Editor's Letter: September / October 2008

These are exciting times for the staff at Phoenix Woman. You’ve no doubt noticed our new cover design, but that’s only part of the story. In line with the magazine’s commitment to our readers and advertisers, this new renovation is designed to make Phoenix Woman more stimulating, more current … and more fun! As the new editor, I'm delighted to share our bright new ideas with all of you.

Always striving to excel in our industry and to lead the way in highlighting women’s issues, the new Phoenix Woman will continue to offer exclusive features, including profiles of notable Valley women. Our Life section has been revamped to include more articles on fashion, beauty, entertainment and the home as we continue to keep you up-to-date on both trends and best-kept secrets in dining, travel, health, fitness and local events.

You’ll find articles in Phoenix Woman’s Fortune section on careers, business and financial matters, while a new section called Discovery will expand your horizons regarding the arts, technology, science and women’s heritage.

October is both National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Domestic Violence Awareness Month, two topics close to every woman’s heart. In this issue, you'll love our timely cover story on Governor Janet Napolitano, who is both a breast cancer survivor and an impassioned crusader against domestic abuse. And when she's not running our state or pounding the pavement on behalf of important causes, she's focused on fun—and a few surprising passions.

“Fitness Fun-atics: Say Goodbye to Boring Workouts” will give your social life a lift as well as your fitness level. Another feature of interest focuses on how one Valley woman's struggle with domestic abuse led her to found an innovative “Girl’s Night Out” gathering to bring awareness and hope. You may also be inspired by “Art for the Cure,” an ongoing endeavor by Phoenix Art Museum that coincides with Susan G. Komen’s Race for the Cure.

If everyday life has you feeling overwhelmed or just out of breath, our article on “smart home” technology may be the story for you. Home automation is all about ease and convenience. And don’t miss this issue’s fall fashion and hair trends in which we discover that sometimes making a positive change is simply a matter of adding a new twist to a comfortable classic. It’s a lesson we at Phoenix Woman have already taken to heart as we continue with our commitment to bring you Arizona’s “focused, fun and fiercely local” women’s magazine.

Dive into our pages and enjoy!


Jessica Parsons, 
Editor

Famed Authors To Participate in Eighth Annual National Book Festival

The Librarian of Congress and Mrs. Laura Bush Invite Book Lovers of All Ages to Celebrate Reading on the National Mall on Sept. 27

Washington, D.C. – The 2008 National Book Festival, organized and sponsored by the Library of Congress and hosted by Mrs. Laura Bush, will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 27, rain or shine, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., between 3rd and 7th streets. The festival is free and open to the public.

Among some 70 authors and illustrators participating this year are Tiki Barber, Marc Brown, Warren Brown, Kimberly Dozier, Arthur Frommer and Pauline Frommer, Philippa Gregory, Steven Kellogg, Brad Meltzer, Salman Rushdie, Bob Schieffer, Daniel Schorr, Alexander McCall Smith, Paul Theroux, Dionne Warwick and recently named Poet Laureate, Kay Ryan. Jon Scieszka, a children’s book author recently named the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature by the Librarian of Congress, will be among the authors presenting in the Teens & Children’s Pavilion.

“I invite you, your friends and your family to join us on Sept. 27 as we all celebrate our shared love of reading,” said Librarian of Congress James H. Billington. “Come and be a part of this wonderful national experience.”

"There are activities for all ages at the National Book Festival,” said Mrs. Bush. “Readers can explore genres from history and mystery to romance and cookbooks. Children can meet their favorite storybook characters. And visitors can learn about the extensive resources offered by the Library of Congress.”

The festival authors, illustrators and poets will talk about their work in pavilions dedicated to Children, Teens & Children, Fiction & Mystery, History & Biography, Home & Family and Poetry. PBS characters and NBA/WNBA players will appear at the festival including NBA Legend and Hall of Famer Bob Lanier. Each year, players participate in the festival by reading their favorite children’s books aloud with the help of students from local area schools as part of “NBA Cares.”

The Pavilion of the States, sponsored by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, will highlight reading, literacy and library promotion activities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and several American trusts and territories.

The Library of Congress Pavilion will feature a variety of family-centered activities illustrating the depth and breadth of the Library’s extraordinary collections available online. It will also offer a sampling of interactive activities available through the recently launched Library of Congress Experience.

Presentations by young poets and artists will be a new feature in the Teens & Children Pavilion. Each of the K-12 students presenting will be a winner in the River of Words environmental poetry and art contest sponsored by the Library's Center for the Book.

A presentation by four of the more than 100 authors and illustrators who contributed to the volume "Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out," sponsored by the National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance, will be featured in the Teens & Children Pavilion. Those writers are Mary Brigid Barrett, Steven Kellogg, Katherine Paterson, and Jon Scieszka. (The book, with an introduction written by David McCullough, is published by Candlewick Press, 2008.)

Downloadable podcasts of interviews with popular participating authors will be placed on the Library’s Web site at www.loc.gov/bookfest.

The artist for this year’s festival is beloved children’s author and illustrator Jan Brett, whose poster of animals and birds on the National Mall will be available at the festival. Brett, who has written and/or illustrated more than 30 books and has more than 33 million books in print, will be among the authors and illustrators speaking in the Children’s Pavilion.

The 2008 National Book Festival is made possible with generous support from Distinguished Benefactor Target; Charter Sponsors AT&T and The Washington Post; Patrons the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the James Madison Council and the National Endowment for the Arts; and Contributors Barnes & Noble, the Library of Congress Federal Credit Union, Marshall and Dee Ann Payne, NBA/WNBA, PBS, Penguin Group (USA), Scholastic Inc. and US Airways.

The Junior League of Washington will again provide hundreds of volunteers, joining Library of Congress volunteers in assisting those attending the National Book Festival.

Participating Authors – National Book Festival 2008

Summer is here!

The triple digit temps have arrived and I am already looking for cooler weather weekend destinations.
I would love for our readers to share their hot weather escapes.

Kristine

A big Thank You to Zuva Gallery for hosting over 15 Refugee Mom's for a celebration in their honor. Kaley O'Kelley; weather anchor for ABC-15 was also honored for her continuous support for women and women's issues in the valley. The Zuva Gallery awarded Kaley a beautiful sculpture titled "Mother and Child."
Each Refugee Mother was given a gift bag loaded with gifts by the following sponsors:
The Phoenix Suns
The Arizona Rattlers
ASU
Walmart
Albertsons
Bashas
Salon Mila
el Pedregal Shops at the Boulders
Starbucks
Stefan Mann
Ben and Jerry's
b desings international
Biltmore Pro Print

What a great event....we even got to meet a few of the artists.

Kristine

Happy May Day!
The new Spring issue of PW is in and you won't want to miss reading about 4 local ladies who are tackling second careers.
Tomorrow is the 5th annual Phoenix Women's Sports Association dinner. You can still purchase a ticket to hear keynote speaker, Diana Nyad, World Champion long distance swimmer tell her amazing stories of achieving success.

You can also catch a few of our PW staff out on the green, golfing for UMOM. If you hear FORE...look for Tiffany.

Sign up and join our Blog....we love hearing from you!

Have a great day.
Kristine

Women in Business Event

Thank you to all the PW readers who joined us on March 13th for the Business Journal's "Women in Business" conference. What a great event and tradeshow. We love meeting our readers and advertisers and appreciate the comments. Keep on talking to us....

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