Arizona Press Women Centennial Project

Arizona Press Women Centennial Project

April 22, 2010 —The Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust awarded APW $10,000 to help fund the group's Centennial Project. The members of our Centennial Project committee recently attended a reception held at the Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon Center in Phoenix to accept the check. The NFPW Education Fund is working with us on grant applications.

APW also has been advised by the Arizona Historical Advisory Committee that as an official Arizona Legacy Project, we will receive a grant of $1,300 plus 189 Arizona Quarter Folios for use in the development of our project. The commemorative folio contains a never-circulated Arizona quarter from the U.S. Mint's 50 State Quarter Program protected by a crystal clear case and is suitable for use as a gift or collectible. APW welcomes ideas on how best to use the folios.

For new APW members who may not know about our Centennial Project, eighteen APW members are writing an anthology about Arizona women journalists and writers who were active during the centennial period which will be published in honor of the Arizona centennial in 2012. Proceeds from sale of the book will go to scholarships for students majoring in journalism and communications at Arizona colleges and universities.

The Centennial Project committee has been meeting regularly since the project was approved by the APW Board of Directors in early 2009. Committee members are (chair) Brenda Warneka, Carol Hughes, Lois McFarland, June Payne, Sheila Roe, and Pam Knight Stevenson.

“100 Years of Arizona Press Women, 1912-2012”

The Arizona Press Women (APW) Centennial project, “100 Years of Arizona Press Women 1912-2012” (working title), is the writing and publication of a trade paperback by APW members, which will feature over 20 Arizona women journalists and writers. This anthology, presented as short stories written to capture the spirit of the women and times in which they lived, has been designated as an official Arizona Legacy Project by the Arizona Historical Advisory Commission. Each story chronicles the work of a woman in Arizona who made a significant contribution to our history, beginning with Sharlot Hall and ending with a current-day journalist or writer. Our mission is to illuminate the rich, diverse heritage bequeathed to us by those who lived and worked during the centennial period thanks to the writings they left behind and the barriers they broke.

The stories of the women who have been nominated and selected to appear in the book are as varied as the state itself. The chronicles of these women bring to life changes in society through the Women’s Movement, evolution of societal customs and norms, struggle for human rights, exploration of cultures, including Hispanic and Native American, and an appreciation for rural life and the unique communities that formed there.

The book is intended for use by the general public as well as students of Arizona History, Women’s Studies, Communication and Journalism. It will capture a piece of Arizona’s history by demonstrating the significant contribution of Arizona women journalists and writers to the rich fabric of our state. Proceeds from sales of the book will be used to fund additional and increased scholarships awarded annually by Arizona Press Women to college-bound students intending to study Communication or Journalism.

This project is being developed by the APW 2012 Centennial Project committee. Members of the committee are Brenda Warneka, Sheila Roe, Carol Hughes, Pam Stevenson, and Lois McFarland. Contact Brenda Warneka at warneka@cox.net for further information.

Last update: April 22, 2010

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