page if you prefer. The voter shall mark the ballot for each office, either the candidate named on the slate vetted by the nominating committee or a write-in candidate whose name has been sent to the election chair or any other who has consented to run.
CANDIDATE orWRITE-IN
Making MAGIC: A Monumental Work“Don’t be afraid of a high school
reunion!” quips New Mexico’s Yucca Branch President, Jane Maclean. It was in this 2010 setting that Jane was encouraged to enter Art Prize in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Art Prize had been creating excitement in the world of art by offering top cash awards and total freedom of creativity to any art-ist, from anywhere in the world. This would be a new experience for Jane.
The two-year project she designed was created as a histori-cal, hot-air ballooning narrative. Her entry, a five-panel oil-on-canvas painting, is six-feet high and 20-feet wide, titled MAGIC. It was unveiled at the Anderson – Abruzzo Albu-querque International Balloon Museum in Albuquerque, New Mexico. From there it was launched to Grand Rapids, where it was displayed in the glass atrium of Huntington Bank. During Art Prize, MAGIC was featured in the newspapers, and Jane was interviewed on the radio. 2012 Art Prize attracted 1,517 artists from 56 countries and 45 states. Over a nineteen day period, hundreds of thousands of enthusiastic visitors flooded the downtown exhibit area, providing a thrilling time for art-ists to communicate with the public about their work. Visit www.JaneMaclean.com now to watch an audio tour, slide-show and get more MAGIC for yourself.
MAGIC, by Jane Maclean stands six feet high and 20-feet wide. It took two years to create.
12 Fall/Winter 2013
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CANDACE LONGCandidate for PresidentMusic, Letters & Art Member Can-
dace Long holds an Executive MBA from Kennesaw State University, a B.A. in Spanish from Converse College and is a graduate of the Hollywood Film In-
stitute. Founder/CEO of Cre ativity Training Institute, she is currently the League's 2nd Vice President, and has served as 4th Vice Pres ident, Georgia State President and Atlanta Branch President, Recording Secretary and Communica-tions Chair. She is a consultant for Georgia Arts Network, member of the Georgia Film, Video & Music Advisory Commission, Vice-Chair for Women in Film & Television International, President of Women in Film & Television/Atlanta, and an ASCAP Composer & Publisher.
Her statement: "I have been in arts and entertainment over 40 years and understand the calling and the struggles of the creative journey. I have a sense that we are at a national turning point, and creative women could make all the dif-ference. At one of our Biennials, former First Lady and Pen Woman Eleanor Roosevelt praised NLAPW for the cul tural force we had become in the world picture. She said, ‘My hope is that the pen will be proven mightier than the sword.’
Since 1897, the NLAPW has served the country through two World Wars and the Great Depression by pro-viding hope and perspective during times of crisis. I believe America stands on the brink of its most sig nificant hour. Our writers, artists and composers are being called upon once again to speak life into many a discour aged heart.”
CHRISTINA GUMMERE LAURIECandidate for 1st Vice PresidentA Pen Woman for 48 years,
Christina Laurie served as secretary, vice president and president of both Wellesley and Cape Cod branches
Her capable leadership doubled both branches.
She has served on the national board under six presi-dents as fourth and third vice president, membership, fundraising and house chairs, and chaplain for eight years. Christina published a book of haiku, Seasons Rising, and her first children's book, C is for Cape Cod, will be published in March 2014. A chapbook of her chaplain's readings, In-spiration Interludes, raises money for the Commemorative Endowment Fund of the Pen Arts building. She is listed in Who's Who in American Women Writers.
"Pen Women is dear to my heart," she said. "I care deeply for the future of our organization."
An avid swimmer, golfer, skier, bicyclist and gardener, Christina is a chaplain volunteer at the local hospital and is a strong supporter of the arts and environmental causes.
LORNA JEAN HAGSTROMCandidate for 2nd Vice PresidentAs a Letters member of NLAPW,
my background is in journalism. I was employed by two newspapers, The Or-lando Sentinel and The Daytona Beach News Journal. I have also had several
books on genealogy accepted by The Library of Congress for their collection.
The 2nd Vice President serves on the "Management Team" with the President and the 1st Vice President, acting as management according to the dictates of the Financial /Procedural Manual. The past experience as chair of the Fi-nance and Budget Committee qualifies me uniquely for this role.
As second Vice President I hope to lead the Board to-ward adoption of a long range plan addressing many of the issues facing our organization at the present time.
MELETHA EVERETTCandidate for 3rd Vice PresidentMeletha is a regular volunteer for
the Cancer Society, Heart Association and underprivileged children. She has been on the Greater Brandon Art Coun-cil Board since it was established, hold-ing several positions and writing their
Standing Rules. She wrote a working manual for workshops on mixing color using oil, acrylic and watercolor. She writes short stories and poetry, and is a member of several writing groups.
Her painting, The Gathering, was selected to be repro-duced on the 17-foot Tampa-Hillsborough County Express-way tower and unveiled in November 2009.
She has served as president of the Tampa branch, art chair, 1st Vice President and President of the Florida State Asso-ciation and on the National Board as Elections Chair, Plan-ning Chair, Recording Secretary, 5th and 4th Vice Presidents. Working with the minutes of the administration for which she was recording secretary and with Archival minutes from the past, she saw the necessity of indexing MOTIONS of the Board and is scanning past minutes to accomplish this end.
SANDRA STILLMAN GARTNERCandidate for 4th Vice PresidentSandra Gartner of Rutland is one
of two producing directors of Vermont ART. The group began its ninth year and is in residence at the Paramount Theatre. Sandra studied acting in NYC
at the Herbert Berghof Studio and in Vermont with David Mamet and William H. Macy of the Atlantic Theatre Co.
A past president of the Vermont Film Commission, Sandra served on the President's Advisory Committee on the Arts for the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. She was elected 5th Vice President for the National League
2014-16 NLAPW Officer Candidates Vote by March 15. Ballot on Pg. 11
The Pen Woman 13
of American Pen Women and is president of its southern Vermont branch.
A freelance writer for magazines and newspapers, her ar-ticles have appeared in Lady's Circle, The Monitor, Vermont Life and Yankee. She co-authored the book, To Life! A Cel-ebration of Vermont Jewish Women, which accompanied the touring exhibits. A graduate of Boston Univeristy with a BS in journalism, she received her MS in communications from New York University and is a credited mediator.
Sandra is married to Allen Gartner and they have three grown children, two son-in-laws and a grandson. She enjoys travel, reading, long walks, snowshoeing and sharing time with family and friends.
VIRGINIA FRANKLIN CAMPBELLCandidate for 5th Vice PresidentI have held previous positions on the
board of directors as 4th National Vice President, 1st National Vice President, and National Music Chair. I am cur-rently Music Editor for The Pen Woman
magazine. I believe I am qualified to serve on the national board as a vice president based on my experience, organi-zational skills, management background and knowledge of this great organization. In addition, I owned and successfully administered my own business for 50 years, and developed a high level of expertise in working with a wide spectrum of divergent personalities possessing exceptional skills. I believe that experience will enhance my collaborative work on be-half of the National League of American Pen Women, Inc., as we strive to increase our outreach in communities across the nation, grow our membership and serve as a beacon for the efforts of women of letters, art and music.
EVELYN B. WOFFORD, ED. D.Candidate for TreasurerI have been a member of the
Delta Branch of NLAPW since 1987 and since then have held several of-fices within Delta Branch including Recording Secretary, Chair of the
Committee on Nominations, Third Vice-President, First Vice-President and President. I also served as State President. In 2005-06, I served as a member of the National By-Laws Revision Committee.
Professionally, I have a Doctorate of Education in the areas of curriculum, supervision of instruction and adminis-tration, which required numerous courses in school finance. Prior to my very recent retirement, I worked in school dis-trict administration for 25 years. During this time, one of my primary responsibilities was to prepare the school district budget each year and oversee its implementation. Addition-ally, during my 12 years of service in city government, I was chairman of the Budget Committee, which prepared the an-
nual city budget. I have an extensive knowledge of finance, budgeting, and record keeping.
PETRINA (TRINA) GARDNERCandidate for Recording SecretaryMy experience with non-profit orga-
nizations throughout the years has been considerable and dedicated. I spent 30-plus years as a member of American As-sociation of University Women (AAUW),
Wilmington Branch, first as Educational Foundation Chair and other board positions including secretary to serving as Branch President. I was Branch and State editor of their news-letter. I attended regional and national conventions where I took many leadership workshops. I served as vice president of the National Collage Society, Inc. and now as Trustee.
The NLAPW Diamond State Branch appealed to my creative side specifically art and especially writing. In the Branch I served in several positions including secretary then as president. I edited the Branch newsletter. Being secretary for my housing association and church council contribut-ed to my experience. I continue to serve on the Executive Board for United Cerebral Palsy of Delaware and Funds Chair for AAUW.
2014-16 NLAPW Officer Candidates Vote by March 15. Ballot on Pg. 11
According to NLAPW BylawsBy Bettie Jane Owen Wooten, Governance Chair
At the October meeting in 2012 ("even-numbered" year), the Board of Directors elected a nominating commit-tee: co-chairs Myra Levick and Patricia Wilson, Boca Ra-ton; Marge Dodge, Palm Springs; Judy Cutchins, Atlanta; Ute Buehler, Minnesota; Lorna Jean Hagstrom MAL as alternate. To find, access and select a slate of the best can-didates available, a scoring system based on the applicant's information provided was used and a slate chosen and sent to the Elections chair for preparation of a ballot. "Applica-tions from members contacted or solicited by the Nominat-ing Committee may be sent as directed by the Nominating Committee Chair" with no time or means constraints.
