Member Websites

If you would like to have your personal website included, please send the URL to your site
along with a brief description to Jean Hull Herman. Please provide a link from your
website to http://www.nlapw.org. This is beneficial for both sites. Members should
note on their websites (with a live link to this site) that they are NLAPW members and also designate the branch.



Marjory Diane Lyons ~ Marjory is active in the writing ocmmunity of South Florida and has been a member of the Fort Lauderdale Branch for four years and has been chair of the Letters Scholarship during those years. She is founder and owner of Telling Your Story, Inc. a means of helping folks tell their own life stories, culminating in a book for them to give to their family and friends, a gift of a lifetime. She has given programs for her Branch on how to write one's lie story.

Kathleen McDonald ~ Kathleen is a landscape painter, printmaker, potter, and photographer. Her expressionistic work is inspired by her travel to exotic places like Tibet, Corsica, and Madagascar. Kathleen has held many offices in the Sarasota Branch (Florida), including president in 2006 and 2007. She is the Florida State Association president for 2008-2010.

Caroline Henry ~ Caroline is a member of the Stockton-Lodi Branch in northern California. She has been painting since early 1990s, and her work has appeared in many juried shows. After starting as a watercolorist, her work has branched into other media including pastels, acrylics, oils, and colored pencil. She has done a number of one-woman shows, and is very active within her community's non-profit art organization. She is what is usually referred to as self-taught, meaning that she has relied on workshops, viewing materworks, and instruction books to develop her artistic abilities.

Dee DeVane ~ Dee took instructions in Sumi-e (ink painting) from Professor I-Hsiung Ju. She later became interested in the Ling-nan style, and has worked under three masters from the Ling-nan Art College of South China, Henry Wo Yue-Kee, Lui-Sang Wong, and Dick Chen, as well as others. Dee has exhibited, won awards, and sold over 500 paintings since becoming interested in Sumi-e and continues to fit painting into a busy schedule.

Robbie Miles ~ Robbie Miles learned the art of oriental brush painting while living in Taiwan in the early 1980s. In 2002, after a successful career as a CPA, she returned to painting. She was an exhibitor in the 2003 Gasparilla Festival of the Arts and the 40th and 42nd Annual Exhibitions of the Sumi-e Society of America. Robbie teaches oriental brush painting at Hillsborough Community College in Tampa where she lives with husband, Curtis, and dogs, Bear and Maggie. She also leads workshops in brush painting in Florida.

Portraits by Gainor ~ Gainor Roberts approaches portraits in much the same way as she approaches any work of art that she is about to create. It must be beautiful to look at, and her challenge is always to make the ordinary extraordinary, the mundane remarkable. The human face and body is fantastic no matter who is inside it! The complicated map of a face is just the beginning of a portrait, and, under the ridges and folds, there lies a breathing, thinking, feeling person that must be captured on the paper or canvas.

Mireya Perez Power ~ Born in Caracas, Venezuela, and having studied art in Florence, Italy, Mireya is one among many Latin American artists. She is a well-known Venezuelan painter inventor, art instructor, and sculptor. Her unique tri-dimentional landscapes on undulating canvases utilize classic characteristics in an original new format. Mireya titled a recent creation "Landscape on waves." To produce it, she discarded the traditional flat surface and used an undulating canvas which she titled "World on waves."

Nancy Leigh Harless ~ Nancy is a retired nurse practitioner who travels often, usually off the well-paved road. To date, she has had the good fortune to live in or visit fifteen countries. Throughout her travels, she has seen women struggle, sometimes against overwhelming odds. What she has come to know for sure is the message of her first book, Womankind: Connection and Wisdom Around the World. Now Nancy devotes her time to her grandchildren, travel, writing, and giving presentations about her experiences. She is presently transfering to the Iowa City Branch (Iowa) which is closer to home.

Linda Butti ~ New York-based artist Linda Butti paints because she has to. She says it's the only way she has of expressing her very active inner life. She is currently an Associate Professor of Art in the NYC metropolitan area where she also gives demonstrations and lectures, curates exhibits, and judges shows. Linda works in digital media as well as mixed media and oil paint. Linda is a member of the New York City Branch.

Florence "Fran" Scheffler ~ The adventure of travel with its constantly new and changing horizons is reflected in Fran's varied style and technique. Although her childhood was spent in Louisiana, Fran's life has been centered in the East Coast of Florida since her teen years. With this area as a base of operations, she has traveled much of our world as an avid and interested tourist. Her work ranges from acrylic, watercolor, or resin abstracts to carefully executed representational scenics and seascapes in oil. Fran is a member of the Ft. Lauderdale Branch (Florida).

