WNBA Wednesday: Pannell Award Winners Announced!

This week, the winners of the 2013 WNBA Pannell Book Award were announced.

Congratulations to Nicola’s Books in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Bookbug in Kalamazoo!

This list of 2013 Nominees included:

General Bookstores Avid Book Shop, Athens, GA Byrd’s Books, Bethel, CT Nicola’s Books, Ann Arbor, MI Newtonville Books, Newtonville, MA Porter Square Books, Cambridge, MA Main Street Books, Davidson, NC Vroman’s Bookstore, Pasadena, CA Park Road Books, Charlotte, NC

Children’s Bookstores Books and Cookies, Santa Monica, CA 4 Kids Books & Toys, Zionsville, IN Hooray for Books, Alexandria, VA The Bookbug, Kalamazoo, MI The Voracious Reader, Larchmont, NY Children’s Book World, Los Angeles, CA

In 1983, the WNBA established the WNBA Pannell Awards to recognize and publicly applaud the work of booksellers who stimulate, promote and encourage children’s and young people’s interest in books, in honor of Lucile Micheels Pannell, a founding member of one of the WNBA chapters.

This year’s awards will be given out formally at BookExpo America (May 30th – June 1st), during the Children’s Book and Author Tea.

Congratulations again to all the winners and nominees!

You can read more about the announcement here on Publishers Weekly.

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UN Corner: UN World Press Freedom Day

The Women’s National Book Association is a Non-Governmental Organization member of the United Nations, supporting the United Nations in its goals. Today, May 3rd is World Press Freedom Day. Read below for a message from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

As seen on www.un.org:

Secretary-General’s Message for 2013

Freedom of expression is a fundamental human right, enshrined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is a cornerstone of good governance, sustainable development, and lasting peace and security.

Yet every day around the world, journalists and media workers are under attack.  They face intimidation, threats and violence from governments, corporations, criminals or other forces that wish to silence or censor.

The theme of this year’s World Press Freedom Day, “Safe to Speak: Securing Freedom of Expression in All Media”, highlights the need for action to upholding the right of journalists to carry out their vital work.

From traditional media platforms such as radio, print and television, to newer and more and more popular social media, blogs and citizen-led reporting, journalists are increasingly at risk.

Over the past decade, more than 600 journalists have been killed – at least 120 in the past year alone.  Hundreds more have been detained.  The dangers are not only physical: from cyber-attacks to bullying, the powerful are deploying numerous tools to try to stop the media from shedding light on misrule and misdeeds.

These are individual tragedies; collectively, they are an assault on the right of all people to the truth.  I am especially concerned that so many of the perpetrators escape any form of punishment.

The United Nations system has established a Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity.  The plan aims to raise awareness and to support practical steps to create a free and safe working environment for journalists.

As we mark World Press Freedom Day, let us pledge to do our utmost to enable all journalists in all media to do their jobs.  When it is safe to speak, the whole world benefits.

Ban Ki-moon

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Member Monday: Newsletter Updates

Talia Carner, author of Jerusalem Maiden, is expanding her reach and has accepted a speaking invitation in Paris, France in April and an appearance in Jerusalem in July. For details, please check her website, www.TaliaCarner.com

Barbara Foster recently presented A Dangerous Woman: The Life, Loves, and Scandals of  Adah Isaacs Menken to the New York Victorian Society and Fort Lauderdale Women’s Executive Club.

Amy Hill Hearth‘s novel, Miss Dreamsville and the Collier County Women’s Literary Society (Atria Books, 2012), is a book club pick for Simon & Schuster, a Reader’s Digest Select Edition, and a main selection of the Pulpwood Queens, a book club with 550 chapters. The novel is set in Florida in 1962.  

Lucine Kasbarian‘s The Greedy Sparrow: An Armenian Tale (Marshall Cavendish/ Amazon Children’s Books) won the 2013 Nautilus Silver Award in the Children’s Picture Book category. Formal announcements about all winners will take place at BookExpo America.

Daphne Kalotay, co-president of WNBA-Boston, will be reading from her new book, Sight Reading, at NYC’s Posman Books, Wednesday, June 5, at 7:00PM. (Chelsea Market, 75 9th Avenue.)

Melissa A. Rosati, CPCC now represents the Institut Van Gogh, Auvers-sur-Oise, France, as the Managing Director, Strategic Partnerships, USA. She is organizing a $50 Million Dollar Campaign titled Van Gogh’s Dream for the U.S. market.