The nominating committee chose a single slate, not re-quired by our bylaws but recommended by Roberts Rules of Order Newly Revised for non-profit organizations with a small leadership pool.
There are three major considerations in selection of a candidate: Eligibility (spelled out in the bylaws); Qualifica-tions per bylaws ("Qualifications of applicants shall be as-sessed by the Nominating Committee on the basis of infor-mation submitted by the applicant, the duties of the office as stated in these bylaws and interviews with the applicant or her colleagues."); and lastly, Willingness to serve.
For questions about the process, email [email protected].
14 Fall/Winter 2013
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Holly, DE: Mayor's Award, Fundraisers, Exhibits, Oh My!By Joyce Hammond Lewis, Branch President
Professional Artist, K.M. Hammond, of Camden, DE, has been a Holly Branch Art Member for over 34 years.
Hammond has been painting, teaching, demonstrating and donat-ing original art on the Delmarva Peninsula in the Impressionistic Realism style, for more than a half-century and is now the re-cipient of the 2013 Mayor’s Arts Award.
Mayor Carleton E. Carey, Sr., of the Capital City of Dover, Delaware, presented the Award at City Hall, during the City Coun-cil meeting, on Monday evening, Oct 14, 2013.
Kitty M. Hammond’s philosophy is “Painting, like
life, is a puzzle in which all the parts eventually fit together perfectly, each facet Beautiful in itself, when viewed in the right light. Some colors are Bright and vibrant and, as in life, others are soft and subdued… perhaps even somber and sad… which cause the Bright colors (as well as experiences) to seem that much brighter by comparison.”
Dover Mayor Carleton E. Carey, Sr. presents his award to Kitty M. Hammond.
From left to right: Holly Branch President Joyce Hammond Lewis, Mayor's Award Recipient KM
Hammond and Sherry Hammond Truitt.
Artistic Excellence Calendar Last year, the branch raised $2,500 in funds for the
second Annual “Artistic Excellence” Young People’s Schol-arship fund in Art, Writing and Music. This year, they are including Dance into the competition in accordance with the NLAPW Music/Dance bylaws.
In addition to successfully providing cash for their cause, the competition portion of the event resulted in three top winners receiving medallions in their chosen discipline, along with ribbons and certificates and letter of congratula-tions from state and government officials.
This year, they are taking success to a whole new level with their ART Fusion event on Dec. 6. Participants work alone or in groups to create a painting that will be auctioned off in the ART live Auction, which is planned for March 1, 2014. Artists may opt to keep their painting for a fee that also goes toward the scholarship.
In additiona, the 2nd Annual "Artistic Excellence" Pre-sentation Ceremony will be held on Sunday, April 13. The competition was such a community and businesses favored event, that they asked us to do it again and again, and not to forget them in our donation drive from October to March.
In November, the branch also hosted the "Celebration of the Soul" Art and Literary Exhibit at The Dover Public Library. This Juried/Judged show was the largest show ever for the new Dover Public Library, which opened in September of 2012. Rib-bons were awarded and will be on display through Dec 27, 2013, when the show will end.
The Dover Public Library has a new rolling program for artwork to be displayed 30 days at a time. Email [email protected], or you can call 302 632 9680 if you are interested in having your own show at the Dover Public Library.
Branch News
Collateral materials promoting the many eventsplanned for creating art and raising money for scholarships.
The Pen Woman 15
On October 21st, the Greenwich Branch launched Women’s Voices of the 21st Century: Experiences that Shape Women. The new book features 103 of the 178 poems received from 30 branches in a national poetry contest. Many of the poems include line drawings by 12 Greenwich Pen Women artists.
This is the second poetry book published by the branch. In 1993, after a similar contest for all Letters members, it published Women’s Voices of the ‘90s. A generation later, the poems reflect many of the same concerns – with one difference: This generation’s poetry includes many political issues.
Leigh Grant, a Greenwich member, won first prize for her poem The Place That You Found. As a descendant of the Higgins family, she grew up on the property that hosted the book launch party, The Tomes-Higgins House. This Victorian landmark on five acres in central Greenwich was designed in
1861 by Calvert Vaux, one of the architects of New York City’s Central Park.
A second prize-winning poem, Walking To-ward Each Other, by Marybeth Weston, is the lyric
for music by her husband. Greenwich Pen Women music members, Claudia Dumschat and Julie Dolphin, performed it during the evening.
Betty Prisendorf of the Cape Canaveral branch and Marybeth Weston, of the Greenwich branch, won the sec-ond prizes. Third prizes were awarded to Josephine Darner, Bethesda branch, and Mary Shipp, of the Jacksonville branch.
For more information and to order the book, see the Greenwich Pen Women website: www.GreenwichPenWom-en.org; or e-mail Kay Langan at [email protected].
Photo byCatherine Stahl,
Greenwich Branch
The Place That You FoundBy Leigh Grant, Greenwich Branch First Prize in the Greenwich Poetry Contest
It is February, the longest progression of daysCrowded into the shortest month.Interminable, still winter, ever bleak.Yet I sit where the eaves convergeTo trap the sun, cage it, magnify itAnd the warmth is palpable, living, full of promise.I see you: the Times draped over your lap.Your gray coat, unzipped, the heat by now distilled inside.We laugh at our good fortune.What builder could have knownThis unexpected spot of joining roofsWould shelter us, embrace us, fuse us in its warmth?The place that you found.
I listen to the water music trickling through the gutters,Down the terrace, through the cracks between the stones, Secretions from that lacy edge of snow.Drops fall upon my cheek, my lip, my hand.I feel the brush of Tess's whiskersAs she tests my hold on the mug of soupAnd looks to see what is inside.I prevent the oncoming lick of her tongue.She is restless, no place to sit,The terrace either laden with snow or running with water.No warm flat stones on which to lie for one who worships sun.We are barely two, Tess and I, paired by need, fate, subtraction. November had known three.
I see you, turning to share a story, a bit of news,That word in the Byzantine puzzle that only you would know.You are neither young nor old,For what I see is caught in the convoluted creases of our lives:A parade of subtle changes, a synthesis of psyches,A sparkling sphere of pleasure, a molten ball of pain.And yet, today, in the window of my mind,We are three together, all of us drowsy in the sun.When I turn to look, to smile, to look again,Warmed and gladdened, you have gone.It is February, the sun has fled,And, save for Tess, I am alone.
Leigh Grant, one of the many poets to enjoy in the new
book, Women's Voices of the 21st Century: Experiences that
Shape WomenThe poetry book team: Deborah Weir, Poetry Project Chair, Joyce French, Branch President, Kay Langan, Senior Proofreader
and Catherine Stahl, Executive Art Director.
The historic Tomes-Higgins House
Greenwich, CT Publishes Poetry Book
16 Fall/Winter 2013
Branch News Continued
Pensacola: "Branching Out" with First Gallery ShowBy Nancy Nesvik
The Pensacola branch faced a challenge of how to display the diverse works of two-dozen Pen Women within a small space in a modern art gallery. That our branch grew in both spirit and membership through the process was a bonus. We invite you to watch our story at http://vimeo.com/75730115 (Video by Anne Baehr).
Artel Gallery, has a strong presence in the local art scene. Set in the shell of an architecturally rich Old Courthouse, it boasts cutting edge modern art. Our exhibit would be in “the Vault,” a narrow (wall damaged) chamber reserved for special “experimental art” displays. We needed a strong theme to unite our varied mediums and styles in order to have impact in this space.
Titling our show after the 2012 Biennial, “BRANCHING OUT,” gave us that cohesion. Our press releases earned newspaper features in several art columns, including the cover of one weekly magazine. With nearly full member participation, we expected art alone would fill the space, yet we still wanted to add some extra “unexpected” elements to engage visitors.
Boldly painted rolls of black and white leaf-patterns were hung to add drama and cover wall distractions. An outdoor dog cage was repurposed into freestanding display panels. White spray-painted saplings were planted beside a writing station asking our show viewers, “What Inspires You?” A tray of pre-cut leaves awaited their answers.
With each thoughtful answer clipped to the once barren branches, our art show filled with creative energy as the trees leafed out with …“quiet solitude” and “the sounds of children playing in a swimming pool”.
Not only have we gained new prospective members through the visibility of this first show, we now have HUNDREDS of inspirational thoughts once clipped to our tree branches, which our Pen Women group can use for meeting topics, art subjects, as well as… just maybe… the theme for NEXT year’s show!
From left to right: Anne Baehr, Mara Viksnins (Pres.), Marsha Baumert, Autry Dye, Ruthann Ackerman, Diana Kay Obe, Elaine Woodward, Marylin McDonald-dorsey, Jackye Jensen, Jane Lies, Christine Salome, Maria Hoch, Melinda Giron and Nancy Nesvik.
Participants not pictured: Carol Young, Donna Freckman, Laura Wolfersperger, Heather Mitchell, Tammy Tatum, Jane Nowlin, Melody Hamilton, Carolyn Fleming and Edna Piersol-Windes.
The exhibit's title, "Branching Out,"carried forward the 2012 biennial
theme of the same name.
The Pen Woman 17
“What Inspires You?”Show visitors add their
answers to our trees., writingon pre-cut paper leaves.
An outdoor dog cage was repurposedinto freestanding display panels.
White spray-painted saplings were plantedbeside a writing station.
Viewers were able to connect with by reading theartist's statements framed below their works.
We learned a lot about each other.