Sally Ruddy ~ A site filled with poetic expressionism. Sally says, "It is with a tenderness humanity and a reverence for Nature that I create my paintings. My paintings are like poetry; you understand the 'words,' but sometimes they are put together in a way that surprises you."

Gioia Hansbury ~ In its own way, painting is Gioia's method of telling a story, one that invites closer examination and which rewards the observer with more than one possible interpretation. Gioia is a member of the Golden Gate Branch (California).

Kathleen Noffsinger ~ Kathleen is an award-winning watercolor artist from Deltaville, Virginia, who expresses her talent in lively watercolors of wildlife and nature. From the simple design of a wading egret to complex underwater scenes of Rockfish, Kathleen's works are images of nature that elicit a sense of tranquility and an appreciation for the simpler things in life. She is a member of the Chesapeake Bay Branch (Virginia).

Pamela Walker Hart ~ Pam's experience in the visual arts includes exhibiting/award winning artist, juror, and arts educator. Through speaking engagements, program presentations, and published writings, she ardently promotes the multi-faceted benefits of creativity for individuals and society as a whole. Pam is a member of the Central New York Branch of NLAPW.

Diane Wilson ~ Diane wrote her first "book" about the adventures of a frisky, frolicking puppy named Scamp as a project in fifth grade. A career as a professional sign language interpreter for the deaf for more than twenty years has provided another avenue for expression of Diane's creative talents. She continues to provide many companies and colleges in the Silicon Valley area with her interpreting services. Diane is the author Awakening of a Jehovah's Witness: Escape From the Watchtower Society.

Mary Ann Artrip ~ Mary Ann belongs to the Watauga Branch (Tennessee). A devotee of Hitchcock and O. Henry, she writes mainly fiction in the genres of romance, mystery, and intrigue. She has found that she is most successful when she writes about that which she likes to read – the unexpected with surprise endings. She has published three novels, Remember Me With Love, Moonshadows, and Surrey Square. Two of her books have been nominated for the Appalachian Writers Association's Book of the Year.

Melissa Woodburn ~ Inspired by using a variety of media to express statements about the rhythms and cycles of living, Melissa enjoys creating artwork that is a validation of female creativity for herself and for the viewer.

Anne Babin ~ Anne's hobbies and interests are her family (five children, eleven grandchildren aged fourteen to twenty-five), genealogy, gardening, writing poetry and short stories, photography, club work, church work, and others. She has served as editor for various newsletters for years. She is a member of about nine hereditary organizations. A member of NLAPW since 1995, Anne served as president of the Memphis Branch NLAPW from 2000 to 2003 and is currently the vice president of the Choctaw Branch (Mississippi). Alan, her husband of 56 years, encourages and supports Anne in all of her activities.

Joan Verniero ~ Joan is an award-winning children's book author and educator. She is a member of the Fairfield County Connecticut Branch.

Clella Murray ~ A native Iowan, Clella graduated with a BS in biology from Smith College and an MS in genetics and embryology from the University of Michigan. Her writing interests came to fruition after retirement with the publication of her first book, A Bite of Magic, an adult fairy tale with recipes. The latest mystery, VX: A Deadly Mist explores the devastation of chemical weapons.

Bernice Schachter ~ Bernice is a graduate of Goddard College in Vermont and holds a Master of Art in sculpture and art history. A post-graduate program at California State University was taken at Northridge in Museum Practices. She taught sculpture at The Village in Van Nuys, California, for twenty-five years and, during twenty-three summers, directed stone-carving workshops in Pietrasanta, Italy. Bernice is the president of the Laguna Beach Branch for the 2006/2007 term. She also served as president from 2002 to 2004.

Charlene Holloway, RN ~ A member of the Washington D.C. Branch, Charlene is a native Louisvillian of Kentucky and has been a registered nurse for over 35 years. Charlene is the youngest African-American still living in the state of Kentucky who marched right beside the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1961. She has written a biographical and pictorial story of how Charles D. Whitlock, owner of Whitlock's Florist, attempted to compose the lives of his two daughters, one of whom is Charlene's mother. Her book is entitled "Whitlock's Compositions."

Anna Flowers ~ Anna is from the eastern shore of Maryland. She now lives in Melbourne, Florida. First published at the age of twelve in a National Anthology of Literature, she has never stopped writing. She studied writing at the University of Maryland and Washington College. Her early career was spent as a journalist covering crime, as an art director and writer for an Annapolis, Maryland, boating magazine, as a columnist, and as host of a radio talk show. She is a member of Florida's Cape Canaveral Branch.

