

Summer Surprises! CNY Branch Exciting News From Members
Janet Fagal’s poem about finding animal shapes in puffy summer clouds, “Take 10 to Find Ten,” was accepted for Bridget Magee’s latest anthology for kids of all ages, 10 •10 Poetry Anthology: Celebrating 10 in 10 different ways. It will be available this fall. Appearing this fall in Cayuga Lake Books’ From the Finger Lakes: A Memoir Anthology is Janet Fagal’s poem, “Learning to Fish”. This poem has appeared before in On Montauk and the CNY Branch’s anthology In the Company o


Pen Women Writers Perform Reading of Ekphrastic Responses to Schweinfurth's "Made in New York"
The CNY Branch of the NLAPW writers performed an ekphrastic reading of original work responding to the "Made in New York" exhibition at the Schweinfurth Art Center in Auburn on the evening of July 9, 2021. New CNY Branch President Judith McGinn opened the program with an introduction before the poets and writers read their original works inspired by the art work in the "Made in New York" show. Collaborating since 2018, under the leadership of Mary L. Gardner, the CNY Branch a
CNY Branch Member Vanessa Johnson Stars in Paul Robeson Performing Arts Production
Vanessa Johnson had a multi-starring role in Paul Robeson Performing Arts production of "Comb Your Hair (or You'll Look Like a Slave)" by Leelee Jackson. Vanessa appeared in five different "roles" in the play, performing the hair stories: "Kiki is Bald," "Best Daughter," "Power Trip/The Right Swipe," "All of Us," and "50/50-Duplicates." The production of "Comb Your Hair" was live streamed on the evenings of July 9 and 10, 2021. Sonita L. Surratt was the director of this accla


CNY Branch's Arts Speaks Exhibition Opens in Celebration of the Branch's 95th Anniversary
Twenty members of the Central New York (CNY) Branch of the National League of American Pen Women – ten artists and ten writers – were invited by the Edgewood Art Gallery to exhibit their art and poetry inspired by art (ekphrastic) in the gallery from July 2-August 14, 2021. ART SPEAKS features the artists’ work and the writers’ ekphrastic poetry hung side-by-side to engage viewers and stimulate reflections and conversations on creative mediums. Pen Women member Mary Raineri w