Pensacola's First Gallery Show:
"Branching Out"
18 Fall/Winter 2013
Branch News Continued
Wellesley, MA: Reading The Summer Cottage By Dr. Priscilla Cogan
The Wellesley branch gathered together for a rollicking good time on October 18 for the reading of Priscilla Cogan’s hilarious new play, The Summer Cottage. This play asks the question: what do we owe our ancestors and what do we owe our descendants? It features four genera-tions of women, two of whom are ghosts. You can spot the ghoulish makeup on Evelyn Wolfson in the photograph, right. It was a fun and provocative event as the play covers a wide range of issues from mother/daughter relationships, crossing over from this life, abortion, green beans, and the profound differences between the generations. Her play is currently under consideration for production by a theater in Michigan. Priscilla’s motto is that in everything serious, there is always something humorous, and in every-thing funny, there is always something serious.
Priscilla Cogan is starting her third career at the age of 66, having graduated from clinical psychologist to novelist (Winona’s Web, Compass of The Heart, Crack at Dusk:
Crook of Dawn, Double Time, The Unraveling Thread, & Clinging To The Moon) and now to playwright. Her advice to new and young writers is: Write what you would want to read and then follow what excites you.
The "Wellesley Branch Thespians." From left to right: Natalie Warshawer, Evelyn Wolfson wearing ghostly make-up, Sharon Engler and Nancy Poydar. Behind them is the author, Priscilla Cogan.
Boca Raton: Successful Events Past and FutureBy Carol White, Recording Secretary, Publicity & Letters Chair
The Boca Raton Branch held its annual Membership Tea on October 17 at the downtown Delray Beach TeaLi-cious Tea Room. Mary Unterbrink, Membership Chair, discussed opportunities open to "Pen Women" with a nearly sold-out crowd at this beautiful venue.
Letters Chair Carol White is holding a Boca Raton Branch-only contest with the subject of "What Being a Pen Woman Means to Me."
The Hagen Ranch branch of the Palm Beach County Library hosted a book event for four authors of the Boca Raton Branch on September 30. Fiction, memoir and an animal lover's pet book were discussed. This is one of six book events planned by Carol White for the 2013-14 season.
The Boca Raton Branch is gearing up for its Artful Ex-travaganza Two, to be held March 8, 2014. Branch Presi-dent Mary Twitty and Patron, Louise Mirkin, head up the committee. This successful event will feature 40 vendors displaying their artwork, books, crafts, jewelry, etc. Music
Chair, Sheila Firestone, will showcase our new Mu-sic Student Members. Proceeds go to our branch's Achievement Award for col-lege women in the arts.
The upcom-ing Artful Extravaganza will showcase members' work and raise money for the branch's Achievement Award.
The Pen Woman 19
Roanoke Valley Meeting Features Opera and ArtBy Gail Lambert, Co-President
Pen Women met with Scott Williamson, Director of Opera Roanoke and Virginia’s second oldest opera company a week before performances of Mozart’s Magic Flute won rave reviews and standing O’s from appreciative opera-goers. Pen Women members en-joyed a window into the operatic world when soprano Anna Sterrett sang a solo from Mozart’s masterpiece. Strong women leads in the 2013-14 Season feature The Magic Flute’s “Queen of the Night” and “Queen of the Nile” in Handel’s Julius Caesar in Egypt.
After the meeting, Treasurer Margaret DuBois invited all to view The League of Roanoke Artists' 28th Annual Showcase of the Arts with 117 works of art from 64 area artists. Included in the exhibit were two paintings awarded recognition by The National League of American Pen Women, Roanoke Valley Branch, and DuBois’ First Place Award for her Pastel, Moon in the Morning.
Pictured above from left to right:Margaret DuBois, Mildred Sandridge, Pat Bijwaard,
Soprano Anna Sterrett, Lynne Victorine.Row 2: Director of Opera Roanoke Scott Williamson,
Yola Lambert, Ellen Brown
FortLauderdale
Art & Letters Pen Woman Susan S. Buzzi recently completed cer-tification as Life Coach Practitioner where she will now integrate art therapy techniques with creative workshops – in particular navigating
and documenting the cancer journey for survivors and their families.
She is also the author of i am a strong woman; healing arts moderator & speaker; longtime wellness advocate; film maker/photographer and Lead Now faculty member with Saint Thomas University in Miami Gardens.
Southwest Florida ExhibitsThe ARTS for ACT Gallery in Fort Myers, FL featured
the Southwest Florida branch in an exhibition that included paintings, drawings, digital, mixed media, glass and even books by the members.
The opening took place during the Art Walk Fort My-ers, and the ex-hibition was open during the month of April.
Four works, three paintings and one drawing by Dr. Kyra Be-lan, noted artist, author, and art historian/lectur-er, were included in this exhibit.
In addi-tion, Belan's solo show of paint-ings, drawings, mixed media and digital art, called "Sacred Ladies," took place at the same venue from September 6-29. The exhibit kicked off Sept. 6 with a signing of her book, Lucid Future and live music performed by Frank Tuma.
Madonna Rafaelina by Kyra Belan, one of the works featured in the show,
"Sacred Ladies," explores the symbolism of the Virgin and her Child.
La Jolla's Star ReporterDoris Lee McCoy was a member of the press at the
Explorer's Club 109th Annual dinner. There she had the opportunity to interview Senator John Glenn and Director James Cameron to create a feature for the La Jolla Light. When McCoy asked them what the two considered to be the most important trait individuals have, they responded with "curiosity, which drives achievement."
Senator John Glenn was quoted in her article answer-ing the question, saying: "Every bit of progress made in human history has come because someone was curious about how we can do it better, but too often we fail to act. Shakespeare put it very well: ‘Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to at-tempt.'" Words for Pen Women to live by!
20 Fall/Winter 2013
• On one copy include name, address and telephone number in the upper right-hand corner.Entry Fees—Make checks payable to NLAPW, Inc.• Poetry: $5 per entry.• Article or Story: $10 per entry.• Books (hard or softcover): $15 per entry.Submit to: Katie Witek, Letters Chair, 3557 E. Blackhawk Drive, Milton, WI 53563
CATEGORIESA. MARION DOYLE POETRY AWARD. For "poets whose aim is communication; who believe poetry to be a medium of emotional release, of inspiration; that the mis-sion of poetry is to build spiritual morale; to enrich life with perceptions, who have genius of expression and lack modern cynicism.” 1st-place: $100; 2nd place: $75; 3rd Place: $50; three Honorable Mentions: $20 each.B. MARJORIE DAVIES ROLLER NON-FICTION AWARD. For best non-fiction article or book on any sub-ject. 1st-place: $100; 2nd-place: $75; 3rd-place: $50; three Honorable Mentions: $30 each.C. NORMAN E. AND MARJORIE J. ROLLER AWARD. For best article, story, or book on wildlife or outdoor life, exclusive of physical contact sports. 1st-place: $100; 2nd-place: $75; 3rd-place: $50; three Honorable Mentions: $30 each.D. ANITA MARIE BOGGS MEMORIAL POETRY AWARD. For a poem written in Free Verse. 1st-place: $100; 2nd-place: $50; 3rd place $30; Honorable Mention: $20.E. DELLA CROWDER MILLER POETRY AWARD. Established August 18, 1978. Awards for two categories:1. Petrarchan Sonnets. 1st-place: $150; 2nd-place: $100; 3rd-place: $50; three Honorable Mentions: $30 each.2. Free Verse. 1st-place: $150; 2nd-place: $100; 3rd-place: $50; three Honorable Mentions: $30 each.F. CATHERINE CUSHMAN LEACH POETRY AWARD. Established September 19, 1978. For a poem of merit, pub-lished or unpublished. The poem may be on any subject and in any verse with the exception of free verse. 1st place: $100; 2nd place: $50; 3rd-place: $30.G. ELIZABETH M. CAMPBELL POETRY AWARD. For a poem written in Traditional Form. 1st place: $100; 2nd-place: $50; 3rd-place: $30; Honorable Mention: $20.H. HELEN SUTTON BOOTH NATIONAL MEMORI-AL POETRY AWARD. Established October 11, 1986. 1st place: $150; 2nd place: $100; 3rd place: $50; three Honor-able Mentions: $30 each.I. FLASH FICTION AWARD. For a story of eight or fewer pages. 1st place: $100; 2nd-place: $50; 3rd place: $30. J. THE ANNE MARX SESTINA AWARD. Established April 9, 1998. For a poem in sestina form on the subject of immigration and/or cultural exchange. The award shall be in the amount of $250.K. MADELINE MASON SONNET AWARD. Offered by two of the League's poets to encourage the continuance of a published or unpublished sonnet that speaks in a uniquely American voice. $100 will be awarded for 1st place, pro-vided at least eight entries are submitted.
Biennial Competitions
Biennial Letters CompetitionsPlease Note: The guidelines that appeared in the Summer issue of the magazine have been updated. Some of the categories listed earlier have been changed. Please follow these current guidelines when submitting entries to the Letters Competitions.
LETTERSGeneral Guidelines
• All contests open to all active Letters members.• Materials entered in previous Biennial contests will not be accepted.• No books or manuscripts will be returned.• Entries must be typed on 8½ by 11" white paper.• Prose should be double-spaced.• Poetry should be single-spaced with double spacing be-tween stanzas.• The decisions of the judges are final.• Winners will receive awards at Biennial. Should winners not be present at the Biennial, prize monies will be sent to the winners after April 22, 2014.• Winners will be notified in March prior to Biennial.• Entries will be accepted beginning December 5, 2013.• The postmark deadline for entries is January 20, 2014.SPECIFICS: POETRY & PROSE• Submit two copies of each entry.• Place category number and title of each entry in the upper right-hand corner of the cover sheet on both copies.