Evelyn Wolfson ~ A member of the Wellesley Branch since 1978, Evelyn is now the author of more than a dozen books. She has been teaching and writing about the environment, history, and Native American life since she graduated from college. For the past thirty years, she has been a teaching specialist in Native American culture in public schools throughout Massachusetts.

Ute Buehler ~ Born and raised in Germany, Ute Buehler is a photographer, food and wine lover, and writer in Stillwater, Minnesota. One of her passions is to make the traditional kitchen of her home country known and loved in other countries as well. As a photographer, she travels in Germany, Europe, and the United States, and captures the spirit and beauty of these places.

Linda Larsen ~ Linda is a landscape painter and paints en plein air in numerous locations throughout Marin County, California. Landscape painting combines two essential aspects of her life: her love of the outdoors and her need to respond, with paint or pencil, to the beauty and mystery of life. The natural landscape is the subject of Linda's paintings, her "artist's model," her muse and teacher. Linda's medium is color, whether in oil paint or oil pastel. The shifting light and atmosphere of nature gives her endless possibilities for exploring color's dynamics. Linda is a member of the Golden-Gate Marin Branch of NLAPW and currently the branch treasurer.

Catherine Bohrman ~ Catherine is a life member of the National League of American Pen Women where she has served on the national and local Connecticut boards. She strives to make her work beautiful, romantic, and sensual to the eye. Cathering has found it interesting how in life a chance meeting or a fleeting vision or moment in a day can affect one's life and work so deeply.

Sallie Naatz Bailey ~ Sallie is a freelance artist and writer who was born in Syracuse, New York in 1931. She studied art at Syracuse University and has worked in many media including serigraphs, watercolor, and, most recently, original computer graphics. Her website, Woodland Studio, summarizes and contains examples of her work in various media. Sallie is a past president and board member of both the Associated Artists of Syracuse and the Central New York Branch of the National League of American Pen Women.

Joan Stier ~ Joan is past-president and past-treasurer of the Central New York Chapter of the National League of American Pen Woman. She is currently assistant treasurer. A self-taught artist who specializes in watercolor/ink paintings, her profits from painting were her only means of making a living until a few years ago. Joan says it has been a fun ride and if she had it to do it over, she would.

Debe Abbott ~ Debe and her husband Kevin are the owners of Abbott's Lake Country Studio, a custom-framing workshop and art studio in ipstate New York. In addition to showing her work at the studio, Abbott has actively exhibited her artwork in venues throughout the country. Of her work, Debe says, "I consider myself mostly a landscape painter. Even my abstract work is based on landscapes or at least inspired by the natural world. Fields, flowers, trees, the sky - everything I see around me finds its way into my paintings. Debe is a member of the Central New York branch of the NLAPW.

Suellen Zima ~ Suellen's website was created especially for her book, Memoirs of a Middle-aged Hummingbird. This is a true journal of her extraordinary experiences as a new immigrant in Israel and then as a teacher in several Asian countries, especially rapidly changing China, from 1983 to 2005. Not only is her long journey geographical, but there are personal, emotional, spiritual, cultural, sociological, and historical journeys interwoven throughout. Suellen is a member of the Laguna Beach Branch of NLAPW.

Nancy M. Petersen ~ Nancy centers her writing on the personal experiences of people on the Western frontier. One of her books focuses on the Platte River and another is a two-volume set on the Missouri River. Her most recent book tells the stories of mixed-blood Indian women. She enjoys sharing stories, both in print and in person, and often speaks to groups interested in Western history. A Pen Woman for more than thirty years, Nancy is a member of the Denver Branch.

Gayla Drake Paul ~ Gayla Drake Paul has been playing and writing guitar music for over a quarter of a century. Gayla's site contains my biographical information and lyrics from her recordings as well as links to CD Baby where they are available for sale. She also has links to some of her musical associates and the equipment she uses. Gayla belongs to the Iowa City Branch of NLAPW.

Alice Benjamin Boudreau ~ Alice's work could be called "Expressionism Based on Observation." Her favorite artists are the Post-Impressionists and German and Abstract Expressionists. She uses a variety of media - acrylic, pastels, and watercolor, with the model, landscape, or still-life for a jumping-off point to express personal feelings. She belongs to the Sarasota Branch of the National League of American Pen Women as well as a variety of other organizations.

Jo Ann Lordahl, Ph.D. ~ Jo Ann has been writing for a long time. She loves to travel and will go out of her way to accept speaking, workshops, writing conferences, and seminar invitations. Her latest books are Secrets and Wolf World. Jo Ann has been active in the past but now lives on Kaua'i in the Hawaiian islands and is a member-at-large.