Harriet Shenkman won second place in the National WNBA poetry contest for her poem, Mirror, Mirror. Harriet is a Professor Emerita at CUNY who has several published poems and many educational articles.  Her creative writing was honed at the Hudson Valley Poetry Center, the Unterberg Poetry Center and Sarah Lawrence College. She is writing a novel called The Camel Tamer.

Rachel Slaiman has two articles in the print edition of Latin Trends Magazine: Turning Your Home Into an Efficient Office Space and Current and Classics: for stronger finances, body and mind.  Her two newest blogs are Book Discussion: The Economic Development of Latin America since Independence by Jose Antonio Ocampo and Doing Business in Brazil hosted by Latham and Watkins LLP.

Theasa Tuohy‘s novel, The Five O’Clock Follies, has been shortlisted for ForeWord Review’s 2012 Book of the Year Award and nominated by the Oklahoma Center for the Book award for its fiction prize. The harrowing story, set in 1968, of a female correspondent during the Vietnam War, is published by Calliope Press.

Bette Ann Moskowitz will be reading from her new book, The Room at the End of the Hall as part of the Valley Writers, Ink. at the WIRED GALLERY in High Falls, New York, on Friday, May 10th from 7-9 p.m.   Details are on Facebook.com/WiredGallery or www.TheWiredGallery.com

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WNBA Wednesday: Now Is The Time to Join!

Why is now the best time to join the NYC Chapter of the Women’s National Book Association (WNBA-NYC)? Because new memberships received over the next few months will extend through August 2014! If that’s not enough of a reason, our Membership Chairperson, Rachel Weiss-Feldman, explains all the great benefits below:

The expert panel on the making of a bestseller!
Photo credit Galo Delgado.

If you are a writer, WNBA-NYC offers opportunities to read and get read! You can have your query letter reviewed by literary agents at our annual Query Roulette, entertain members and non-members alike with original prose at Open Mic Night, or contribute to our monthly chapter newsletter or daily blog.

If you are a reader, the WNBA initiative, National Reading Group Month/Great Group Reads can introduce you to some of the best books and authors of the year!  National and local chapter events for NRGM are planned every Fall, featuring top authors such as Julie Otsuka, Scott Spencer, and Nayana Currimbhoy. Or get involved with Great Group Reads, an annual booklist selected by a members-only committee.

If you’re an industry professional (or trying to be), WNBA-NYC holds members-only networking functions and houses member profiles in a members-only database to help you connect to others. Our panel events—free for members—offer industry insight into the world of digital/e-publishing, marketing, production, bestselling fiction, and independent book sales, and more. Our social communities on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn offer networking opportunities, as well as promotions for your company, book, or project.

The WNBA-NYC Chapter’s annual year runs from September to August. Members may join all year round, but are up for renewal every August 31. Right now, however, a unique window for membership is open. Those that join between April and August have their membership extended to the following year—a result of up to four additional months!

Join now and take advantage of our upcoming events like our annual Potluck Brunch. A full list of programs and events can be found on our website’s WNBA-NYC Program and Event Calendar.

If you’re a lover of books, writing, and publishing, you’ll love us as well! Go to the WNBA-NYC membership page for complete details and how to apply!

If you have questions or need further information, feel free to email Rachel Weiss-Feldman at membership@wnba-nyc.org

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Around Town: WNBA-NYC Career Skills Panel

Don’t forget that tonight is the WNBA-NYC’s Career Skills Panel: Getting—and Keeping!—a Job in Today’s Publishing World.

Tuesday, March 12, 6:00 PM — 8:00 PM

Time & Life Building, 1271 6th Ave. (bet. 50th & 51st St.)

Join us for a stimulating panel discussion; bring your questions and share your experiences.

Panelists:

• Angela Bole, Deputy Executive Director, Book Industry Study Group, Inc.
• Alexis Bressler, Human Resources Specialist, Macmillan Publishers
• Pauline Hsia, Literary Agent Assistant; WNBA-NYC Member, Young to Publishing Group
• Justin Krass, Career Counselor, Pace University Career Services Center
• Amy Saxon, Editorial Assistant at Bedford/St. Martin’s

Moderator: Andrea Baron, WNBA-NYC Student/Young Professional Outreach Chair and Adjunct Professor, Pace University MS in Publishing Program

Our panel of speakers will discuss the new realities of the publishing jobs market. Where are the next opportunities? What are the skills you need now?  Why is networking a key part of the hunt?  How can you turn an internship into a valuable professional experience and/or a new job?

The panel is free, but you must register at programs@wnba-nyc.org

 

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