Biennial Music Award Rules1. Music submitted must be original and by the composer sub-mitting it. The composer must be a member of the NLAPW.2. The music must be between 3 and 15 minutes in length. It can be orchestral, vocal, electronic, small ensemble, choral and/or solo instrument.3. Each submission must be accompanied by a fee of $30.4.Each submission must include two (2) scores of the music and two (2) CDs of its performance. One copy should have the name of the music and the name of the composer. The other copy should have the name of the music and no composer on it.5.All submissions should be sent to Linda Nash, music chair, 5074 Twinbrook Run Drive, Fairfax, Va. 22032 no later than February 15, 2014. CDs and scores will not be returned unless requested and with a SASE.6. The first prize winner of the 2012 Biennial Award must recuse herself from this year's competition.7. William Fred Scott will be this year's judge and will announce the winners at our Biennial Music Luncheon on April 26, 2014.The Music awards are $1000 for First Prize.$500 for Second Prize, and $250 for Third Prize.
Atlanta, GA: Soar Higher — Make Your Mark, April 24-27
The Pen Woman 21
48th NLAPW Biennial ConventionBIENNIAL JURIED ARTS COMPETITION & EXHIBITION
~CALL FOR ART ENTRIES~Open to all active Art Members of the NLAPW.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA April 24-26th, 2014JUROR: Nationally Renowned Artist and Professor LARRY JENS ANDERSON
See page 10 for more about his tremendous experience and background.Submission instructions and form can also be found at www.nlapw.org/nlapw-biennial-convention-2014/
You may submit up to TWO (2) entries. All work must be original, completed in last three (3) years for two dimen-sional work and pottery, and five years (5) for sculpture. Entries must NOT have been previously submitted to any NLAPW juried exhibit.
FEE: $35 per artist. (For either 1 or 2 entries) The fee is payable by check or money order to NLAPW.
DEADLINE: Entries must be POSTMARKED no later than JANUARY 15th, 2014. Late entries will not be accepted.
CATEGORIES:Painting – all mediums, including oil, acrylic, watercolor,
pastel, mixed media;Drawing and Graphics – all mediums, including photog-
raphy, printmaking (original prints only – NO GICLEE or other reproduction prints of work done in other media will be considered ORIGINAL), pottery (hand-formed or wheel-thrown) and sculpture.
No video accepted.Completed works may not exceed 30” x 40” including
FRAME if it has one.Sculpture must not exceed 50 pounds.Gallery-wrap canvas does not have to be framed.All other two-dimensional works MUST be framed suit-
ably for museum display, and with wire on the back.NO SAW-TOOTHED HANGERS and NO EXCEP-
TIONS. NO GLASS–PLEXIGLAS only!The committee reserves the right to not hang pieces that
are sent that are not wired correctly.No special hardware is neededSUBMISSIONS:Image Specifications: All images must be saved as a
BASELINE JPG at 300 dpi, maximum of 1920 pixels (H) x 1920 pixels (W). The image file size must be 1 MB or less.
The file name should be the title of the piece ONLY. PLEASE remove the artist’s name from the file name.
Please submit 1 image of each 2-dimensional entry; 3 images (front, back and side views) of all 3-dimensional entries.
CD must be labeled with artist’s name, title of each piece and medium.
These CD’s will NOT be returned to the artists and should have ONLY the entries for this exhibit on them.
MAIL entries to: Jamie Tate, PO Box 387, Stoneville, Mississippi 38776
Shipping instructions will be sent with acceptance notification.
PRINT CLEARLY ALL REQUESTED INFO BE-LOW (you can photocopy the form to keep your magazine intact), CUT, INCLUDE WITH CD and ENTRY FEE.
AWARDS: 1st Place – BEST IN SHOW $1000 (in-cludes Howison Art Fund)
2nd Place – $750 3rd Place – $500Special Awards: Jean Baber Memorial Art Fund – 5
Awards of Merit – $100 each.
NAME:_______________________________________________ Branch_______________________________ADDRESS:______________________________________________ CITY______________________________STATE_______ZIP______________________ EMAIL_______________________________________________ENTRY #1 TITLE____________________________________________ Medium________________________Size(framed)__________________________ Price_____________________________ENTRY #2 TITLE____________________________________________Medium________________________Size (framed) __________________________ Price_____________________________Your signature indicates acceptance and compliance with rules and the understanding that all entries are submitted at the art-ist’s own risk. All care will be taken with artwork, however any damage incurred in transit will not be the NLAPW’s nor the exhibiting venue’s responsibility. INSURE your art before shipping it! Please note that if your work is accepted, it will be com-mitted for the length of this exhibit, and may not be returned to you early. Your signature also gives NLAPW the right to use the image of your entry if accepted for promotional use on our website, in The Pen Woman magazine, Youtube, on a CD of this exhibit and other print and electronic media.
Sign here X________________________________
PRINT CLEARLY, CUT HERE, INCLUDE THIS FORM WITH CD and ENTRY FEE
22 Fall/Winter 2013
April 24-26 Biennial: Book your Room at Georgian Terrace Read these instructions carefully to receive super rates that will be available three from April 21 through April 29, allowing you to spend more time in Atlanta if you choose both before and after the conference. The hotel is within walking distance of the historic Fox Theater, Woodruff Arts Center (home of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra), High Museum of Art, and the Mar-garet Mitchell House. Also nearby are the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, Centennial Olympic Park, Zoo Atlanta, Shakespeare Tavern and much more. All suites include free WiFi, kitchenettes and sitting area. Self-parking is $10/day. These
great rates apply to a limited number of NLAPW Block Rooms...so register early!
Accommodation Options & Prices/Night: 1 Bedroom Suite ($149), Luxury Dou-ble Suite - 2 bdrms & 1 bath ($149), 2-Bedroom Suite - 2 Baths ($229)
To receive your reduced rate, call (800) 651-2316 or (404) 897-1991. Do not call the hotel di-rectly or use any other phone number. Or, register online by visiting the biennial page of our website: www.nlapw.org/nlapw-biennial-convention-2014/ Scroll down to our dedicated booking link.
Greetings from Atlanta!Welcome NLAPW members to our beautiful city of Atlanta! As
one of our member’s Frances Statham wrote: “When it is April in Paris, it is heaven in Atlanta!” Come enjoy our southern hospitality, delightful weather, and gorgeous flowering trees and shrubs. Atlanta is one of the South's most interesting cities with mixture of history, family attractions, art, culture, and dining. It truly does have some-thing for everyone.
At the Biennial, you will learn more about Arts, Letters, and Music while getting to network with other like-minded individuals. Our conference will be held in The Georgia Terrace Hotel, which hosted the reception for the opening of Gone with the Wind. The famous Fox Theatre is located directly across the street and Margaret Mitchell’s home is just a few blocks away. I hope you fall in love with Atlanta like so many of us have.
Mimi Gould, Co-Chair for the Atlanta Biennial has written a poem just for you.
Like a Pen Woman Owl who soars to sate her ample appetite,we crave new rich concepts of our own personal gifts.
We come together, artist, writer, musician creatives all,We come together to share what is instinctively ours,
A desire to make the world a better place,With the belief that peace comes expressed in oil, in ink and musical notes.
We make our mark through the venue of creativity.Coming together, we encourage one another with honors and applause.
Welcome to Atlanta, where the colors of spring reminds oneOf a bride who can't decide on a color scheme,
So, she uses them all.
Remember to “like” our Facebook page and visit the NLAPW website to learn more about the program and interact with others who will be joining you in Atlanta.
Ann AlexanderPresident, Atlanta Branch
The Atlanta branch looks forward to sharing their beautiful city with you at the 47th Biennial April 24-26. Pictured
above and below, the beautiful and historic Georgian Terrace hotel, within
walking distance to many local highlights. Hurry to book your room. See below
for special biennial rates, while they last.
The Pen Woman 23
NLAPW 2014 Atlanta Biennial Preliminary Schedule Highlights
April 24-‐26, 2014 April 24, 2014—Thursday 10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Optional Fox Theatre Tour 11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. Lunch and Learn: “Make Your Mark with New Members: Soar
into the Clouds” Presented by Christina G. Laurie, Third National Vice President, National Chaplain, National Membership Chair and National Fundraising Chair
1:00 p.m.-2:15 p.m. Workshop 1: Creating Students Who Soar Higher Through Poetry…Making Their Mark-Christina Laurie, Virginia Franklin Campbell, Nancy Jurka Workshop 2: Expression, Beauty and Truth- Jane Hemmer
2:30 p.m.-4:45 p.m. Tour and Reading at the Margaret Mitchell Home 6:00 p.m.-8:45 p.m. Haywood Smith, Keynote Speaker, New York Times Bestselling
Author, Atlanta Branch, Letters Competition Awards 9:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m. Night Owl April 25, 2014—Friday 9:00 p.m.-12:00 p.m. Business Meeting 12:15 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Arts Luncheon with Musical Performance: Mission and Goals,
Bringing the Arts into Everyone’s Reach, Keynote Speaker, Peggy Stillwell Johnson, Director of Callanwolde Fine Arts Center
2:15 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Workshop 1: Writing an Original or an Adapted Screenplay- Dr. Jack Boozer Workshop 2:The Battle Composing Contemporary Classical Music- Nancy Deussen
4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Art Reception and Awards Presentation- Larry Jens Anderson 7:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m. Vinnie Ream Banquet with Musical Performance: Keynote
Speaker, Maureen Stack Sappéy April 26, 2014—Saturday
8:30 a.m.-9:15 a.m. Memorial Service 9:30 a.m.-10:45 a.m. Workshop 1: The Entertainment Industry…A View From Both
Sides of the Curtain- Maureen Stack Sappéy, Sandra Stillman Gartner, Candace Long, Polly Craig, and Mimi Gould Workshop 2: Soaring Old World Style. Not Your Same Old Group Tour- Mark Gordon Smith
11:00 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Workshop 1: Ins and Outs of Placing Your Music in Film, TV and Advertising- Peggy Still Johnson, Gina Barboza Workshop 2: Falling in Love with my Life all over again...One Memoir at a Time- Janis Kearney
12:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. Music Banquet with Musical Performance: Keynote Speaker, William Fred Scott, Former Director of the Atlanta Opera, Music Director, Westminster School
2:45 p.m.-4:00 p.m. Workshop 1: Demons and Guardians- Pat Drew Workshop 2: A Debate: Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing- Katie Witek and Maureen Stack Sappéy
4:15 p.m.-5:15 p.m. Combined Workshops: Depression Visible: The Ragged Edges of Emotion- Diana Stewart Alishouse
7:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Reception 7:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m. Installation Ceremony 8:00 p.m.-9:30 p.m. Members’ Concert
24 Fall/Winter 2013
Vinnie Ream Medal to be Unveiled at the 2014 Biennial in Atlanta By Katie Witek, National Letters Chair
Vinnie Ream—sculptress, writer, composer, creator of the famous Capitol Rotunda statue of Abraham Lincoln—was one of our most revered members. To honor her legacy, a medal of Vinnie Ream has been commissioned by the League and will be unveiled at the Biennial’s Vinnie Ream Banquet on Friday
evening, April 25, 2014. Funded by generous donations from some of our Board members, the medal will serve as a model to be replicated in the future and awarded to writ-ers, artists, and composers who exemplify Vinnie Ream’s artistic dedication. “To aspire even to accomplish some-thing great or beautiful is noble,” she claimed.