Phyllis Coniglio ~ A painter with a contemporary style, Phyllis uses mixed media to achieve her results. Her work is being recognized and she is winning awards at league art shows. She is a member of the Long Island, New York, Pen Women.

Pat Schermerhorn ~ Pat is a pointillist and works with fine tip pens and colored inks. After spending thirty years in North Dakota, Pat now lives in Cody, Wyoming. The Whitney Gallery of Western Art is located there and is wonderful to see. Pat has won awards at the Pen Women National Art Shows twice in past years. Pat spent five years sketching and painting the Missouri River through North Dakota. Now she wants to do the mountains and rivers of Wyoming and Montana. Pat has been a member of the North Dakota Bismarck Branch for many years.

Wendy Hart Beckman ~ Wendy has taught at Miami University and the University of Cincinnati. Now her "day" job is in media relations at the University of Cincinnati. Her "night" job is writing, editing, and taking care of her family. Her writing interests include both fiction and nonfiction for both adult and youth audiences, and her goal as a freelance writer and editor is to get published and help others publish. Wendy is the president of the Cincinnati, Ohio, chapter of Pen Women.

June Keene ~ June Keene describes "writing and speaking" as an inseparable unit, like the two sides of a coin – maintaining they should never be regarded as separate crafts. In her presentations and workshops, she demonstrates that, in the same way a sheet of music needs a musician to bring it to life, the trained speaking voice can, and should, add full expression to the written word. In her childhood years in England, June showed a natural writing talent; in her teens she developed a love of drama and later studied with the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. In both Great Britain and the United States, she honed her communication skills in the fields of sales and marketing, leading to the development of the first "Principles of Expressive Speech" workshop and, more recently,"An Internet Workshop Of Presentation Skills." June is recording secretary for the Richmond, Virginia Branch.

Beth Seena Lee ~ Betsy S. Lee is a former professional stand-up comedian who appeared in nightclubs and on television and radio. A true renaissance woman, Betsy is also a recognized photographer who received a tribute from the Florida House of Representatives for her photography. The Florida Department of Education, Bureau of Braille, and Talking Book Library Services had her personally record her first book, Off the Track, as a "Talking Book" for the sight-impaired.

Susan Lobo, Ph.D. ~ Susan is a cultural anthropologist with a focus of research and applied work on indigenous peoples of the Americas. She has written a number of books, including the college-level text, Native American Voices, published by Prentice Hall. Susan is a member of the Tucson, Arizona Branch and more information is available on her website.

Sonja Herbert ~ Sonja's first novel, Tightrope!, which won the Eaton Literary Award and $2500.00 for best book-length manuscript for 2006. The book tells about my mother, a half-Jewish fashion model who survived the Night of Broken Glass in her Jewish boss's store and survived the Nazis by hiding in a circus. Read more about Sonja's book and her other writings, publications, and awards. Sonja is a member-at-large in the Portland, Oregon area.

Miki Boni ~ Brooklyn-born painter Miki Boni began her career in New York's East Village drawing street portraits. She has lived in Mexico as a working artist where she taught painting and drawing at the Instituto Allende, in San Miguel de Allende. Widely exhibited and in private collections in Mexico, Europe and the U.S., Boni is the first American woman painter whose work was selected to be part of a permanent collection at Museo Ateneo Cultural in Nayarit, Mexico.

Edna Hibel ~ Edna Hibbel's paintings are sugary portraits of mothers and children from around the world. She paints on a variety of surfaces: wood, silk, crystal, and porcelain. The museum, located on Royal Poinciana Way, houses over 1000 examples of her work. Mrs. Hibbel still lives in the Palm Beach, Florida, area and frequently visits the museum. Saturday, January 13, 2007, is Edna's 90th birthday bash!

Maria Keane ~ Maria maintains a creative interdependence with the printmaking process: the preparation of the plate and the paper, and the pulling of the print off the press. The result is always descriptive of the mirror's eye (a reverse image inherent of the printmaking process). Printmaking is a solitary aesthetic experience in which the process never lies. When the print is pulled, she knows whether her subject speaks to her — and others. Then Maria is able to share intimacies of the process through the visual participation of others beyond the mirror's eye.

Karen Jones ~ Karen is the co-director of the Chesapeake Writer's Conference, serves on the Board of Directors of The P. Buckley Moss Foundation for Children's Education, is an advisor for the Bay School for the Arts, and is a member of the Chesapeake Bay Branch. Karen has worked for ten years as an educator in the public schools teaching English and composition. She is presently at work on her fourth book, The Highland Witch, a historical romance novel set in 15th century Scotland.

