Vanessa Johnson shown above at far left. Griot writer, and artist Vanessa Johnson presented at the annual Emancipation Day Festival at the Gerrit Smith Estate and the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum in Peterboro, NY on August 1, 2026. Post-Standard (7/28/26) carried a beautiful photo of our colleague Vanessa Johnson, announcing her presentation at the annual Emancipation Day Festival at the Gerrit Smith Estate and National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum in Pete

Nancy Dafoe has assumed the responsibilities of the NLPAW President beginning on April 26, 2026. Immediate Past President Sheila M. Byrnes continues to serve on the National Board of Directors as Historian and has been named as the League's Chief Negotiator. Janine DeBaise has been named to the National Board as Governance Chair and continues in her role as National Credentials Chair for Letters. The Central New York Branch currently has three members on the NLAPW Board of Di

Mary L. Gardner recently held a reading and launch of Second Looks: Memoir in Essay and Poetry at the Skaneateles Library in Skaneateles, NY. Her new collection of poetry and essay published by Clare Songbirds Publishing House is available from the author, from Skaneateles Artisans, The Book She Reads, and will soon be available online through Amazon for a retail price of $14.95. Following her book launch, Gardner was featured in The Eagle News' The Press Observer in an artic