Design of the MedalProposals for the medal’s design were solicited from
artists of the Atlanta Branch. The proposal from Brenda Smith, artist and jewelry designer, was selected by the Biennial Committee. Brenda noticed that in many of Vin-nie’s pictures, she wore a cameo medallion. After further research, Brenda discovered that the medallion was a cameo of the image of Christ given to Vinnie by Cardinal Antonelli when she traveled to Italy for the carving of the Lincoln statue from her plaster model. “Cameo carving,” Brenda notes, “was an art developed in Italy and the Vati-can had its own cameo artisans, which is where the cameo surely was created.”
Brenda designed a cameo pendant/brooch with gem-stones recreating the above image of Vinnie Ream. She spoke with Raffaele Crispino from Torre del Greco, Italy,
the city of flowers, cameos and coral, where the art of cameo carv-ing had been perfected centuries ago and continues to this day. The Crispino family have been master cameo carvers for generations. They were excited about the Vin-nie Ream story, her connection to Italy and the cameo from Cardinal Antonelli. They actually knew some history about the cardinal and cameos from the Vatican. Master Carver Alessandro Crispino offered to create cameos for the League because the family considers it an honor and wants to carry on the tradition. He will carve the cameo, and Brenda will set it in white metal. The pendant/medal-lion will be hung on a black ribbon or sterling silver chain and will also convert to a brooch. Brenda points out that cameos of this quality are considered gemstones, but in addi-tion, the pendant will be accented with a diamond for Letters, blue sapphire for Music, or ruby for Art.
Brenda included these two samples of Crispino carvings in sardonyx shell, indicating incredible detail, lending itself well, she notes, to the details of Vinnie’s picture, such as the hat, curly hair, ruffles, and signature. Notice the carv-ing on the right set in white metal.
The new NLAPW membership brochures are a terrific way to introduce potential members to the benefits of join-ing the league. You can give them to guests you invite to meetings, add them to your membership packages or add contact information on the back panel and leave them where artists, writers and musicians have an opportunity to pick them up. Candace Long, National Second VP, de-signed these high quality printed brochures, which can be ordered for a modest cost of $0.25 each at www.nlapw.org/order-brochures/ or by sending payment to NLAPW, 1300 17th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20036-1973. If every Pen Woman reached out to at least one person, we could easily add 1,000 new members this year!
Order NLAPW Brochures and GROW Your Branch!
Order the new brochures at: www.nlapw.org/order-brochures
The Pen Woman 25
Vinnie Ream: Some Notes About the Pen Woman Behind the NameBy Virginia Franklin Campbell, Music Editor
“Genius has no sex,” remarked the diminutive in stat-ure, prodigious in achieving against all odds, Vinnie Ream (Lavinia Ellen Ream), a notable Pen Woman. A room at the Pen Arts Building Headquarters is designated as “The Vin-nie Ream Room.” Perhaps best recognized as the sculptress of the statue of Abraham Lincoln in the Rotunda of the United States Capitol, it is but one of her immense reper-toire of sculptures. She also wrote poetry, and was both a performer and composer of music; thus, she was a member of Pen Women in Art, Letters and Music.
However, it is impossible to look at the phenomenal number of sculptures created by Vinnie, her beautifully ro-mantic style of writing, her performances with voice, guitar and harp, plus composing for the same, without looking at the world and how a woman, at that time, would make such a fearless statement as that which appears above.
At a very young age, Vinnie was determined to make something of herself and once said to her mother, “I must do something worthwhile with my life. I feel that I am to have some special work in the world. I do not know what it is, but I must be ready for it when it comes.”
The nation was profoundly torn apart by the Civil War. Vinnie’s own family struggled with the anguish of Vinnie’s only brother choosing to serve with the Confederacy. She was living in DC during the war, and spent hours playing and singing for wounded soldiers, and writing letters home for them, partly in hopes of hearing something about the location and welfare of her brother.
It was a time in our country’s history when women still didn’t have the right to vote, and Congress even controlled the wages of women. In the Post Office “Dead Letter” office, where Vinnie eventually worked, the men were paid twice as much as the women, and the agency didn’t want the women seen, so they sweltered in the DC summer heat on a balcony overlooking the main room.
Women were literally relegated to second-class citizen-ship, so when Vinnie sought to find work and was initially rejected, she engaged a lawyer to petition the Postmaster General on her behalf. This was unprecedented! Women were expected to”know their place” and suppress all desires for success. After the death of Lincoln, and it was learned that a commission was going to be given by the government to cast a statue of Lincoln, Vinnie submitted her request to be the sculptress. On her application she wrote, “Feeling that it would meet with the expectation and approbation of the American people to have a marble life sized figure of
Abraham Lincoln placed by Con-gress in the National Capitol, I respectfully solicit influence of your committee in procuring an order for the same, and submit my model bust of Abraham Lin-coln as a specimen of my work.”
She was persistent in her pur-suit, and at 19 years of age, she was awarded the commission; becoming the first woman, and the youngest artist to receive a United States Government com-mission for a statue.
Her studio in the Capitol became an “in” place to be, and no other artist had ever worked so openly before so many people. One of those who visited her was Robert Todd Lin-coln, who was quoted by Edward Russell, editor of the Daily Gazette, as saying it was “by far the most successful presenta-tion of the features of Abraham Lincoln yet attempted.” The fact that Robert Todd Lincoln later owned the home which is now the Pen Arts Building and the location of the “The Vinnie Ream Room,” is certainly serendipitous.
Vinnie Ream’s most comprehensive biographer to date, Glenn Sherwood, a descendent of the Ream family, did not include music in his “Labor of Love: The Life and Art of Vinnie Ream,” because of the uncertainty of the material. A group of songs, “Songs of the High Plains,” were compiled after Vinnie’s death by Ruth Norcross Hoxie, the second wife of Vinnie’s husband, Richard L. Hoxie. It is recognized that Vinnie published music because she was a Music member of Pen Women, but Sherwood, personally, was not able to fully authenticate specific pieces. Perhaps future investigation will clarify Vinnie’s contributions to musical composition.
What we do know about her musical endeavors is that, while in Rome purchasing the marble and sculpting the Lin-coln statue, she made friends, among others, with legendary composer and pianist Franz Liszt. She marveled at his play-ing, and her emotional response to his performance invoked a meeting and a close friendship. He became a frequent visi-tor at her Rome studio, and lauded her singing and her per-formance on the harp. Liszt was certainly a credible critic!
After such success in her early years, Vinnie’s life evolved as she married an Army officer, lived the life of a military
Continued on page 31
The sculptress Vinnie Ream, who at the age of 19 became the first woman and the young-
est to receive a U.S. government commis-
sion for a staue.
26 Fall/Winter 2013
Book ReviewsAnnie Laura Smith, Book Review Editor
Lockets and LanternsAuthor: Janet Syas Nitsick, Springfield Branch, NE
Reviewed by: Ariel Smart, Santa Clara Branch, CA
“Blest Be the Tie that Binds” is the key theme of Lockets and Lanterns, Janet Syas Nitsick’s historical romance, set in Omaha, Nebraska, of the 1900’s. The story is sincere and based in part on the author’s memoirs of her own family, and the family tree, which she provides about the characters’ is listed in “The Prologue”, and it lends a verisimilitude to the novel’s conflict. The author summarizes her plot in fine as, “As Edith marches down the aisle to marry the man of her dreams she doesn’t know he is hiding a secret. Eighteen years later her husband, Red, must confront his past and reveal a deep family secret. Edith needs answers about her husband’s past, but will he put his children and career in danger to keep his secret? As tragedy occurs and the couple drifts apart, they must find their love for one another again before they lose each other.”
Janet Syas Nitsick, winning author of the Best of Year book, Seasons of the Soul, a book she says, “which includes a splattering of accounts of my two autistic sons.” indicate that the author is concerned with contemporary issues. Even though her current novel portrays an old-fashioned way of life in manners of work, commerce, and travel---the main characters “ work their fingers to the bone”, ride in buck-boards, and draw water from well, there “secret” reveals a relevant issue in contemporary life.