Marcie McManus Gallery ~ Marcie is known for her florals and still lifes. Her still life paintings often begin with organic elements to which she adds treasures from her collection of glass pottery, lace, and fabric. She is attracted to the natural shapes of still life elements.

Linda Hodges ~ Linda is a food- and travel-related writer who co-authored Language and Travel Guide to Ukraine, Hippocrene Books, Inc., now in its fourth edition. She created her large "Ukrainian Language, Culture, and Travel" site in 1995 to help orient travelers to that little-known country. Linda serves as membership chairperson of the Des Moines Branch.

Mary Harwell Sayler ~ A poet, author of twenty-five books, column writer, and member of the St. Johns River Branch in Florida, Mary has worked with other poets for over twenty years. through critiques, workshops, and editorial services.

Jill Adler ~ Vice president of the NLAPW Modesto Chapter, Jill is a freelance writer and has published over 300 articles, mostly in the world of sports. She co-owns ProHockeyNews.com which covers North American professional minor league hockey.

Susan S. Weilbacher Galleries ~ Susan Weilbacher received her B.A. in Art Education from Florida State University. Her studies included six months in Florence, Italy, where she fell in love with the art of the Renaissance. Having lived all her life in Florida, Susan loves to paint from the great abundance of wildlife, waterlife, and scenery she finds around her.

Roxanne Tobaison ~ In 1979, Roxanne fulfilled her childhood dream of becoming an artist. She chose watercolor because of its spontaneity and luminosity of light. Painting affords her the opportunities to express her love of nature and her surroundings. Having lived in Florida all my life, Roxanne's art reflects the things she knows and loves.

Carolyn (CJ) Matheny ~ CJ began her love of poetry by writing songs some 30 years ago. This love affair began by CJ writing songs of praise and singing them in church, accompanying herself with only an acoustic guitar. CJ has written many songs and poems throughout the years as a way of coping with difficult situations and helping others to do the same.

DreamWeb Office Consultants, Inc. ~ Caroline McKeon, owner and operator of DreamWeb Office Consultants, Inc. in Temple Terrace, Florida, can show you a foolproof accounting system so user-friendly even you will be able to handle it. DreamWeb offers a variety of services specifically tailored to meet the needs of new business owners.

Brigitte Mailahn ~ Born and raised in Germany, Brigitte now resides in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. She is educated as an elementary school teacher and studied art with a variety of well-known art teachers and artists. Her work can be seen in national and international shows in which she has earned numerous awards in the past.

Dr. Pascale Gousseland ~ Dr. Gousseland is a psychotherapist, psychoanalyst, and hypnotherapist in a private practice in New York City. She is also an accomplished writer of published screenplays, poetry, and stories. Gousseman is a frequent feature poet at live venues and on cable TV in the New York City area.

Judy B. Freeman Pottery ~ Potter and ceramic artist for over 30 years, Judy Freeman's work is sure to bring a smile to your face. Sometimes functional, always fun, funky, and whimsical. Judy currently serves as the Tampa Branch treasurer in Florida.

Betty Saletta ~ Betty and her husband own and operate the Lazy S Ranch near Oakdale, California, where she has built a comfortable studio, large enough to continue exploring and expanding her horizons. Her life and her art continue to reflect her passion for the beauty and spirit of the West.

Mary Margaret Buss ~ Mary is an accomplished actress/monologist and speaker, specializing in the one-woman presentation. She currently serves on the National Executive Board of the National League of American Pen Women.

Dorothy K. Fletcher ~ Dorothy has been teaching English for over thirty years in Jacksonville, Florida. Along with teaching, writing is her passion. Two of her books are Zen Fishing and Other Southern Pleasures and The Cruelest Months.

Chella Gonsalves ~ Chella prefers "en plein aire" oil painting, working in ag-related subjects that is part of the vanishing landscape. She has served as president of both the Modesto Branch of the National League of American Pen Women.

Kay B. Day ~ Freelance correspondent, author, and speaker. Kay also writes poetry and writes about poetry. Two of her books are A Poetry Break and Killing Earl.

Jean Hull Herman ~ Poet and author of Jerry Springer as Bulfinch, Starving for the Marvelous, and the upcoming When I'm Calling You

Beverly Lewis ~ Writer of over seventy books for children, youth, and adults.

Patricia Lipe ~ The literary home of Patricia Daly-Lipe

Sharyn Bowman ~ Mixing mystery with science in Hospital Homicide