A spouse may walk away from his/her other, and break the marriage vow one repeats on a sunny wedding day of bliss, namely to cleave to each other “in sickness and in health”. My own physician has told me that it is not uncom-mon for a mate to leave when confronted by illness in the relationship or in the family. Consider neighbors who have separated because a husband or wife discovers that his spouse has cancer or MS or mental illness or a bipolar syndrome? Consider officials in public office. This relevant novel ex-plores this possibility. Fortunately, this Omaha community at the turn of the Century is a community of faith. Faith is the tie that binds. I recommend this inspirational work heartily.
2012, Tate Publishing and Enterprises, LLC, Amazon Paperback $11.89, Kindle eBook $7.99, Barnes & Noble Paperback $11.53, Nook eBook $8.39
ISBN: 978-1-61862-169-6
Slash and TurnThe Jaden Steele CarmelMysteries (Volume 2) Author: Barbara Chamberlain, Santa Clara Branch, CA
Reviewed by: Mary Lou Taylor, Santa Clara Branch, CA
This story is another riveting novel by Barbara Cham-berlain that moves powerfully toward its satisfying conclu-sion. In Slash and Turn, the author expands on the same cast of characters she presents to readers in A Slice of Carmel.
Jaden Steele, an expert knife thrower taught by her Ro-many grandfather, comes to the Monterey Bay area as the new owner of a cutlery store in Carmel. The story, starring Jaden, introduces a ballet troupe from Russia. She realizes that one of the company members has stolen a special edi-tion red-handled knife from her store.
One by one, clues lead to a surprising answer.The author develops not only the characters we have
met in her first Jaden Steele mystery, but also the dancers we meet in Slash and Turn. The reader comes to know the shopkeepers in Dolores Court, liking some, trusting others. The same holds true of three or four of the ballet troupe. And some are not to be trusted.
At its premier perfor-mance of the Nutcracker, the director of the Kurloff Ballet Company is murdered,
slashed with a knife. Jaden and neighbor Bobbi Jones know they are in mortal danger.
You will feel as though you were in Carmel-by-the-Sea with its scores of boutiques, gourmet dining spots, and a view of waves crashing on brilliant white sand. With the location and engaging characters, I am looking forward to another intriguing Jaden Steele mystery.
2012, Cups of Gold Publishing, $12.95ISBN: 978-1479378081
Submitting to The Pen Woman: File Naming
When submitting pictures or documents, name your documents with care. No spaces, periods, question marks or other punctuation should be in the file name. Use a hyphen or underscore to separate the title of the work, your name and your branch. This will help prevent your file from being corrupted, which could result in "special effects" that might not be noticed before press time.
The Pen Woman 27
Black and white
FlickerAuthor: Lynn Hansen, Modesto Branch, CA
Reviewed by: Louise Kantro, Modesto Branch, CA
A celebration of her 70th birthday, Lynn Hansen’s poetry collection was published in 2013. Hansen, a biology professor, announced to herself and a few friends upon retirement that
she was going to become a poet. In the past dozen years, she has done just that.
Flicker, begins with the section How We Come In, with a poem about a breach birth – hers. Her memoir collection chronicles her childhood and adolescence by looking back at beatings, poverty, and bullying of and by her. In con-trast, she shares poems about how the wise guidance of her grandmother, relationship with her sister, and support of other important adults helped form her.
The other four sections intersperse character sketches and Hansen’s reverence for nature, including descriptions of Earth’s horrifying and glorious sounds, colors, smells, tastes, and functions, and exploring the hardiness and the delicacy of both the natural world and human nature. In “Vernal Pool Vagrants,” Hansen likens the “floral forest/ … two inches above ground / offering shade only to ants,” to “the homeless of Kewin Park,” noting that such natu-ral vagrants “do not risk arrest, jail time, / as [they] lie, delirious.”
Her sense of humor shows up in such poems as Modesto Moon, in which she proclaims, “Loosen up! / drop those belts / down with those drawers,” as she announces that, according to a judge’s ruling, people can moon others with impunity. Her point: not all activism has to be serious or intense. Hansen’s country roots poke through as she describes how to bake a perfect blackberry pie, explores the tastelessness of rutabaga, and describes “wild red tomatoes [that] hide / among green leaves / like seductive virgins.”
The title poem, Flicker, tells, in a sadly accepting tone, of the surprising arrival of the northern flicker, a bird that migrates at the end of autumn, heralding the coming of winter. This “plaintive call summoning thoughts of winter,” a harbinger of old age, is a call we must all face.
As Hansen describes the people, places, animals, insects, and birds that surround us, the reader comes to understand how we fit into our environment, that we must persevere, that our connectedness is an important and beautiful thing, and that the details of life are worth notic-ing, appreciating, and sharing.
2013, Quercus Review Press, $12 ISBN 9780615799764/Cover art by Linda Gordon,
Sawyer, Modesto Branch, CA
Willy and the WinchesterMotorcycleAuthor: J.A. Slack, Modesto Branch, CA
Reviewerd by: Lynn M. Hansen, Modesto Branch, CA
Willy, a middle-school student, is often less than enthused about writing assignments for his English class until he happens upon an idea. He decides to write about motorcycles, more specifically rare motorcycles and begins to create “The Great Motorcycle Journal”. His mother and father are shocked by his enthusiasm, but support him by making him good food and giving him time to work on his project. The more Willy investigates about old motorcycles, the more interested he becomes. Doing his research culmi-nates in finding out about the rare Winchester Motorcycle. Sprinkled throughout the text are drawings by J.A. Slack and photographs of antique motorcycles beginning with the very first motorcycle, the Reitwagen, built in 1898 by Gottlieb Daimler. When Willy presents his research topic to the class, he is applauded as a hero by his classmates. The book ends with a surprise presentation by Willy in full antique motorcycle riding costume.
J.A. Slack’s portrayal of Willy’s success provides a role model for tweenagers, children between the ages of 10 to 14, who may lack motivation to accomplish their home-work. Using historical motorcycles as the narrative vehicle, she illustrates how investigation and research into a topic that interests a young student can lead to excellent scholar-ship. Willy and the Winchester Motorcycle is the fifth chil-dren’s book published by J.A. Slack, and is a motivational story sure to interest kids, especially boys.
2012, Thomson-Shore, $15ISBN: 978-1-4276-9532-1; 1-4276-9532-6
Book Reviewers Wanted To become a book reviewer, email to annielaurasmith@
comcast.net or call 256-880-6213. Include your branch affiliation or Member-at-Large designation along with your name at the top of your review. To have your book reviewed, send your book along with full author contact information, a short description of the book, ISBN number, and web-site URL to: Annie Laura Smith, Book Review Editor, 564 Farmingdale Road, Huntsville, AL. 35803.
28 Fall/Winter 2013
Book Reviews Continued
The Red and Black BreedAuthor: Molly Read Woo, Atlanta Branch, GA
Reviewer: Ariel Smart, Santa Clara Branch, CA
The author’s talents are various, and she succeeds on all levels of the fine arts in her murder mystery which explores a politically contro-versial subject, namely stem cell research, genetic engineering,----man creating a Super Race. “Are you going to sacrifice every set of identical twins that comes along the pike”, a shady character in the book asks. (See p, 181)
The key illustration in red on the cover hints at her story’s revelation. Let me suggest that you follow the flight and landings of the ladybugs, the course of the condoms (not pictured), and the scents and the ways of the dogs for signs of criminal activity. Additionally, watch out for musty, dank cellars, and warnings on advertisements on the highway, somewhat in the style of the old Burma Shave ones, but set up for the reader to know of danger and ironic warnings. Here’s one looming ahead. Watch out:
What part of “Thou Shalt Not" didn’t you understand? —God
I Can Think of Ten Things That Are Carved in Stone —God
My guess is the author, Molly Read Woo, has a fervent interest in the controversial theme in this mystery novel. She will provoke intelligent discussion of her writing. The Bulldogs are a varsity team. But she introduces the subject of actual bulldogs, dangerous ones on whom this tale hangs. Atlanta, Georgia, is nostalgically and sensuously described by the central character, who like the author, has suffered personal loss and knows the heartbeat of loneliness.
My favorite, favorite writing in Molly Read Woo’s story is the Note from the Author where she sums up her experience in writing: “I also found out, working on this book, that I didn’t need to be on a staff of a big newspaper to investigate and write a great news story…” And , readers, she didn’t. (Molly Read Woo is an award-winning journalist and the Letters Chair of the Atlanta Branch of NLAPW.) 2010, Read Press, $13.95, ISBN: 978-0-9830469-0-5
A Year of Essen-tial Correspondence Courting Letters of Julia E. Thom-as and W. B. Conway, 1869-1870 and Other Family Letters Compiled & Edited by: Anne Price Yates, Portland Branch, OR
Reviewed By: Doreen Gandy Wiley, Portland Branch, OR
The powerful art of letter writing as a medium for romantic communication is revealed in the correspondence between William Buchanan Conway and Julia E. Thomas, in 1869 when the country was recovering from the dev-astating losses of the Civil War. Anne Price Yates, great-granddaughter of the couple, has painstakingly edited the fragile collection of letters and compiled this memoir, rich with captivating detail. The reader is drawn into their lives as their letters reveal their friendship and, gradually, their commitment to each other.
Raised in Victorian America, when values and morality followed strict social codes, Julia and “Willie” share a solid Southern background. He grew up in Madison County, Virginia, on a plantation, returning after the Civil War only to find most of the land lost or sold. After earning a medical degree in 1869, Willie practiced medicine in the Shenandoah Valley. His tireless hours on horseback visiting sick patients were brightened by his correspondence with “Miss Julia.” Julia grew up in Blacksburg, Virginia, in a strict Presbyterian home. Her early letters to Willie empha-sized her character and belief in strong moral values. Willie pursues Julia relentlessly, and she responds with delicate restraint that further draws the two together. They meet several months later at Julia’s home in Blacksburg.
It is not totally clear what exactly took place on a Sun-day evening when they exchanged a kiss, but after the visit, their correspondence bloomed with feelings of love. They decided to wed in December 1870. Having met each other
only once, they plan their wedding, to take place in a little over two months. A sense of humor helps to lighten their pre-wedding anxieties. A geranium plant, which Willie nurs-es, becomes a symbol of their love. A flood causes their move to Blacksburg, Virginia, where in 1875 Willie was elected Physi-cian and Surgeon for the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College, now
The Pen Woman 29
Virginia Tech. Julia influenced Willie in many ways, including his
conversion to Presbyterianism. When Willie’s health declined in 1891, Julia attended their move to Athens, Georgia, where Willie served in high positions, including Dean of the School of Pharmacy at the University of Georgia and President of the Clark County Medical Society. Whereas correspondence between Willie and Julia ceased when they were wed, their children exchanged letters with their parents. Daisy, their first born, was a talented writer and artist like her granddaughter, Anne Price Yates, who compiled this memoir, A Year of Es-sential Correspondence”… Because of their delightful court-ing letters, readers will feel as if they knew them in real life. The collection of letters is an absorbing memoir. It is also a fine piece of historical research by Anne Price Yates that takes the reader back to life in the late 1800s.
2013, CreateSpace, $24.70ISBN: 978-1-4848-1614-1
The Dementia DanceManeuvering through Dementia while Maintaining your SanityAuthor: Rosemary Barkes, Columbus Branch, OH
Reviewed by: Marilyn Lewis-Alim, Ed.D., Huntsville Branch, AL
If I should someday develop de-mentia, I really hope that my family members take time to read Rosemary Barkes’ The Dementia Dance. This book will guide them in both caring for me and caring for themselves as they seek to understand how to deal with dementia when they have no choice. Who doesn’t, at some point in life, face care-giver challenges? It helps to have guidance from someone, other than healthcare professionals, who has documented lessons learned. It helps to have someone like yourself share openly what the experience is really like and what does and does not work. For sure, a loved one’s demen-tia, or other critical illness, is a threat to one’s own sanity.
The Dementia Dance is actually a diary on dealing with change. It could be about the aging process or the birth giving process, but it is about dementia. We don’t want to talk about or hear about dementia, do we? It is a reality we need to face, before it impacts our lives, since we know that it probably will and we are most unprepared to deal with it. In her preface, Rosemary Barkes lays out the statistics: “Five to eight percent of all people between the ages of sixty—five and seventy-four will get dementia. Twenty percent of those between seventy-five and eighty-four will get it and 30-47
percent of those eighty-five and over will get it….All will require a caregiver….and no job description exists.”
Working with dementia, not working against it, is what this book is about. Caring for one’s mother is what this book is about and dealing with pain and heartache is what this book is about. It is a must read.
The “take away” I had from the book was walk a mile in someone else’s shoes… someone whom you dearly love. Rosemary learned, while caring for her mother, to make every effort to view the “dance” of dementia from her mother’s sensitivity, confusion, emotions, and needs. Only then did she ask, “What’s best for Mom?”
As in most families, siblings do not all agree on what’s best in the realm of elder care. This conflict is something Rosemary consciously dealt with and carefully shares. It’s another one of those things we don’t want to talk about….but she does. She shares her trial and error methods of reaching consensus with her sister on simple things such as how often to return their mother’s phone calls as well as reaching agreement on complex decisions on long term care.
It is a dance, she says and that analogy is guidance in and of itself. The brilliance of this book is that it reads like a conversation over tea or coffee. You feel like you are listening to a very dear friend with whom you can confide and you appreciate that this friend so freely confides in you. You will cry and even laugh and you will for sure re-flect. It is too powerful to read in one sitting. Give it time. Mark it up with your thoughts and feelings. Treat it like a workbook. That’s what I did. That’s the highest honor I can pay a book and I give The Dementia Dance very high honors.
2012, Annotation Press (a division of Wine Press Pub-lishing), $10.94
ISBN: 978-1-59977-049-9
Happy Birthday, Mr. Lincoln:
A Commemorative Collage
Order at:www.nlapw.orgBy phone: 202.785.1997
OR by mail: Send name, address and $29.50to: NLAPW, 1300 17th St. NW, Washington D.C. 20036-1973
Support the League!
30 Fall/Winter 2013
Black and white
ObituariesEdith FlEming lEssEndEn ChandlErPast president and letters member of the Topeka, KS, Branch, Edith Chandler, died June 14, 2013 at age 91. She was known for her original monologues, which she performed in costume, and for her award-winning short stories. Mother of four children and wife of a dermatologist, she was president of the Shawnee County Medical Society Alliance. She was founder and chaired the Topeka Sympho-ny League and was writer/editor of its newsletter Allegro.
Virginia l. hilliEr Virginia won the “Valiant Woman” award in 1993 by Church Women United (CWU) and was a 28-year letters member of the Omaha Branch. She served as its president for six years, as co-president for five years and as its vice president. Creative and “classy,” she enjoyed decorating tables and organizing speakers for the branch, as well as for her church and CWU. Widely traveled, she presented travelogues for many groups. She died at age 92 on June 30, 2013.
ann Johnston Ann was born in Huchow, China, and raised by mission-aries. During World War II she was a research analyst on China for the Office of Statistics in Washington, DC. She then served as a foreign affairs officer in the International Education Exchange Program. Ann joined the league in 1976 as a poet, but she also was an artist. Her poetry book, Beyond the Moongate, included her illustrations. She co-published another book with her sister, Golden Glow in the East. She was membership chair of the Alexandria Branch and a member of the Poetry Group. She died at 92 on July 9, 2013.
magdalEna hElEna PallasCh A member of the Chicago Branch since the 1960’s, Mag-dalena’s artistic talent was recognized in seventh grade,
Submit memorials to:[email protected]
or Rev. Christina Laurie33 Viewcrest Dr., Falmouth, MA 02540
(508) 540-0762
and she became art editor of her high school magazine. She created life-sized silhouettes of women’s fashions for the Woman’s World Fair, which she expanded for the Century of Progress International Exposition in 1933 and 1934. More recently she was noted for her portraitures, painting many civic, college and hospital dignitaries. On Oct. 9, 2011, The Chicago City Council honored her for her life accomplish-ments as a woman of character, dignity and grace. She died at 105 on November 5, 2011.
mary agnEs ryan Author of a children’s Christmas book, stories and poems, Mary Agnes was an associate letters member of the Daytona, FL, branch. She traveled extensively and volunteered at her home in The Cloisters as well as for Habitat for Humanity, Visitation House for unwed mothers and many other venues. She founded a Creative Writing Group at The Cloister an participated in community charity walks. She died at 90 on April 18, 2013.
PatriCia h. millEr Fabric artist Patricia Hoffman Miller was a member of the Charleston, West Virginia, branch and died Aug. 3, 2013, at the age of 80. An ordained elder in the Presbyterian Church, she served in the Stephen Ministries and taught Sunday school. An active artist, she shared her art with numerous committees and organizations, including the Sherwood Forest Garden Club and South Charleston Women’s Club. She had a deep love for teaching art, especially modern art. Following retirement, she spent more time in her studio and traveled extensively, visiting museums around the world.
Inspiration InterludeWhat Do You Hear?
Two men walked down a New York City street at the height of noontime lunch hour. Amid the cacophony of taxis, blaring horns and shouting pedestrians, one could barely hear the conversation. Suddenly one man stopped dead in his tracks and exclaimed, “Did you hear that?”
“Hear what?” asked the friend.“The cricket. What a delightful sound: a cricket in the
middle of New York City!”“You’re crazy,” said the friend. “How could you possibly
hear a cricket in all this racket?’Without saying a word, the first man reached into his
pocket and pulled out a fifty cent piece. He threw it up in the air and stepped back. It bounced on the sidewalk a few times and rested nearby. Immediately, twenty people were on their hands and knees looking for the coin.
Christina Laurie, Chaplain/Membership Chair, Cape Cod Branch, 508.540-0762. Memorials to: [email protected], or Rev. Christina Laurie, 33 Viewcrest Dr., Falmouth, MA 02540.
Smiling, the first man turned to his friend and said, “We hear what we want to hear.”
Indeed!What about you? What do you hear? Will you hear the
call of the recent webinar to bring in new members? Will you hear the harmony and beauty of the poetry and art on line? Will you respond by creating your own sounds, words and colors? What will you hear in this fall of creativity?
The women in these pages heard this call of inspiration– all over 90 years old. And they responded by creating, bring-ing beauty into the lives of others. How about you? What are you doing this fall to respond to the call of your talent?
—Rev. Christina Laurie
The Pen Woman 31
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1300 17th Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20036-1973
NLAPW, Sharyn Greberman, 1300 17th Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20036-1973
April Myers, 1300 17th Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20036-1973
April Myers, 1300 17th Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20036-1973
National League of American Pen Women 1300 17th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20036-1973
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Vinnie Ream: Some Notes About the Pen Woman Be-hind the Name (cont. from page 24)wife following her husband from one assignment to another, and became a doting mother to her son, “Richie.”
At the end of her life, as she was succumbing to a kidney ailment, she was finishing a life-size sculpture of the great Cherokee chieftain, Sequoyah, which ultimately was placed in Statuary Hall, short steps from her seminal statue of Lin-coln in the U.S. Capitol. Vinnie Ream’s contributions to the fields of Art, Letters and Music are unsurpassed and validate that she, indeed, accomplished “some special work in the world.”
Special thanks to Glenn V. Sherwood for author-ing “Labor of Love: The Life and Art of Vinnie Ream,” and his personal communications with the writer of this article.
If you lie down to rest on the green grass, watch the sunlight glisten and the leaves glow; coax the birds to come and sing to you. Watch the ants toil and take from their patience. Watch the spider weave its web and take lessons from its skill. Listen to the thousands of voices and hear how busy nature is. She does not lose a moment. She does not tire. Why should we?
From a speech to the District of Columbia Public Schools, by Vinnie Ream, date unknown:
Advertise Your Creativity!
Advertising space is available in The Pen Woman for promoting products and services.
Size B & W Color1/8 page (3.5"x2") $25 $501/4 page (3.5"x4.5” or 7.5"x2”) $45 $901/2 page (7.5"x4.5” or 3.5"x9.75”) $90 $180Full page (7.5" x 9.75”) $175 $350
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For more information, contact April Myers at [email protected] • (360) 271-9824
32 Fall/Winter 2013
OFFICERS
PresidentSharyn Bowman Greberman
c/o Pen Arts: 1300 17th St. NWWashington, DC 20036-1973
Ph 202.785.1997Fax (toll free) 661.885.6739
[email protected] name: sharynbg
First Vice PresidentTreanor Wooten Baring650 Diamond Leaf LaneHouston, TX 77079-6105
Second Vice PresidentCandace Long
2303 Waters Edge TrailRoswell, GA 30075Ph 770.640.8881
Third Vice PresidentChristina Laurie
33 Viewcrest DriveFalmouth, MA 02540
Fourth Vice PresidentMeletha Everett
405 Green ArborBrandon, FL 33511Ph 813.685.1675
Fifth Vice PresidentSandra Stillman Gartner
1 Piedmont DriveRutland, VT 05701Ph 802.775.4954Cell [email protected]
Recording SecretaryPetrina B. Gardner,1109 N. Hilton Rd.
Wilmington, DE 19803302-764-4775
Corresponding SecretaryNina Brooks
86 Ridge Lake DriveColumbia, SC 29209
TreasurerActing Treasurer
Lorna Jean Hagstrom921 S. Hill Ave.
DeLand, FL 32724-7015Ph/fax 386.734.7455
HistorianBernice Strand Reid
2315 Crown Colony DrArlington, TX 76011
LibrarianElizabeth Yahn Williams
P.O. Box 233San Luis Rey, CA 92068
STANDINGCOMMITTEE
CHAIRSEthics
Elaine Waidelich110 S. Westwood Ave.
Deland, FL 32720Ph 386.734.5890
Finance & BudgetActing Treasurer
Lorna Jean Hagstrom921 S. Hill Ave.
DeLand, FL 32724-7015Ph/fax 486.734.7455
GovernanceBettie Jane Owen WootenMaryland Plantation Box47
Shelby, MS 38774Ph 662.398.7456
[email protected]: BetWooten2
National ArtJamie W. TatePO Box 387
Stoneville, MS 38776Ph 662.822.1491
National LettersCatherine (Katie) A. Witek
3557 E. Blackhawk Dr.Milton, WI 53563Ph 608.868.7208
2012-2014 Board of DirectorsVoting members of the board are the Officers elected by the membership and the Standing Committee Chairs elected by the board.
NationalMusic
(Composition ofMusic and Dance)
Linda Nash5074 Twinbrook Run Drive
Fairfax, VA [email protected]
OutreachTo Be Announced
PublicationsMarilyn Lewis-Alim3612 Greenbriar Dr.Huntsville, AL 35810
[email protected] 256.694.3896
SPECIALAPPOINTEES
ParliamentarianKathleen Dunn Roper, PRP, CP
1225 S. Ocean Blvd. #301Delray Beach, FL 33483
ChaplainRev. Christina Laurie33 Viewcrest Drive
Falmouth, MA 02540Ph 508.540.0762
CommemorativeEndowment
Judy Woods-Knight13329 Emerald Dr. NWGig Harbor, WA 98329
ArchivesSandra Seaton Michel
3 Lanark DriveWilmington, DE 19803
PublicRelations
TBD
SPECIALCOMMITTEES
BiennialConventionCo-chairs
Deborah B. Roebuck2320 Henry Scott Rd.
Ball Ground, GA 30107Ph 770.720.0375 Cell 404.441.8679
Mimi Gould714 Mill Walk
Atlanta, GA 30327Ph 404.237.4828
Email: [email protected]
TO APPLY FORMEMBERSHIP, SENDAPPLICATIONS TO:You must include your branch
membership chair's phonenumber on your application.
ArtLinda SpencerPO Box 1707
Tavares, FL [email protected]
LettersUntil further notice, please contac:
Catherine (Katie) A. WitekPh 608-201-0574.
Music(Music and Dance composition)
Nancy Bloomer Deussen433 Sylvan Ave. #44
Mountain View, CA [email protected]
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The Pen Woman 33
47th Biennial Registration Form
National League of American Pen Women, Inc. | 1300 Seventeenth St. NW | Washington, DC 20036-1973Tel: (202) 785-1997 | Fax: (202) 452-8868 | [email protected] | www.nlapw.org
Name ____________________________________________________________ (Circle) Art Letters Music Spouse/Guest Names ____________________________________________________________________________________Branch______________________________ State or Branch President _____________ National Board______________ Address ______________________________________________________________________________________________Phone ____________________________________ Email ________________________________________________________
Registration Fee ([**NOTE: Membership Fee includes discounted price for both Breakfast Buffets & Vinnie Ream Banquet] • Early (February 15) Member _____ x $137** Non-Member _____ x $ 80 • Regular registration Member _____ x $147** Non-Member _____ x $ 85 • One Day Member _____ x $ 30 Non-Member _____ x $ 40 • At the Door (no meals) Member _____ x $ 60 Non-Member _____ x $ 90
Thursday, April 24, 2014 • Lunch & Learn “Build Your Branch” _____ x $ 20 _____ (vegetarian) • Letters Banquet _____ x $ 39 _____ (vegetarian) • Fox Theatre Tour _____ x $ 15
Friday, April 25, 2014 • Hot Breakfast Buffet (**Incl. for Members) Non-Member _____ x $ 23 • Art Awards Lunchon _____ x $ 33 _____ (vegetarian) • Vinnie Ream Banquet (**Incl. for Members) Non-Member _____ x $ 39 _____ (veg.)
Saturday, April 26, 2014 • Hot Breakfast Buffet (**Incl. for Members) Non-Member _____ x $ 23 • Music Awards Lunchon _____ x $ 33 _____ (vegetarian) • Music Performance Reception* (Cash Bar) _____ x $ 25 (*Installation follows concert) Subtotal AD for Program: $10 for 2 lines....$25 business card....$50 half-page....$100 full-page. $ 5 off if submitted with this registration. Send camera ready art to: [email protected]. Subject Line: “2014 Program Ad.”
Vendor Table: $100 for all 3 days....$50 one day. Share a table with friends. To reserve your space, contact: Mozelle Funderburk at [email protected]. Download vendor info at www.nlapw.org.
TOTALS
Payment Options: o Check enclosed o Pay with Credit Card using PayPal (You will find the Biennial Registration PayPal “Buy Now” Button on www.nlapw.org. You will then be able to use any major credit card for your registration, even if you do not have a PayPal account. You must include a copy of your PayPal transaction receipt along with your registration form when you send it in.)
Send Registration Info To: Fran Stewart, P.O. Box 490153, Lawrenceville, GA 30049. (770) 682-7483. Registration form may be downloaded online at www.nlapw.org. Postmark deadline for mail is April 4th. Same day registration will be accepted each morning during convention.Hotel: Please register early. Contact The Georgian Terrace Hotel, 659 Peachtree St., NE, Atlanta, GA 30308. (866) 845-7551 or (404) 897-1991. Visit our reservation link on our website. Sales tax (8%) will be added to all rates. Room reservations may be canceled without penalty up to two days prior to check in.
Refunds: Convention registration may be canceled for a full refund up until April 20. Meals may be canceled with NLAPW, Inc. for a full refund through April 4.
47th Biennial Registration Form The Georgian Terrace Hotel: Atlanta, Georgia – April 24 - 26, 2014
National League of American Pen Women, Inc.
TOTAL ENCLOSED
34 Fall/Winter 2013
(202) 785-1997 • Fax (202) 452-6868 • www.nlapw.org • NLAPW1@gmai l .com
National League of American Pen Women, Inc.1300 17th Street NWWashington, D.C. 20036-1973
Periodical
Books can be dangerous. The best ones should be labeled " This could change your life."~Helen Exley
A great read really is a great gift!Christmas, Channuka, birthdaysand as a way to say "Thank You" -- You can support the League and your fellow Pen Women byordering the books you read aboutin this magazine!
New! From thePen Women Press!
Spirit, Peace and Joyan anthology of poemsby Pen Women
ORDER FORMQty Cost Shipping Total ($10 ea.) ($4)
___ x $10 = ____ + ______ = ______
SHIP TO:
Name: ________________________________________
Address: ______________________________________
City, State, Zip:__________________________________
Phone:______________ Email_____________________Or order online at www.NLAPW.org
Cover art by Treanor Wooten Baring
Greatgift idea!
Don't miss the 7 great book reviews starting on page 26!
